Hey guys,

Here's my situation: I completed an undergraduate computer engineering degree in December 2005, and just graduated this past December with a Masters in MIS. I've been working at a local engineering firm for the past year. I started as a student intern and moved into a full time IT analyst role this past January.

The company is small (about 50 employees including admin staff). When I was hired for this position, I was told that my role would start out in IT, but I would eventually be trained to take up a CAD manager role, to manage everything related to our AutoDesk suite of applications - hardware considerations, network issues, compatibility issues, CAD standards, etc. I made it clear to the company that I had (and still don't have) zero experience in AutoCAD. They said that's exactly what they needed, because they didn't want the CAD manager to be dragged into production.

Right now, it seems like the main holdup is that the company is unable to find the right kind of training for me. So, I come to you guys for help. I can honestly say I have no idea what my next moves should be. Thus far, I've been able to make my stay with the company useful by keeping myself busy with all the IT issues that constantly come up. However, I'd really like to take the steps necessary to be trained for the CAD manager position. How do you guys think I should proceed?