Its tough for the beginner, lots to remember with short-cut commands, however, it is great for laying out floor plans. I always recommend hand drawing first, before any software, because its good source to sketch with clients. This system update annually, so for students, there is a cheaper student version for $150-370. the only downside to the student version when you print it will say student version, but it may not matter if you have the program at school and use this as personal home use for projects.