I have used solidworks since 99 and honestly say it's pretty user friendly and the support is great. I tried an older version of autocad but was seriously lost.
For the money i think SW is the way to go. SolidWorks 09 on dual FX Quadros running in SLI
The only thing i wish it had was photo realistic rendering within the app.

 

I'm currently in my last year of college studying in the CAD/CAM field. So far we have been taught inventer, solidworks, catia, and a few other architectual based programs. I also use solidworks whenever I can. That is my go-to program. Catia is powerful and I like using it but it was a lot to learn.