Drafting Jobs
In the field of drafting, there are several sub-categories to choose from when determining which drafting job you want to specialize in for your long-term goals. The most common type of drafting jobs includes that of the architectural drafter, civil drafter and mechanical drafter. All of these positions draft designs for various projects although each one has a specific type of project they specialize in. The main qualifications for any of the drafting jobs include at least any degree in CADD drafting. An Associate’s degree is available and can be earned in about two years from various community colleges as well as most online colleges. While the Associate’s degree will qualify you to become a drafter, most employers want to see those who have at least attained a Bachelor’s degree. In this four year program, you may also earn your degree through online courses at most of the online schools that offer drafting as a major course of study.
Architectural Drafter
An architectural drafter is one who works with an architect in various projects for buildings and houses, then takes the designs and makes blueprints to help the builders build it. In these blueprints, the drafter will show where various pipes and electrical wires need to run as well as how much building materials are required and how much total square footage the building will have. These types of drafting jobs can be found in cities nationwide and are generally located in a drafting firm. The typical median salary for these architectural drafters tends to run in the range of $48,000 to $55,000 per year.
Civil Drafter
Civil drafting jobs, like architectural jobs are heavily involved with blueprints of things that are going to be built, although as the architectural drafter builds blueprints that are formatted to buildings, the civil drafter develops blueprints for other structures, such as bridges, roads, highways and sewer plants. The job of the civil drafter is one of the top careers in the drafting field because there is always a high demand for civil drafters. They generally work on large scale projects such as rebuilding old or building new highways that can stretch for hundreds of miles. In addition, the yearly salary is also similar to that of the architectural drafter around $48,000 to $55,000 plus any benefits or bonuses paid by your employer.
Mechanical Drafter
Mechanical drafting jobs consist of sort-of-directions to the assembly of heavy machinery. The mechanical drafter is tasked with drawing up blueprints of how the machinery should be assembled and with what. In addition, they are also the people who determine how large the machine needs to be in order to be effective. This is a very different type of drafting, since most of these other jobs involve developing blueprints for other types of structures and roads. Mechanical drafting is the only one that deals with the assembly of moving vehicles. Since this is a more intricate, specialized career, the typical yearly salary is slightly higher than that of architectural and civil drafters with a median yearly salary around $60,000. Realize that as you gain experience, you may see your career advance to the senior drafter where your yearly salary can reach $90,000.
