u/NegotiationUnable915 · 2025-06-30 17:57:32 UTC · score 3
SDI is widely considered a scam. Also, I don’t believe they teach CAD at all so I’m not sure where you got that idea from.
u/-SuperTrooper- · 2025-06-30 22:48:00 UTC · score 1
I'd just start here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrZ2zKOtC%5C_-C4rWfapgngoe9o2-ng8ZBr
u/K1RBY87 · 2025-06-30 13:15:44 UTC · score 6
JFC...no bro...hell no. Did you even look at their fucking syllabus?
SDI, and MGS for that matter, is designed to separate fools from their money. The degree ain't worth shit, they don't even offer you any career/job placement. I've seen their curriculum first hand from a soldier going through the program - it's trash. You can learn everything there, and more, online for free.
Not bullshitting save your TA and GI Bill for something that's actually useful. Go to the local community college and take machining classes, welding classes, and engineering classes. 3D design/cad is more likely to fall under their school of arts these days since drafting as a career field is basically disappearing.
u/Jason_Patton · 2025-06-30 19:44:16 UTC · score 1
It’s ass. YouTube and google if you really want it. Or go to a real school.
u/NotTodayGlowies · 2025-06-30 13:21:52 UTC · score 48
SDI is a scam. They're in it for the grift. You'd be better served going to a local community college and taking CAD classes there.
u/HammerHead1911 · 2025-06-30 13:27:36 UTC · score 25
It's a literal scam, almost everything they try to teach you can easily just be found on YouTube for example(and probably in better detail as well) and for a very technical hands-on craft like gunsmithing 'Gun Jesus' said it best it's impossible to learn in person skills online, if you want to learn real actual gunsmithing rather it be basic repairs,gun design/manufacturing, marketing, etc what I would recommend is either look for a local certified gunsmithing school/ class or try to get an apprenticeship with a local certified gunsmith
u/Agitated-Werewolf846 · 2025-06-30 17:46:24 UTC · score 3
Sdi doesn't offer any cad program thats something you'll have to learn yourself or go to a community college to learn
u/ChillyBillyDonutShop · 2025-06-30 13:13:16 UTC · score 11
There’s one here in Pittsburgh and the employees from my LGS that attended there have said that it’s a complete waste of money. Also, you can learn the skills you want to learn for free on YouTube - it’s not easy and not a lot of fun sometimes but it is free.
u/cea1990 · 2025-06-30 13:33:34 UTC · score 3
Just because you mentioned Pittsburgh, I looked up your community college to see if there are any CAD classes (there are), so this might be a better route than SDI for folks that have a Community College near them.
Community Colleges are usually super cheap, comparatively. Also, there’s nothing saying that you need the whole degree, just go audit a couple classes or take what you want Lastly, there are often night classes.
https://catalog.ccac.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=4&poid=805
u/CraigslistHitman739 · 2025-06-30 13:58:04 UTC · score 1
I took a SOLIDWORKS class at my local community college in high school and it was a great learning experience (I’m not great at CAD but that helped me significantly). I’d recommend
u/K1RBY87 · 2025-06-30 13:56:44 UTC · score 7
Pennsylvania Gunsmithing School?
Them and Colorado School of Trades are the only two "legit" gunsmithing schools in the country. PGS doesn't have as good of a reputation due to some less than awesome instructors getting hired on over the years. They also didn't "keep up with the times" and ignored industry trends and kept with the "old ways' in not a good way.
If you're going to do a resident class, do the Colorado School of Trades program - but even they will tell you a good number of their students who graduate don't go into the gun industry. Frankly you're better off getting a degree in machining and CNC technology than you are doing any gunsmithing program. At least your job prospects are far better and you have more options than Pidgeon holing yourself into a niche market that will, unfortunately, limit your employability due to people's perceptions.
u/ChevTecGroup · 2025-06-30 13:59:56 UTC · score 2
Exactly.
Start machining. Add other skills like tig welding, metal finishing, and maybe woodworking. Teach yourself how guns work. Start doing gunsmithing as part of your machining work. If you are good with guns, that will become the majority of your work. If not, you can still make gun parts through contracts or just do general machining and not starve
u/ChevTecGroup · 2025-06-30 14:06:12 UTC · score 2
I always tell people how it's my 3rd job for now. It'll be my primary job after I retire haha
u/Strong-Review5880 · 2025-06-30 13:10:57 UTC · score 6
From my understanding sdi is basically community college for gunsmiths you learn the most basic stuff and not enough to really do anything, that being said to answer your question no I'd go with another avenue, a lot of trade schools and community colleges have cad/CNC programs that will teach you the basics so unless you want to turn this into a career that may be a cheaper more time effective option
u/UberPoor_ · 2025-06-30 16:53:57 UTC · score 5
As a developer at The Gatalog, I'd highly recommend just learning everything yourself using free resources. That's what I did, it's pretty easy once you get the fundamentals down and memorize what all the buttons do.
u/Jason_Patton · 2025-06-30 19:54:18 UTC · score 1
Check out tinkercad or freecad if your computer will run it. Get some calipers. Get a pencil and notepad(or however you take notes and make doodles). Just go for it. I’m self taught, hands on, been building stuff my whole life. I went from no clue to full plastic design in about a year. I’m very confident I could go to metal with hand tools, probly hand machines(mills) but not program cnc without help.
Idk what my point is. “If I could do it so can you”. It’s harder than it looks. Etc.
u/AirlineInformal1549 · 2025-06-30 17:05:19 UTC · score 2
I'm so happy with the comments here. I was so worried I'd see a bunch of "absolutely!"s
Yeah I looked into it years ago when I was interested, found some people that did go through with it and from what I heard, they charge you a $10,000 tuition, have you choose a Glock or an ar15, then send you links to YouTube videos showing you how to assemble the kit they sent you for $10,000 lol.
Along that same rabbit hole I went down, from what I hear if you want to get into gunsmithing, the real answer is machining. If you know how to machine you're a VERY good candidate to be an apprentice and grow from there
u/Jason_Patton · 2025-06-30 19:48:46 UTC · score 1
It would be cool if they could be sponsored but lowkey advise against the product. Like openly have a negative opinion of it.
u/Tgambob · 2025-06-30 14:03:26 UTC · score 2
Nah I looked at all those programs, I don't even think they know what cad is.
Community college is where it's at, or even state if you live close enough. Cad and cnc classes, some even offer manual machining classes still. Best part is you get all forms of cad (creo, nx, solidworks, fusion, autocad) free while in school.
u/WhiskyRoger · 2025-06-30 14:23:10 UTC · score 3
If you want to learn 3D modeling buy the student edition of solidworks for $50 (they dont check if youre actually enrollled anywhere) and/or buy the current student book that teaches solidworks step by step, google any issues you have and watch youtube vids
u/K1RBY87 · 2025-06-30 14:36:05 UTC · score 4
No joke it's 2025 - the amount of resources out there for free on YouTube for learning how to use a program, or product design, or workflows, is INSANE. Seriously I wish I had this as a resource when I was a kid.
Couple that with AI tools to help you create a lesson plan/outline for progression from basic, to intermediate, to advanced.....you honestly can learn a ton really really fast. Just gotta remember it's a TOOL not the solution. I see a lot of kids/younger adults, trying to use it as a solution and it almost always fails spectacularly.
Re-upload of r/fosscad from 2015 - June 2025.
Warning: Links might be broken, images missing, etc.
Thanks to @hogleg@forum.guncadindex.com for providing the Reddit archives!
