CNC Programming - CAD/CAM
De Anza College, Occupational Training Institute · Cupertino, CA
- Cost
- $5,338
- Length
- 52 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 3,062
- Finished the program
- 86%Based on 1,871 people
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
The job this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Shrinking -5.1%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
Related work California expects more of
The U.S. Department of Labor lists these as related to the job above, and California projects growth in them rather than decline. Related is not the same as interchangeable: the training, the licences and the pay can all differ, and this program does not train for these. It is a place to start asking, not a recommendation.
- Architectural and Civil Drafters$78,662 · +7% · 23 programs here
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers$83,963 · +10% · 15 programs here
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians$89,836 · +5.4% · 6 programs here
- Commercial and Industrial Designers$103,591 · +1.9% · 3 programs here
No regional figures for this program's city
Cupertino is not one of the metropolitan or rural areas California names when it publishes wages and openings. A neighbouring area's figures would look exactly like a correct answer, so none are shown and the statewide figures stand alone. About half of California's programs are in this position.
Mechanical Drafters
Job ads may call this: Drafter · Design Drafter · Product Designer · Project Designer
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Develop detailed design drawings and specifications for mechanical equipment, dies, tools, and controls, using computer-assisted drafting (CAD) equipment.
- Produce three-dimensional models, using computer-aided design (CAD) software.
- Lay out and draw schematic, orthographic, or angle views to depict functional relationships of components, assemblies, systems, and machines.
- Modify and revise designs to correct operating deficiencies or to reduce production problems.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Review and analyze specifications, sketches, drawings, ideas, and related data to assess factors affecting component designs and the procedures and instructions to be followed.
- Check dimensions of materials to be used and assign numbers to the materials.
- Design scale or full-size blueprints of specialty items, such as furniture and automobile body or chassis components.
- Compute mathematical formulas to develop and design detailed specifications for components or machinery, using computer-assisted equipment.
- Typical pay in California
- $84,820per year
- Projected openings
- 3,040
- Projected change
- -5.1%
- Usually needs
- Associate's degree
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- None
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: Two-year degree — 35% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: Associate's degree. 40% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 2%
- High school diploma
- 12%
- Started college, no degree
- 26%
- Two-year degree
- 35%
- Four-year degree
- 20%
- Master's degree
- 4%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.9%
This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.
Program details
This is a hybrid or blended program providing both in-person and online instruction.
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical skills and advanced computer software and hardware to the creation of graphic representations and simulations in support of engineering projects. Includes instruction in engineering graphics, two-dimensional and three-dimensional engineering design, solids modeling, engineering animation, computer-aided drafting (CAD), computer-aided design (CADD), and auto-CAD techniques.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
NOVAworksComprehensive center
Phone: 408-730-7232
456 W. Olive AvenueSunnyvale City HallSunnyvale, CA 94086about 5.7 miles away
Hours: Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
North San Jose America`s Job Center of CaliforniaAffiliate site
Phone: 408-216-6200
1901 Zanker RoadSan Jose, CA 95112about 11.1 miles away
Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-5pm
Has a veterans' representative
San Jose Job CenterComprehensive center
Phone: 408-794-1101
1608 Las Plumas AvenueWork2Future-Silicon Workforce Development BoardSan Jose, CA 95133about 12.9 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8a-5p
Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →