How To Become A Mechanical Design Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a mechanical design technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

John Irwin EdD

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a mechanical design technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $29.19 an hour? That's $60,714 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 6,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a mechanical design technician?

John Irwin EdD

Chair, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology, Professor, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Michigan Technological University

Engineering technology graduates are masters of technology, gaining a broad and deep understanding of the processes, systems, tools, and techniques necessary to construct, modify, operate, and maintain an engineering design. They act as technological integrators, bridging the gap between the skilled trades and engineering fundamentals. This is a great career path for those who enjoy engineering concepts but would rather spend time working with their hands solving specific technical issues than tackling broader, more complex design challenges.

ScoreMechanical Design TechnicianUS Average

Salary

4.7

Avg. Salary $60,714

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 10.37%

Black or African American 3.37%

Hispanic or Latino 9.16%

Unknown 4.59%

White 72.41%

Gender

female 10.74%

male 89.26%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a mechanical design technician

Explore mechanical design technician education requirements

Most common mechanical design technician degrees

Associate

59.5 %

Bachelor's

26.4 %

Diploma

6.1 %

Start to develop specific mechanical design technician skills

Skills	Percentages
CAD	17.38%
Revit	9.81%
Fire Protection	9.00%
Solidworks	8.04%
Assembly Drawings	6.44%

Complete relevant mechanical design technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New mechanical design technicians 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 a mechanical design technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real mechanical design technician resumes.

Research mechanical design technician duties and responsibilities

Provide mechanical design and sustaining engineering expertise to troubleshoot manufacturing defect trends and achieve a more robust and producible product.
Design and model changes to drawings for support of fabrication and installation of HVAC, plumbing and major commercial/industrial/residential pipe systems.
Engineer air-conditioning, heating, refrigeration, plumbing, and electrical power supply for renovate building spaces.
Convert and clean-up architectural background drawings and establish mechanical and plumbing drawings.

Prepare your mechanical design technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your mechanical design technician 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 a mechanical design technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable mechanical design technician resume templates

Build a professional mechanical design technician 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 mechanical design technician resume.