HELLO WORLD
James,
First of all, welcome to the forum! You'll find all sorts of interesting
people here and perhaps some good information as well! <grin>
Seriously, this is the place to be if you're "into AutoCAD."
Check with your college bookstore about a student version of AutoCAD. They
are priced (I think) below the $500 mark (less than $1000 fer sure). The
only disadvantages that I know of are that it is not upgradeable and has a
hardware lock to prevent unauthorized copying. If your school does not
carry the student version, you might want to give Autodesk Customer Service
a call. Someone else here on the forum might be able to help you as well.
–Randy