What do they do?
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.
Also known as:
Architectural Designer, Architectural Drafter, Architectural Draftsman, Civil Drafter, Computer-Aided Design Designer (CAD Designer), Computer-Aided Drafting and Design Drafter (CADD Drafter), Computer-Aided Drafting Designer (CAD Designer), Drafting Technician, Draftsman, Draftsperson
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1.1%
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Ranks #46 in job growth rate280Job Openings
Ranks #18 in net job growth
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- Associate's degree (34%)
- Some college, no degree (24%)
- Bachelor's degree (24%)
- High school diploma equivalent (10%)
- Master's degree (5%)
- Less than high school diploma (2%)
- Doctorate or Professional Degree (1%)
Most Popular Majors that prepare Architectural and Civil Drafters
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#1
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Degrees Granted
2,840
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Female Students
1,367
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Male Students
1,473
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Median Starting Salary
$43,920
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#2
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Degrees Granted
194
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Female Students
63
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Male Students
131
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Median Starting Salary
$43,300
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#3
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Degrees Granted
127
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Female Students
48
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Male Students
79
-
Median Starting Salary
$43,920
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#4
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Degrees Granted
9
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Female Students
4
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Male Students
5
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Median Starting Salary
$43,920
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People in this career often have these skills:
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
People in this career often know a lot about:
- Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
- Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
- Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
People in this career often have talent in:
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- 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.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- 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).
- Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
People in this career often do these activities:
- 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.
- Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
- Prepare detailed work plans.
- 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.
- Analyze costs and benefits of proposed designs or projects.
- Create graphical representations of energy production systems.
This page includes data from:
Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database
by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA
Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics
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