Also called: Building Information Modeling Manager, Digital Design Manager
Runs the giant 3D digital models that architects, engineers and builders share for a whole building project.
You open a 3D model of a new hospital with every pipe, duct, beam and wire in it and run a 'clash check' that finds 1,200 places where things collide. You lead a meeting where each team fixes its clashes on screen before construction starts.
Top of the drafting and design ladder.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in architecture, engineering or construction, or a drafting associate plus years of BIM experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, 2-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Architecture, Construction Management, Drafting & Design Technology.
Growing faster than average. Demand for BIM skills is rising even as basic drafting shrinks.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI automates clash checks and model building; managing teams and project data standards stays human.
Classes: Drafting or CAD, Computer science, Algebra II, Art or architecture.
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.