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Drafter vs autocad drafter

The differences between drafters and autocad drafters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a drafter and an autocad drafter. Additionally, a drafter has an average salary of $43,542, which is higher than the $41,984 average annual salary of an autocad drafter.

The top three skills for a drafter include layout drawings, aided design and revit. The most important skills for an autocad drafter are construction drawings, layout drawings, and revit.

Drafter vs autocad drafter overview

DrafterAutocad Drafter
Yearly salary$43,542$41,984
Hourly rate$20.93$20.18
Growth rate-3%-3%
Number of jobs3,9682,429
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

What does a drafter do?

The duties of a drafter vary on one's line of work or industry of employment. In the information technology setting, a drafter specializes in creating a three-dimensional model for software and other applications upon gathering details and specifications from designers and other personnel. A drafter usually works with a team and is supervised by a manager or a more experienced colleague. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with the team involved, all while adhering to the policies and standards of the company.

What does an autocad drafter do?

An Autocad Drafter develops drawings and plans for the construction and manufacturing industries. They use various types of computer-aided design and drafting software.

Drafter vs autocad drafter salary

Drafters and autocad drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.

DrafterAutocad Drafter
Average salary$43,542$41,984
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $56,000Between $31,000 And $55,000
Highest paying CityBaltimore, MDGarfield, NJ
Highest paying stateMarylandRhode Island
Best paying companyNational Grid plcGPAC
Best paying industryProfessionalGovernment

Differences between drafter and autocad drafter education

There are a few differences between a drafter and an autocad drafter in terms of educational background:

DrafterAutocad Drafter
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common majorDrafting And DesignDrafting And Design
Most common collegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University

Drafter vs autocad drafter demographics

Here are the differences between drafters' and autocad drafters' demographics:

DrafterAutocad Drafter
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 74.7% Female, 25.3%Male, 72.3% Female, 27.7%
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 drafter and autocad drafter duties and responsibilities

Drafter example responsibilities.

  • Manage and supervise other draftsmen.
  • Draft 2D and 3D mechanical, electrical and plumbing designs in Revit and AutoCAD base on MEP's drafting standards.
  • Position include adding a new finish edge sketch to existing product and DXF new drawing out to AutoCAD for CNC machining.
  • Create SolidWorks 3D drawings of customer files.
  • Prepare 3-D drawings to be insert into PowerPoint presentations.
  • Utilize GPS unit and software to survey land areas for projects.
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Autocad drafter example responsibilities.

  • Update mechanical drawings per engineering change orders using AutoCAD and SolidWorks.
  • Create as-built drawings for security systems using AutoCAD
  • Produce complete architectural drawings for several residential projects, including mechanical, electrical and plumbing construction documents.
  • Create and maintain BOM for each job design
  • Used GIS mapping coordinates systems to ensure point accuracy.
  • Create designs consisting of fire alarm systems using AutoCAD MEP.
  • Show more

Drafter vs autocad drafter skills

Common drafter skills
  • Layout Drawings, 8%
  • Aided Design, 7%
  • Revit, 7%
  • Auto CAD, 6%
  • Engineering Drawings, 4%
  • Sketch, 4%
Common autocad drafter skills
  • Construction Drawings, 12%
  • Layout Drawings, 8%
  • Revit, 8%
  • Shop Drawings, 7%
  • GIS, 5%
  • Auto CAD, 5%

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