In the other hand we have Vectric Aspire for the woodworking art 1500$ with a lot of tutorials around the web, for cabinets try Cabinet Vision. The most convenient CAD CAM in terms of money is ZW3D 2015 Lite (only 2.5 ops.), it has very nice CAD interface and a potent CAM for 'less than 1000$'. Imho HSM is one of the best options but is not a standalone program, it is integrated in Inventor or in SW. I also use Mastercam a lot but a novice needs a program with an intuitive interface that he can learn by his own.
