Also called: Electrical Designer, Schematic Drafter
Draws the wiring diagrams and layouts that show electricians and factories how to build electrical systems.
You turn an engineer's markups into clean wiring diagrams for a factory control panel, numbering every wire and terminal. Later you update a substation drawing after the crew moved a breaker.
Approximate May 2024 figures.
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 in drafting, CAD or electrical technology.
Ways in: 2-year college, Certification. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Drafting & Design Technology, CAD Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology.
Growing slowly (about 0% over 10 years). BLS projects little or no change for drafters overall.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI tools now generate wiring diagrams and panel layouts, cutting drafter jobs; field-matching tricky systems still needs people.
Classes: Drafting or CAD, Electronics CTE, Algebra, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-3012.
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.