CSWP - Are you Certified?
CSWP - Are you Certified?
(OP)
If so, how long have you been using SW and when did you get certified in relation to your learning curve of the program.
How much time and $ did it take for you to be CSWP. Do you feel like it was worth the time and effort?
How much time and $ did it take for you to be CSWP. Do you feel like it was worth the time and effort?






RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
I too am curious to hear others inputs regarding the value of the test in this regard.
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Worth time and effort... Yes, it really wasn't any effort, just 2+ hours to take the exam. It was free for me, but I would pay $100 to take it. It is a feather in the cap and demonstrates a certain level of competence is using the software. Prior to becoming certified, I was only able to tell prospective employers that I was good. Now I can at least wave a piece of paper in their face.
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
I think the CSWP helped me out when I was just starting into this software and pretty much this field. I have just graduated college about year prior to SW's release.
Regards,
Scott Baugh, CSWP![[pc2] pc2](https://www.tipmaster.com/images/pc2.gif)
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policieswww.scottjbaugh.com
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Also, when I took it, you did it in a classroom at your VAR and it was 6-8 hours.
You youngsters have it easy these days. Did I mention I had to walk uphill, both ways, through the snow to get to the exam?
Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Certified DriveWorks AE
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
Dell M90, Core2 Duo
4GB RAM
Nvidia 3500M
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
CSWP
SolidWorks 2007 SP5.0/2008 SP0.0
2xDual-Core AMD OPTERON 280 / 8GB Ram
Quadro FX3450
3DConnexion SpaceNavigator
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Last year I took advantage of the free offer from SW and took the CSWA which I passed. I then reviewed for a few weeks and took the CSWP, which I failed.
Can I do everything required in the CSWP? Definitely. Can I review the material, evaluate the requirements and implement the most effective design scheme within the 180 minute test, No.
This does not mean I know less than those that have passed. All it means is that I take more time to develop my approach. Working with the software is only part of the equation. Design experience outweighs software proficiency more ofthen than not.
Having said that, I do plan on re-taking the CSWP at some point. As Shaggy said "it's another feather in the cap"
Eholmes
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
eholmes - I agree with you. For me the test was all about speed modeling. Something that is less of a requirement than designing.
---SolidWorks 2008 SP3.0---
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Would you beat someone else out of a job just because you're a CSWP? Who knows, but it couldn't hurt.
Dan
www.eltronresearch.com
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
http://ww
Will plan on doing this.
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
---SolidWorks 2008 SP3.0---
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Also, I just got a promotion with a new job title (unfortunately not related to the test). Now I will probably need new business cards & I was wondering out of those who have passed the tests & gotten cool .jpg's saying how cool we really are...does anyone actually put their certification on their business cards, & if so where?
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Tony Murschel, CSWA
Dual Xeon 5160 10GB RAM
Nvidia Quadro FX 4500
SWX 2008 SP3.0 x64
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
I took the exam to make myself more marketable. My opinion is that these exams help employers gage the knowledge of current or prospective employees, and somewhat aid jobseekers in establishing their knowledge of the software.
As for myself, it certainly does help having passed this exam come review time..
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
"But if it is from GOD, you will not be able to stop these men; you will find yourselves fighting against GOD.
Acts 5:39
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
I've been using SWx since 97 ... and even used it to design my home addition. It's a fantastic software ...
After hearing about the previous versions of the "test" I was too chicken to take it (even though I was told by VAR's and others that I'd easily pass). My other reason for not taking it was that it probably wouldn't have meant a thing to the companies I had worked for.
Why did I do it now ... for one thing it was for FREE (everybody loves free stuff). And I wanted to prove to myself that I was as good as I thought (and was told).
Compared to the "old" test, I consider this version to be more like a Jr. CSWP ...
But it has been mentioned before, "A feather in your cap is better than no feather at all."
As far as a salary increase because I'm a CSWP now ... that's a funny one.
Brian Mazejka, CSWP
Documentation Control Manager
Microline Pentax, Inc.
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
---SolidWorks 2008 SP3.0---
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Regards,
DLT
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
For that reason alone, I recommend getting the certification. At the very least, the certification helped them get the interview.
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Being that I work for a VAR it is a requirement (at my place of employment at least) that all AE's have to pass this certification along with the tech support test as well (a longer version of the old written test). We have to pass a bunch of other certs as well but that's another story. Anyhow, a small percentage of my salary is actually tied in with the certifications that I hold (first among those being CSWP). I don't know how "in demand" the certification actually is but can tell you before it went all on-line we were running the test probably on a quarterly basis and never filled our class to capacity.
Cheers,
Chris Gervais
Application Engineer
CSWP, CSWST
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
That is exactly what I was thinking. He didn't bother to even review the resumes in any great depth. Went the easy way and looked at the CSWP. Unfortunately there are probably very skilled candidates that will not get an interview that in all likely hood are as talented or better then the CSWP's.
Over the years I have been given expert help, in whatever CAD system we were using at the time. Sadly, they couldn't design their way out of a paperbag. Certificates are a small portion of a person's skillset and talents.
For our company it is a very minor factor in hiring.
FWIW,
Anna Wood
SW2008 SP3.0, Windows Vista SP1
IBM ThinkPad T61p, T7800, FX570M, 4 gigs of RAM
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/solidmuse
http://www.phxswug.com
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
I couldn't agree more ... the certification should not be the basis of an interview. But don't get me wrong, it is something to be looked at.
If I had to interview two people who had similar career paths and skills and one of them was a CSWP ... I'd pick the CSWP.
But that's just my opinion ...
