How To Become An Associate Drafter: What It Is and Career Path

What is an associate drafter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an associate drafter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.02 an hour? That's $52,051 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -3% and produce -6,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreAssociate DrafterUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,051

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.3

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 7.02%

Black or African American 3.09%

Hispanic or Latino 11.66%

Unknown 5.20%

White 72.33%

Gender

female 43.68%

male 56.32%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

4.3

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.9

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an associate drafter

Explore associate drafter education requirements

Most common associate drafter degrees

Associate

54.7 %

Bachelor's

28.3 %

High School Diploma

7.5 %

Start to develop specific associate drafter skills

Skills	Percentages
GD	72.89%
Shop Drawings	12.82%
Technical Drawings	9.42%
Autodesk	4.87%

Complete relevant associate drafter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New associate drafters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an associate drafter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real associate drafter resumes.

Research associate drafter duties and responsibilities

Manage the design history of 3D part models, assemblies, and drawings using PDM software.
Develop, organize and maintain AutoCAD standards for designers to use resulting in efficient production and time management.
Update stock plans as necessary according to AMDA standards.

Prepare your associate drafter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your associate drafter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an associate drafter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable associate drafter resume templates

Build a professional associate drafter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your associate drafter resume.