Drafter vs autocad operator

The differences between drafters and autocad operators 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 operator. Additionally, an autocad operator has an average salary of $44,278, which is higher than the $43,542 average annual salary of a drafter.

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

Drafter vs autocad operator overview

	Drafter	Autocad Operator
Yearly salary	$43,542	$44,278
Hourly rate	$20.93	$21.29
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	3,968	27,082
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

Drafter vs autocad operator salary

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

	Drafter	Autocad Operator
Average salary	$43,542	$44,278
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $56,000	Between $31,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Baltimore, MD	-
Highest paying state	Maryland	-
Best paying company	National Grid plc	-
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between drafter and autocad operator education

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

	Drafter	Autocad Operator
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Drafting And Design
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Carnegie Mellon University

Drafter vs autocad operator demographics

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

	Drafter	Autocad Operator
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 74.7% Female, 25.3%	Male, 77.2% Female, 22.8%
Race ratio	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%	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 Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between drafter and autocad operator 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.

Autocad operator example responsibilities.

Manage Autodesk accounts and train drafters and field crews as well.
Incorporate HVAC construction drawings into coordination drawings
Provide Revit MEP training for employees.
Download data points to GIS software.
Assist with setting up Revit projects.
Expose to CNC machining and assist in programming them.

Drafter vs autocad operator skills

Common drafter skills

Layout Drawings, 8%
Aided Design, 7%
Revit, 7%
Auto CAD, 6%
Engineering Drawings, 4%
Sketch, 4%

Common autocad operator skills

Shop Drawings, 10%
Plumbing, 8%
HVAC, 7%
Auto CAD, 7%
CNC, 6%
As-Built Drawings, 6%