How Much Should a CAD Manager Be Paid?

Autodesk User Group International does CAD managers a service with its pay survey, which answers your question, “How much should I be paid?” The 2011 survey showed that the range of salaries starts at $41,000 (0-2 years experience) to $67,000 (over 15 years experience), with pay tied to the person’s abilities and responsibilities. The mean salary was in the range of $50,000 to $60,000. (Amounts in stated in United States funds, and rounded to the nearest thousand dollars.) Those with a higher degree received a higher starting salary, but over time the salaries evened out. Nearly half of those surveyed had at least a bachelor’s degree. The pay tended to be lower in smaller cities as well as at smaller firms, and highest in Canada and Australia, as well as at larger firms.

The following article is an abstract of the eBook ‘Best CAD Practices’ by Ralph Grabowski. Graebert is happy to share with you some of the experience accumulated by Ralph as a CAD expert and as compiled in his eBook for which the reference can be found at the bottom of the page. Feel free to share feedback in the comment section below.

THE CAD DEPARTMENT BUDGET

When working on the annual budget for your CAD department, take into consideration the following factors:

Staffing Levels

If you plan to hire additional drafters, remember to include the cost of new workstations, software licenses, and training. If you plan to let go of staff, you might be able to make use of the freed-up salaries for improving the CAD department’s hardware and software infrastructure. A number of years ago, the head of an industrial drafting department told me he was looking forward to the retirement of an employee because his wage would be going toward improving the network system.

Ongoing Expenses

Ongoing expenses tend to be predictable and include magazine and software subscriptions, support contracts, office supplies (such as inkjet cartridges), replacement of low-cost hardware (such as worn-out mice), and ongoing training.

Capital Expenses

Large spending on hardware and software is called a “capital expenditure,” because it is taxed by the depreciation method. The cost is written off over a multiyear period, according to the schedule set out by your government. In Canada, for example, it takes two years to write off software from corporate income tax. Ask your firm’s accounting department about the best way and time to make large purchases. The best way might be leasing; the best time might be at the end of your firm’s fiscal year.

Representative Software Costs

Here are some examples of the cost of some CAD software licenses. Use these as examples only; prices vary due to factors such as the country, taxes, and bulk and network licenses. (n/a = not available)

1 US$ pricing as of March 2016, obtained from vendor’s respective Web sites; price may be on sale or different in other currencies.
2 Single-user license; lower pricing available for multi-seat purchases, networked versions, and educational sites. Perpetual licenses no longer available from Autodesk, except for AutoCAD LT in Japan.

When a vendor offers multi-year subscription, the pricing can look tricky, and so it is important to annualize them — to determine how much each costs for one year. In the example shown below, there is no financial advantage to buying 2- or 3-year subscriptions, other than locking in the price.

To boost sales at certain times of the year, vendors offer discounts of 10% – 30% off certain subscription plans for a limited time.

It pays to keep an eye for them. But it also pays to keep a keen eye on the conditions that might be attached to the discount pricing:

Vendors are under no obligation to honor the same subscription price upon renewal, and so expect to pay higher amounts in later years. For example, in the time I was writing this book, one CAD vendor increased the subscription price by 17% — far greater than the rate of inflation!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ralph Grabowski is a CAD expert with 30+ years experience. He is the author of several best-selling books related to most leading CAD programs. Ralph writes also in a variety of CAD news portals and magazines. More than anything, he is renowned as the founder and editor of the upFront.eZine newsletter and the blog WorldCAD Access.

NB: The views
and opinions expressed by the author in this article or in the eBook do not necessarily reflect those of Graebert as a company or publisher of this blog.

PURCHASE THE BOOK

To buy the complete book click on the image below.