"Before you go investing in high end CAD" Most if not all of the CAD software companies have extensive discount plans for schools. Some even have full corriculum for teachers and students. Decide what it is that you want to do with the software and what hardware you are outputting to. Some CAD is great for CNC, some lasering, some for . . . . Check the USER forums for each package and read through the kinds of questions being asked and who is doing the answering. If only users are doing the support there might be an issue. Just my 2 cents worth. Spend it wisely! Russ