Drafting technician vs highway engineering technician

The differences between drafting technicians and highway engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a drafting technician and a highway engineering technician. Additionally, a highway engineering technician has an average salary of $49,827, which is higher than the $45,318 average annual salary of a drafting technician.

The top three skills for a drafting technician include engineering drawings, solidworks and revit. The most important skills for a highway engineering technician are asphalt, civil engineering, and cost estimates.

Drafting technician vs highway engineering technician overview

	Drafting Technician	Highway Engineering Technician
Yearly salary	$45,318	$49,827
Hourly rate	$21.79	$23.96
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	32,427	63,259
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	10	10

Drafting technician vs highway engineering technician salary

Drafting technicians and highway engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Drafting Technician	Highway Engineering Technician
Average salary	$45,318	$49,827
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $65,000	Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	City of Detroit	-
Best paying industry	Energy	-

Differences between drafting technician and highway engineering technician education

There are a few differences between a drafting technician and a highway engineering technician in terms of educational background:

	Drafting Technician	Highway Engineering Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Chemistry
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Stanford University

Drafting technician vs highway engineering technician demographics

Here are the differences between drafting technicians' and highway engineering technicians' demographics:

	Drafting Technician	Highway Engineering Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6%	Male, 76.0% Female, 24.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between drafting technician and highway engineering technician duties and responsibilities

Drafting technician example responsibilities.

Manage database and set projects against MEP, HSE, and ADA requirements.
Manage the life cycle of the product using PLM from creation to the top of production sample.
Prepare construction drawings for documentation using AutoCAD and Revit.
Draft boundary, topographic, and alta surveys.
Create avionic and electrical drawing with ANSI regulations & standards.
Develop exceptional SolidWorks skills, completing all projects on time and to specifications.

Highway engineering technician example responsibilities.

Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
Collect data on everything on the job from employees to figuring yield with D1 aggregate and asphalt.
Perform tests on RF and digital electronic assemblies and systems to characterize performance, uncover specification deficiencies and repair damage circuitry.
Experience with SiteManager and INDOT documentation relating to construction process.

Drafting technician vs highway engineering technician skills

Common drafting technician skills

Engineering Drawings, 10%
Solidworks, 9%
Revit, 9%
Auto CAD, 6%
Aided Design, 6%
Civil 3D, 6%

Common highway engineering technician skills

Asphalt, 38%
Civil Engineering, 35%
Cost Estimates, 14%
Traffic Control, 13%

Drafting Technician vs. similar jobs

Drafting Technician related careers

Drafting Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Architecture and Engineering Industry
Drafting Technician
Drafting Technician vs Highway Engineering Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse architecture and engineering jobs