Brian
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
I can't agree with your comments more, but the fact is, those users with the CSWP got that interview, whereas some users (probably more skilled at SolidWorks and design in general) missed out. The CSWP may not do a great job of demonstrating competence in design (or even the software package) but it is something that can make a difference and is worth the $100.
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
In any case, looking for a job is all about marketing yourself correctly and the 7 people who listed CSWP on their resumes did it better than the other 26 in this particular instance.
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
To me, it's sort of like a degree. In my case, I've never even been asked about my degree. Neither have I ever been asked about the CSWP. And I doubt it much matters to any client of mine. I get gigs based on trusted word of mouth or demonstrated capacity to design stuff--not on impersonal authorities such as SolidWorks or Arizona State University. I think some jobs can make use of those things fairly well--industrial design gigs cannot.
Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
What did you dream? It's all right--we told you what to dream.
--Pink Floyd, Welcome to the Machine
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Really, it just reinforces something I learned a long time ago: no one reads resumes. Hiring managers are busy, HR and recruiters are sloppy. This leaves hiring managers time for skimming through a pile.
I restructured my resume some time ago so that all relevant info is in the first section that I call "Key Skills". Hiring manager sees everything he needs to know without even unfolding the first page. Details about education, employment history, etc. come after.
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
I'm not saying that I would use the (lack of) CSWP as a filter if I were looking to hire someone; I'm just trying to point out that everyone's hiring needs are unique, or at least have the potential to be.
For the record (not that anyone cares), I'm not a CSWP and have no plans to become one for the simple reason that I don't see any personal value in having the certification, all evidence to the contrary.
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
1. I'm an industrial designer
2. I'm a consultant/contractor
As such, I rely heavily on a good portfolio--what I've actually designed--to get design gigs. Being a consultant also means I've got lots of exposure to lots of companies and the way they do things. Seeing the way so many businesses are run--using a cheap indication such as the CSWP as a filter of almost any sort--means you don't know what you're really getting. You either filter in the CSWP people or filter out the non-CSWP people (whether it's an initial screening or not)--and you do so without really considering additional information. Regardless, the limited scope of qualifications of candidates will ultimately bite the hiring company.
However, if the primary duty of the candidate is to drive SolidWorks (and not necessarily to creatively solve problems through design), the CSWP might be a useful hiring tool. Certainly such jobs would exist.
Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
What did you dream? It's all right--we told you what to dream.
--Pink Floyd, Welcome to the Machine
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
In my book a "design engineer" and a "CAD jockey" (although often symbiotic) are very different animals.
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
My book reads the same as yours, but my whole point in entering this discussion was to point out the fact that only DLT knows for sure - in this particular instance.
Out.
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
As far as the test, I do not believe the test really gives a good indication of expertise in the program but it’s more about efficiency with the program
CJ Goodrich
Product Design Engineer
Leatherman Tool Group
Portland, Oregon
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
---SolidWorks 2008 SP3.0---
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
"What is the difference between "Save as" and "Save as copy"?
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
I still maintain that it is better to have it than not. The person doing the hiring (resume filtering) may not be aware that the certification isn't all that solid.
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Harold
SW2008 SP3.0 OPW2008 SP0.1 Win XP Pro 2002 SP2
Dell 690, Xeon 5160 @3.00GHz, 3.25GB RAM
nVidia Quadro FX4600
www.lumenflow.com
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Harold
SW2008 SP3.0 OPW2008 SP0.1 Win XP Pro 2002 SP2
Dell 690, Xeon 5160 @3.00GHz, 3.25GB RAM
nVidia Quadro FX4600
www.lumenflow.com
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Are you saying your post was edited? That would normally only happen by request (Red Flag) or if site management felt the content was contrary to forum policies/etiquette.
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Harold
SW2008 SP3.0 OPW2008 SP0.1 Win XP Pro 2002 SP2
Dell 690, Xeon 5160 @3.00GHz, 3.25GB RAM
nVidia Quadro FX4600
www.lumenflow.com
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
The Red Flag is not necessarily a negative function. It can also be used for the positive. But should never be used for the frivolous.
Without repeating what was edited out, how was yours edited?
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Harold
SW2008 SP3.0 OPW2008 SP0.1 Win XP Pro 2002 SP2
Dell 690, Xeon 5160 @3.00GHz, 3.25GB RAM
nVidia Quadro FX4600
www.lumenflow.com
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Oh well, I can sit here and rationalize all the reasons why I didn't pass it but I guess the bottom line is that I suck!! hahaha.
Anywas, I took screenshots of all the 18 questions, If someone would like to try them out let me know and I will host them and post them in this thread.
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
I don't think that is a good idea... Not that I think SW will come and get you or anything. Its just that I don't think the questions are different for anybody else... Maybe they are, but when I took it, a friend took it shortly after and we discussed it afterwards and the problems were the same... maybe different numbers, but essentially the same. At best, there are a limited number of modeling problems.
I agree with your observations.
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Please DO NOT post the questions here ... or anywhere else for that matter! They will be immediately Red Flagged for removal. Posting the test questions would totally invalidate the CSWP certification. The whole idea of the test (however flawed it may be) is to show a level of proficiency with SW ... not the level to which you can sink by cheating.
Several threads have already been removed from the SolidWorks forum because they gave too much information.
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Joe Hasik, CSWP
SW 08 x64, SP 3.0
Dell T3400
Intel Core2 Quad
Q6700 2.66 GHz
3.93 GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4600
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
RE: CSWP - Are you Certified?
Not yet. I used the coupon to redeem that one as well, but haven't taken it yet. I plan to go through the samples to see what to expect.
There was a thread on the SW message board pertaining to the CSWPCDES.
https:/
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional