Note: the following blog was written by SOLIDWORKS intern Abby Simon. Abby is a psychology and marketing student entering her final year at Bucknell University, where she studies how people make decisions and connect with brands and communities. She’s spent two summers interning with the SOLIDWORKS User Advocacy and Community team, gaining hands-on experience in user engagement and community strategy.
As a psychology major with a minor in marketing, I have spent the last four years learning to ask why. Why do people gather, build networks, and seek belonging? How does behavior shape the communities and brands with which people remain loyal?
When I first began my internship with the SOLIDWORKS User Advocacy and Community team in the summer of 2025, I was entirely new to the corporate world and felt hesitant and unsure of how to navigate my new environment.
Going into last summer, I assumed I would learn the fundamentals of a corporate position while gaining insight into business communication and user advocacy, but perhaps the biggest value was getting to know one of the most genuine and passionate communities I have ever encountered.
As I close out my second summer with the team and head into my final year of college, I am carrying something unexpected away with me. I am leaving this position with a deep sense of admiration for the people who make this software what it is: the SOLIDWORKS users.
A Culture of Passion
In the marketing courses I’ve taken, brand advocacy is often reduced to a metric or a simple index meant to quantify promotion and publicity. Yet when these measures are stripped away, advocacy is human, and at SOLIDWORKS, it takes the form of a culture.
A particular observation I’ve made is that SOLIDWORKS users are great at understanding the human side of software. They understand why people take on certain projects, why it can be hard to ask for help, and why recognition from a peer is as important as recognition from a company. They see the software as a tool for creating things that matter to them, and they are just as invested in helping other people be successful as they are in their own work.
What stands out to me most is how little competition or gatekeeping exists in this community. I’ve witnessed SOLIDWORKS users prove time and time again that they want to see each other succeed, and they are constantly offering their time and knowledge to make that happen. Whether this support comes in the form of posting a project to a forum for others to learn from, or providing insights and advice to an audience at a weekly meeting, the community runs on a continuous cycle of teaching, learning and helping others.
Where Belonging Becomes Infrastructure
Two SOLIDWORKS programs capture this dynamic especially well. The SOLIDWORKS User Group Network (SWUGN) and the SOLIDWORKS Champions Program function as the foundational framework for human connection in this company.
I recently attended my second BostonSWUG summer cookout event at the Waltham, MA campus. The turnout alone reflected the dedication, enthusiasm and passion users have for the SOLIDWORKS brand. I observed how attendees were genuinely excited to be there and were eager to reconnect with familiar faces as well as meet new ones. I also listened and participated in multiple conversations offering advice, trading projects, and discovering new shared interests.
From a marketing perspective, the kind of genuine loyalty I witnessed is incredibly difficult to attain and even harder to authentically replicate. I can confidently say that the user group network is one of the most valuable assets the SOLIDWORKS brand has since it provides a space for people to belong to something that matters to them.
As an outsider stepping into this world for the first time, I immediately felt welcomed and supported by this amazing community. From my first week, people made space for me to learn, ask questions, and grow, despite having no real background in the industry or a corporate environment.
Users were gracious enough to share with me not only their technical knowledge, but also their perspectives on careers and life in general, completely separate from SOLIDWORKS itself. No matter what, users are always willing to share advice on how to succeed, a generosity that reflects how much people believe in this community and how far they are willing to go to help others find their footing, wherever they may be headed.
Carrying This Forward
As the summer comes to a close, I am not just leaving with a stronger resume. I am leaving with a sincere understanding of what community building looks like when it is done well.
This community has raised the bar for every network I encounter going forward, and it has given me the space to learn and grow in so many ways I did not expect.
At a point in my life when I am still figuring out what comes next, I want to thank every user who took a moment to talk with an intern, every Champion who offered their experience and insight without being asked, and everyone who made the SWUGN events feel inspiring and empowering. You showed a young student who is beginning their journey in the business world what happens when a community truly trusts and supports each other, and why it matters so much when people show up.
