Also called: Engineering Assistant
Supports engineers by updating drawings, organizing test data, and prepping simple models.
You clean up drawing files, track which version of a part is current, and sometimes help measure prototypes with calipers. It's a common first job that lets you see how an aircraft program works from the inside.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. Certificate or associate in drafting; some start with HS plus CAD skills.
Ways in: Certification, 2-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Drafting and Design Technology.
Shrinking (about -3% over 10 years).
High risk for 10 years. AI CAD assistants already update drawings and organize data, so entry-level aide jobs are shrinking fast.
Classes: Drafting or CAD, Geometry, Computer science, Algebra.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-3013.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.