Student Software

Today, I will be focusing on an aspect of computers and savings related to them.  I recently made a huge purchase that would have forced me to file bankruptcy if I had acquired it the normal way.  For this to work, you will need two things: a main work computer with lots of power and a college student.  I am talking about the student versions of software that can be acquired at campus bookstores, and more importantly, websites that sell these versions.

I ended up buying a student version of Solidworks (a 3D modeling engineering drafting design program) that ended up costing me $150.  Sounds like a lot of money for a piece of legitimate software?  Well, the full version of the same exact software (of course with a couple of little extra perks) costs around $6000.  Absurd savings.  All you have to do is convince one of your college acquaintances (or maybe even sign up for a class at a community college, if you can’t deal with the moral dubiousness of the venture) to make the purchase for you.  The way I see it, the companies are getting more business that they would not have received because $6000 is beyond the means of most people.

There are two ways of making these purchases.  Either you go to a campus bookstore and have your friend purchase it with their student ID, or you visit one of several websites that can be found with a simple Google search and send the company proper proof of your student status.

There are a couple of tiny little issues with making purchases like these.  First of all, you will typically be purchasing a license for this software that will expire in a year or more.  This is usually never an issue for me because these technologies turn around so quickly that after your time expires, you’ll most likely want to purchase the newest available version.  The other problem is that, unlike most other software, you will only be able to install it on one machine.  So if you need this program in your laptop and desktop and you want to give it to the rest of your family, it won’t be possible.  Otherwise, the software usually contains all of the features available in the full version, and the savings are remarkable.

Happy feeling like a cheap college student!