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

What is a mechanical draftsman and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a mechanical draftsman. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.68 an hour? That's $40,926 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -3% and produce -6,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreMechanical DraftsmanUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $40,926

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.3

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%

Asian 5.73%

Black or African American 3.03%

Hispanic or Latino 13.06%

Unknown 4.14%

White 73.89%

Gender

female 5.94%

male 94.06%

Age - 45

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 - 45

Stress level

5.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a mechanical draftsman

Explore mechanical draftsman education requirements

Most common mechanical draftsman degrees

Associate

54.1 %

Bachelor's

28.5 %

Diploma

9.8 %

Start to develop specific mechanical draftsman skills

Skills	Percentages
Auto CAD	11.70%
Assembly Drawings	7.57%
HVAC	7.10%
R	4.85%
Mechanical Drawings	4.84%

Complete relevant mechanical draftsman training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New mechanical draftsmen 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 draftsman based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real mechanical draftsman resumes.

Research mechanical draftsman duties and responsibilities

Manage ECR and ECO packets to alter documentation specifications.
Manage document collation for field distribution of MEP plans to shop and field.
Manage and supervise other draftsmen.
Design, revise and update mechanical drawings for an automate trash baler, HVAC and conveyor systems.

Prepare your mechanical draftsman resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your mechanical draftsman 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 draftsman 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 draftsman resume templates

Build a professional mechanical draftsman 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 draftsman resume.