Architectural and Civil Drafters

Prepare detailed drawings of architectural and structural features of buildings or drawings and topographical relief maps used in civil engineering projects, such as highways, bridges, and public works. Use knowledge of building materials, engineering practices, and mathematics to complete drawings.

On the job, you would:

Produce drawings, using computer-assisted drafting systems (CAD) or drafting machines, or by hand, using compasses, dividers, protractors, triangles, and other drafting devices.
Draft plans and detailed drawings for structures, installations, and construction projects, such as highways, sewage disposal systems, and dikes, working from sketches or notes.
Coordinate structural, electrical, and mechanical designs and determine a method of presentation to graphically represent building plans.

Important Qualities

Creativity. Drafters must be able to turn plans and ideas into technical drawings of buildings, tools, and systems.

Detail oriented. Drafters must take care that the plans they convert are technically accurate according to the outlined specifications.

Interpersonal skills. Drafters work closely with architects, engineers, and other designers to make sure that final plans are accurate. This requires the ability to communicate effectively and work well with others.

Math skills. Drafters work on technical drawings. They may be required to calculate angles, weights, costs, and other values.

Technical skills. Drafters in all specialties must be able to use computer software, such as CAD, and work with database tools, such as building information modeling (BIM).

Time-management skills. Drafters often work under deadline. As a result, they must work efficiently to produce the required output according to set schedules.

Personality

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Characteristics of this Career
		95%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
		90%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
		83%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
		82%	Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
		79%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
		75%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
		74%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
		72%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
		71%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
		70%	Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
		70%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
		68%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
		67%	Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
		67%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
		52%	Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Strengths
		81%	Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
		70%	Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
		61%	Artistic - Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.
		56%	Investigative - Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Values of the Work Environment
		53%	Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
		51%	Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.

Aptitude

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Abilities \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		70%	Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
		70%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
		69%	Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
		66%	Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
		66%	Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
		63%	Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
		63%	Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
		61%	Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
		59%	Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
		58%	Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
		56%	Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
		55%	Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
		55%	Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
		53%	Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
		52%	Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Skills \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		54%	Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
		54%	Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
		53%	Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Job Details

Responsibilities

Create graphical representations of civil structures.

Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.

Evaluate technical data to determine effect on designs or plans.

Create maps.

Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.

Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.

Prepare detailed work plans.

Create graphical representations of civil structures.

Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.

Analyze operational data to evaluate operations, processes or products.

Verify mathematical calculations.

Determine operational methods.

Survey land or bodies of water to measure or determine features.

Explain engineering drawings, specifications, or other technical information.

Collect data about project sites.

Estimate operational costs.

Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects.

Prepare procedural documents.

Review technical documents to plan work.

Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.

Analyze costs and benefits of proposed designs or projects.

Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects.

Prepare procedural documents.

Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.

Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects.

Create graphical representations of energy production systems.

Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes.

Estimate operational costs.

Prepare technical reports for internal use.

Prepare contracts, disclosures, or applications.

Monitor processes for compliance with standards.

Provide technical guidance to other personnel.

Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.

Review details of technical drawings or specifications.

Evaluate designs or specifications to ensure quality.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent
		98%	Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
		97%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
		92%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
		91%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
		88%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?
		86%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
		86%	Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
		85%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
		75%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
		68%	Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
		67%	Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
		65%	Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
		64%	Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
		61%	Level of Competition - To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?
		60%	Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
		57%	Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
		57%	Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
		57%	Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
		56%	Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
		56%	Letters and Memos - How often does the job require written letters and memos?
		52%	Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
		64%	Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Tasks & Values
		94%	Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
		90%	Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment - Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
		84%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
		83%	Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
		74%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
		72%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
		71%	Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
		71%	Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
		67%	Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
		67%	Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
		66%	Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
		64%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
		62%	Analyzing Data or Information - Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
		59%	Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
		58%	Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information - Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
		57%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
		55%	Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
		53%	Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

What Drafters Do

Drafters prepare technical drawings and plans.

Drafters use software to convert the designs of architects and engineers into technical drawings. Most workers specialize in architectural, civil, electrical, or mechanical drafting and use technical drawings to help design everything from microchips to skyscrapers.

Duties

Drafters typically do the following:

Design plans using computer-aided design (CAD) software
Work from rough sketches and specifications created by engineers and architects
Design products with engineering and manufacturing techniques
Add details to architectural plans from their knowledge of building techniques
Specify dimensions, materials, and procedures for new products
Work under the supervision of engineers or architects

Some drafters are referred to as CAD operators. Using CAD systems, drafters create and store technical drawings digitally. These drawings contain information on how to build a structure or machine, the dimensions of the project, and what materials are needed to complete the project.

Drafters work with CAD to create schematics that can be viewed, printed, or programmed directly into building information modeling (BIM) systems. These systems allow drafters, architects, construction managers, and engineers to create and collaborate on digital models of physical buildings and machines. Through three-dimensional rendering, BIM software allows designers and engineers to see how different elements in their projects work together.

