Here's how you can enhance your Mechanical Engineering career by developing CAD skills.

Mastering the fundamentals of CAD is essential for kickstarting your journey in mechanical engineering. Start by acquainting yourself with the interface of various CAD software and grasping basic drawing and modeling techniques. Understanding principles like geometric dimensioning and tolerancing lays a solid foundation for creating simple parts and assemblies. These skills not only form the backbone of mechanical design but also pave the way for more advanced CAD applications in your career.

Using of CAD softwares are like art, you can have your own approach to model a design. As of name, it's a design and each design is unique so let it go and model as many as possible to master at. Additionally, you have to obey documentation as a holy book and pay attention and make use of tools in an innovative manner! Be courage and start modeling!

In my experience, one thing I've found helpful is starting with CAD basics. Get acquainted with different software interfaces, practice basic drawing and modeling techniques, and grasp geometric dimensioning and tolerancing principles. This foundational knowledge lays the groundwork for advancing your CAD skills and enhancing your Mechanical Engineering career.

Start by mastering the fundamental concepts and tools of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software. Learn how to create 2D drawings, sketch geometries, and navigate the user interface efficiently.

Understanding CAD fundamentals is crucial for mechanical engineering. It involves grasping software interfaces, drawing techniques, and geometric principles. Mastering these basics lays the groundwork for drafting parts and assemblies, essential for mechanical design. With practice, you'll build the skills needed for advanced CAD applications in your engineering journey.

CAD is integral to mechanical engineering as it enables precise visualization, rapid design iteration, and accurate modeling of mechanical components. Integration with simulation software allows engineers to assess the behaviour of designs under various conditions, ensuring reliability and efficiency. CAD also enhances collaboration among team members by enabling easy sharing of design files, leading to streamlined communication and coordination throughout the design process. Ultimately, CAD contributes to significant time and cost savings by reducing errors, eliminating the need for physical prototypes, and expediting the development of high-quality mechanical products as it is also the cornerstone of mechanical engineers.

After mastering the basics, take your CAD skills to the next level by exploring advanced modeling techniques. Dive into creating complex geometries, mastering surface modeling, and understanding parametric and feature-based modeling concepts. These advanced skills enable you to design intricate components with precision and efficiency, particularly valuable in industries demanding high customization and innovation, such as aerospace or automotive engineering. Advanced modeling opens up opportunities for tackling challenging design projects and advancing your career in mechanical engineering.

Learn how to create complex 3D models, assemblies, and parametric designs. Develop proficiency in features like lofting, sweeping, and surface modeling.

One thing I've found helpful is exploring features like parametric modeling, surface modeling, and advanced assembly techniques. These skills enable you to create complex designs with precision and efficiency, making you more valuable to employers and opening up opportunities for challenging projects and roles.

Unlock the full potential of CAD by harnessing its simulation capabilities. Dive into learning how to use simulation tools to analyze the performance of your designs under diverse conditions, all without the need for physical prototypes. Explore stress analysis, thermal simulations, and fluid dynamics simulations to gain valuable insights into your designs. These predictive models not only save time and resources but also enable you to optimize and refine your designs early in the process. Embracing simulation tools empowers you to create more robust and innovative solutions in your mechanical engineering career.

Familiarize yourself with simulation tools integrated into CAD software. Learn how to perform stress analysis, thermal simulations, and fluid flow simulations to validate and optimize your designs for performance and reliability.

In my experience, mastering software like SolidWorks or ANSYS allows for virtual testing and analysis of designs. This enhances problem-solving abilities, validates concepts, and improves product performance, giving a competitive edge in the field.

Acquire skills in collaborating with teammates and stakeholders using CAD software. Learn how to share and review designs, manage version control, and resolve conflicts efficiently in a collaborative environment.

Gain knowledge of 3D printing technology and its integration with CAD software. Understand the principles of additive manufacturing and learn how to prepare CAD models for 3D printing, including optimizing geometries and selecting appropriate materials.

Embrace a mindset of continuous learning and improvement in CAD skills. Stay updated with the latest advancements in CAD software, tools, and techniques through online courses, tutorials, and professional development opportunities.

I've found CAD to be a rabbit hole, that sometimes need not be completely explored. While, like others here say, it's absolutely essential to know a software you will use everyday well enough, it's not the end of the world. Good modelling practices will get you much further. Ensure your design tree has good readability and editability. ACTUALLY USE tools like mirrors and arrays or feature grouping. And most importantly, learn to use your PLM properly.

Pick a particular CAD software and or a simulation software and master both of them tremendously. There are several, but understanding one of the very many - perfectly, is key. By the way, it doesn’t also hurt to understand the fundamental workings of others - only to show diversity - since they mostly all have similarities in functionality.