Post job

Architectural technician vs draftsman/designer

The differences between architectural technicians and draftsman/designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an architectural technician and a draftsman/designer. Additionally, an architectural technician has an average salary of $83,667, which is higher than the $52,529 average annual salary of a draftsman/designer.

The top three skills for an architectural technician include sketch, revit and construction drawings. The most important skills for a draftsman/designer are design layouts, solidworks, and shop drawings.

Architectural technician vs draftsman/designer overview

Architectural TechnicianDraftsman/Designer
Yearly salary$83,667$52,529
Hourly rate$40.22$25.25
Growth rate-3%-3%
Number of jobs9,49547,341
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Associate Degree, 51%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Architectural technician vs draftsman/designer salary

Architectural technicians and draftsman/designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Architectural TechnicianDraftsman/Designer
Average salary$83,667$52,529
Salary rangeBetween $56,000 And $123,000Between $30,000 And $89,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Jersey
Best paying companyGoogleTalentBurst
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between architectural technician and draftsman/designer education

There are a few differences between an architectural technician and a draftsman/designer in terms of educational background:

Architectural TechnicianDraftsman/Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Associate Degree, 51%
Most common majorArchitectureDrafting And Design
Most common collegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University

Architectural technician vs draftsman/designer demographics

Here are the differences between architectural technicians' and draftsman/designers' demographics:

Architectural TechnicianDraftsman/Designer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 78.5% Female, 21.5%Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between architectural technician and draftsman/designer duties and responsibilities

Architectural technician example responsibilities.

  • Lead the development of BIM modeling content for the architecture team as a direct report to the executive and lead architects.
  • Train employees on Revit basics and provide AutoCad support.
  • Work with architects and project managers to produce 3d models and detail drawings for various types of large facilities using Revit.
  • Prepare and administer construction documents MEP and blue prints using computer assist draw software and other computer applications.
  • Edit and render high quality video animation to provide the story frame-by-frame of modeling and surroundings.

Draftsman/designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage and supervise other draftsmen.
  • Assist with structural steel detailing, machine design, CNC graphics and ceramics machine design projects.
  • Detail preliminary design drawings to create BOM's, production use shop layouts, and specific details.
  • Travele to various work sites to dimension and sketch details of the projects.
  • Develop and maintain current Revit templates for consistency and overall visual quality of projects.
  • Design and draft building components from red lines create by MEP engineers with revit software.
  • Show more

Architectural technician vs draftsman/designer skills

Common architectural technician skills
  • Sketch, 30%
  • Revit, 23%
  • Construction Drawings, 8%
  • BIM, 5%
  • Design Development, 5%
  • Architectural Drawings, 4%
Common draftsman/designer skills
  • Design Layouts, 16%
  • Solidworks, 10%
  • Shop Drawings, 5%
  • R, 4%
  • HVAC, 4%
  • Customer Specifications, 3%

Browse architecture and engineering jobs