Drafters

Employers

Approximately 204,500 drafters are employed in the United States, with about 49 percent employed by architectural, engineering, and related services firms that design construction projects. Twenty percent work in manufacturing. Others work in automotive or aerospace design, for heavy equipment manufacturers, and almost anywhere where the end product must meet precise specifications. Still other drafters work for transportation, communications, or utilities companies, or for local, state, or federal agencies. If a student has a particular interest in almost any field plus a desire to become a drafter, chances are good that he or she can find a job that will combine the two.

Starting Out

Beginning drafters generally have graduated from a postsecondary program at a technical institute or junior college. Skill certification through the American Design Drafting Association/American Digital Design Association may be advantageous. Applicants for government positions may need to take a civil service examination. Students with some formal postsecondary technical training often qualify for positions as junior drafters or drafting technicians, who revise detail drawings and then gradually assume drawing assignments of a more complex nature.