The following are examples of types of drafters:

Architectural drafters draw structural features and details for buildings and other construction projects. These workers may specialize in a type of building, such as residential or commercial. They may also specialize by the materials used, such as steel, wood, or reinforced concrete.

Civil drafters prepare topographical maps used in construction and civil engineering projects, such as highways, bridges, and dams.

Electrical drafters prepare wiring diagrams that construction workers use to install and repair electrical equipment and wiring in power plants, electrical distribution systems, and residential and commercial buildings.

Electronics drafters produce wiring diagrams, assembly diagrams for circuit boards, and layout drawings used in manufacturing and in installing and repairing electronic devices and components.

Mechanical drafters prepare layouts that show the details for a variety of machinery and mechanical tools and devices, such as medical equipment. These layouts indicate dimensions, fastening methods, and other requirements for assembly. Mechanical drafters sometimes create production molds.

Work Environment

Drafters held about 197,300 jobs in 2022. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up drafters was distributed as follows:

Architectural and civil drafters	107,100
Mechanical drafters	49,600
Electrical and electronics drafters	21,800
Drafters, all other	18,700

The largest employers of drafters were as follows:

Architectural, engineering, and related services	49%
Manufacturing	23
Construction	11
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	3

Although drafters spend much of their time working on computers in an office, some may visit jobsites to collaborate with architects and engineers.

Work Schedules

Most drafters work full time. Some work more than 40 hours a week.

Getting Started

Education:

How to Become a Drafter

Drafters generally need to complete postsecondary education in drafting.

Drafters typically complete education after high school, often through a program at a community college or technical school. Some programs lead to an associate of applied science in drafting or a related degree. Others result in a certificate or diploma.

Education

Drafters typically need an associate of applied science in drafting or a related degree from a community college or technical school. Some drafters prepare for the occupation by earning a certificate or diploma.

Programs in drafting may include instruction in design fundamentals, sketching, and computer-aided design (CAD) software. It generally takes about 2 years of full-time education to earn an associate’s degree. Certificate and diploma programs vary in length but usually may be completed in less time.

Students frequently specialize in a particular type of drafting, such as mechanical or architectural drafting.

High school students may begin preparing by taking classes in mathematics, science, computer technology, design, computer graphics, and, where available, drafting.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

The American Design Drafting Association (ADDA) offers certification for drafters. Although not mandatory, certification demonstrates competence and knowledge of nationally recognized practices. Certifications are offered for several specialties, including architectural, civil, and mechanical drafting.

Job Outlook

Overall employment of drafters is projected to decline 2 percent from 2022 to 2032.

Despite declining employment, about 16,600 openings for drafters are projected each year, on average, over the decade. All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

Expected employment decreases will be driven by the use of computer-aided design (CAD) and building information modeling (BIM) technologies. These technologies increase drafter productivity and allow engineers and architects to perform many tasks that used to be done by drafters.

Contacts for More Information

For more information on schools offering programs in drafting and related fields, visit

Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges

For more information on certification, visit

American Design Drafting Association

Occupation	Job Duties	Entry-Level Education	Median Annual Pay, May 2022
Architects	Architects plan and design houses, factories, office buildings, and other structures.	Bachelor's degree	$82,840
Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians	Civil engineering technologists and technicians help civil engineers plan, design, and build infrastructure and development projects.	Associate's degree	$59,630
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians	Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians help engineers design and develop equipment that is powered by electricity or electric current.	Associate's degree	$66,390
Electrical and Electronics Engineers	Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electrical equipment.	Bachelor's degree	$104,610
Industrial Designers	Industrial designers combine art, business, and engineering to develop the concepts for manufactured products.	Bachelor's degree	$75,910
Landscape Architects	Landscape architects design parks and other outdoor spaces.	Bachelor's degree	$73,210
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians	Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians help mechanical engineers design, develop, test, and manufacture machines and other devices.	Associate's degree	$61,990
Mechanical Engineers	Mechanical engineers design, develop, build, and test mechanical and thermal sensors and devices.	Bachelor's degree	$96,310
Surveying and Mapping Technicians	Surveying and mapping technicians collect data and make maps of the Earth's surface.	High school diploma or equivalent	$47,180
Surveyors	Surveyors make precise measurements to determine property boundaries.	Bachelor's degree	$63,080

Architectural and Civil Drafters

Drafter

What they do:

On the job, you would:

Important Qualities

Personality

Characteristics of this Career

Strengths

Values of the Work Environment

Aptitude

Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality

Skills | Cognitive, Physical, Personality

Job Details

Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent

Tasks & Values

What Drafters Do

Duties

Work Environment

Work Schedules

Getting Started

How to Become a Drafter

Education

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Job Outlook

Employment

Contacts for More Information

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