I am deeply grateful to have spent two summers as a small part of this user community, which is not only shaping the future of CAD, but is also setting the standard for every user community across the world.
What Two Summers with the SOLIDWORKS User Community Taught Me About Human Connection
As a psychology major with a minor in marketing, I have spent the last four years learning to ask why. Why do people gather, build networks, and seek belonging? How does behavior shape the communities and brands with which people remain loyal?
When I first began my internship with the SOLIDWORKS User Advocacy and Community team in the summer of 2025, I was entirely new to the corporate world and felt hesitant and unsure of how to navigate my new environment.
Going into last summer, I assumed I would learn the fundamentals of a corporate position while gaining insight into business communication and user advocacy, but perhaps the biggest value was getting to know one of the most genuine and passionate communities I have ever encountered.
As I close out my second summer with the team and head into my final year of college, I am carrying something unexpected away with me. I am leaving this position with a deep sense of admiration for the people who make this software what it is: the SOLIDWORKS users.
A Culture of Passion
In the marketing courses I’ve taken, brand advocacy is often reduced to a metric or a simple index meant to quantify promotion and publicity. Yet when these measures are stripped away, advocacy is human, and at SOLIDWORKS, it takes the form of a culture.
A particular observation I’ve made is that SOLIDWORKS users are great at understanding the human side of software. They understand why people take on certain projects, why it can be hard to ask for help, and why recognition from a peer is as important as recognition from a company. They see the software as a tool for creating things that matter to them, and they are just as invested in helping other people be successful as they are in their own work.
What stands out to me most is how little competition or gatekeeping exists in this community. I’ve witnessed SOLIDWORKS users prove time and time again that they want to see each other succeed, and they are constantly offering their time and knowledge to make that happen. Whether this support comes in the form of posting a project to a forum for others to learn from, or providing insights and advice to an audience at a weekly meeting, the community runs on a continuous cycle of teaching, learning and helping others.
Where Belonging Becomes Infrastructure
Two SOLIDWORKS programs capture this dynamic especially well. The SOLIDWORKS User Group Network (SWUGN) and the SOLIDWORKS Champions Program function as the foundational framework for human connection in this company.
I recently attended my second BostonSWUG summer cookout event at the Waltham, MA campus. The turnout alone reflected the dedication, enthusiasm and passion users have for the SOLIDWORKS brand. I observed how attendees were genuinely excited to be there and were eager to reconnect with familiar faces as well as meet new ones. I also listened and participated in multiple conversations offering advice, trading projects, and discovering new shared interests.
From a marketing perspective, the kind of genuine loyalty I witnessed is incredibly difficult to attain and even harder to authentically replicate. I can confidently say that the user group network is one of the most valuable assets the SOLIDWORKS brand has since it provides a space for people to belong to something that matters to them.
As an outsider stepping into this world for the first time, I immediately felt welcomed and supported by this amazing community. From my first week, people made space for me to learn, ask questions, and grow, despite having no real background in the industry or a corporate environment.
Users were gracious enough to share not only their technical knowledge but also their perspectives on careers and life in general, completely separate from SOLIDWORKS itself. No matter what, users are always willing to share advice on how to succeed, a generosity that reflects how much people believe in this community and how far they are willing to go to help others find their footing, wherever they may be headed.
Carrying This Forward
As the summer comes to a close, I am not just leaving with a stronger resume. I am leaving with a sincere understanding of what community building looks like when it is done well.
This community has raised the bar for every network I encounter going forward, and it has given me the space to learn and grow in so many ways I did not expect.
At a point in my life when I am still figuring out what comes next, I want to thank every user who took a moment to talk with an intern, every Champion who offered their experience and insight without being asked, and everyone who made the SWUGN events feel inspiring and empowering. You showed a young student who is beginning their journey in the business world what happens when a community truly trusts and supports each other, and why it matters so much when people show up.
I am deeply grateful to have spent two summers as a small part of this user community, which is not only shaping the future of CAD but is also setting the standard for every user community across the world.