Turns architects' and engineers' designs into detailed technical drawings.
You draw wall sections, stair details, and door schedules in AutoCAD and Revit, then fix them when the engineer marks them up in red.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate degree in drafting or CAD; Autodesk certifications help.
Ways in: 2-year college, Trade school, Certification. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Drafting & Design Technology, Architectural Technology.
Shrinking (about -2% over 10 years). Drafters overall projected to decline slightly.
High risk for 10 years. AI and auto-drafting turn models into drawing sets, so pure drafting jobs shrink; techs who move into BIM coordination fare better.
Classes: CAD or drafting CTE, Geometry, Art.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-3011.
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.