A friend, who was trained as an architect and who worked on AutoCAD software for a long time replies:
Hi Joanna,
No easy answer to this one. There are dozens, hundreds of self-teaching tools for AutoCAD. But the right one for John will depend on a bunch of factors like previous CAD experience, what discipline he is going to be creating drawings for (electronics, architecture, piping, animation, etc.), does he need to learn 3D capabilities, how much money is this worth to him (he can spend anywhere from $100 to thousands), his baseline knowledge of drafting conventions, what learning mode is best for him (step-by-step examples, online interactive, a book, video, whatever).
Honestly, he can hire a consultant to help find an appropriate tool. If he really doesn't have any AutoCAD experience at all, ANY how-to book from a good technical book supplier will be a reasonable starting point (though it will probably not be the only resource he'll need).
If someone is contemplating developing professional-level AutoCAD skills and they intend to go the self-taught route, they need to be thinking about a very disciplined time commitment over many, many months. A good class will accelerate the process a lot (or at least access to a very experienced AutoCAD technician).
Hope that helps!
Jeff
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