Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between design engineers and draftsmen can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a design engineer, becoming a draftsman takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a design engineer has an average salary of $77,134, which is higher than the $42,908 average annual salary of a draftsman.
The top three skills for a design engineer include C++, UL and project management. The most important skills for a draftsman are autocad lt, auto cad, and layout drawings.
| Design Engineer | Draftsman | |
| Yearly salary | $77,134 | $42,908 |
| Hourly rate | $37.08 | $20.63 |
| Growth rate | 2% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 138,173 | 3,143 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A design engineer is responsible for creating systems and applications based on their expertise. Design engineers work through client specifications based on business needs. A design engineer also provides recommendations on improving existing systems to boost its performance and increase efficiency. Design engineers must have an excellent command of computer systems, programming codes, and technical data to ensure the system's stability and high-quality processes. A design engineer should also have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks and meet deadlines.
Draftsmen are professionals with expertise in computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) drawings. They perform similar tasks as architects, such as preparing CADD drawings. They typically specialize in different areas, including construction, architecture, or civil engineering. They also prepare drawings for manufacturing. These drawings include technical specifications and details such as dimensions, procedures, and materials. Draftsmen also utilize technical handbooks, tables, and calculators, in addition to CADD. Employers often prefer a draftsman with drafting training, which you can obtain from community colleges or technical institutes.
Design engineers and draftsmen have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Engineer | Draftsman | |
| Average salary | $77,134 | $42,908 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $102,000 | Between $30,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Alameda, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | NV Energy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a design engineer and a draftsman in terms of educational background:
| Design Engineer | Draftsman | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between design engineers' and draftsmen' demographics:
| Design Engineer | Draftsman | |
| Average age | 41 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |