CAD Portfolio?

[petek]

Given your situation, I think you should:
1. Work on your portfolio to demonstate what you've done, and
2. Prepare to talk about your CAD experience and your role(s) in FIRST which would relate to the position.

If I were interviewing you for an entry-level position, I'd want to see a portfolio of clearly presented designs featuring design data, 3D models, assembly drawings and fully-dimensioned fabrication drawings (2D) with examples in AutoCAD and at least one of the major solid packages.

Screenshots alone would not be enough for me. Since you're likely to be doing detail drafting to start with, I'd be most interested in whether your fabrication drawings will tell the shop what they need to know to make the parts (e.g. all features located & dimensioned properly, tolerances and finishes specified, etc.). You'll also want to show assembly drawings, complete with bill of materials, all parts called out and any necessary assembly notes.

(Many places go direct from CAD to CNC without paper drawings, but I think most still generate 2D .dxf or .dwgs to call out the details. At least that's how I work with one CNC shop I use. BTW, the 2Ds are also used by the shops to quote on before they see the solid model.)

I would ask you to describe your contributions in decision-making and how you worked out details and solved problems, and I prefer to work with team players, so I tend to look for evidence of that, too. In your case these might include things like brainstorming, working with other mentors, teaching team members and using "we" at least as much as "I" when talking about accomplishments.

You were going to teach robotics summer camp last summer, right? That might be a good example of leadership and technical communications.

Average pay for entry-level CAD with little experience appears to be about $15/hr according to Salary.com, but it may be a little higher in NY. So your target of $500/wk sounds possible for part-time, but could run to 30 hrs/wk.

Good luck!

[FWIW, my qualifications to comment: I do a little CAD (mainly Inventor these days), have interviewed about 20 or so people for R&D & design engineering positions in my group and have worked with mechanical designers on and off for over 20 years. But I'm sorry to say, we aren't likely to be hiring any time in the foreseeable future.]