Mechanical draftsman vs senior mechanical designer

The differences between mechanical draftsmen and senior mechanical designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a mechanical draftsman, becoming a senior mechanical designer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior mechanical designer has an average salary of $103,765, which is higher than the $40,926 average annual salary of a mechanical draftsman.

The top three skills for a mechanical draftsman include auto cad, assembly drawings and HVAC. The most important skills for a senior mechanical designer are CAD, mechanical design, and GD.

Mechanical draftsman vs senior mechanical designer overview

	Mechanical Draftsman	Senior Mechanical Designer
Yearly salary	$40,926	$103,765
Hourly rate	$19.68	$49.89
Growth rate	-3%	2%
Number of jobs	17,516	71,958
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	45	41
Years of experience	4	6

Mechanical draftsman vs senior mechanical designer salary

Mechanical draftsmen and senior mechanical designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mechanical Draftsman	Senior Mechanical Designer
Average salary	$40,926	$103,765
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $50,000	Between $81,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Google
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between mechanical draftsman and senior mechanical designer education

There are a few differences between a mechanical draftsman and a senior mechanical designer in terms of educational background:

	Mechanical Draftsman	Senior Mechanical Designer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Mechanical Engineering
Most common college	Northwestern University	Carnegie Mellon University

Mechanical draftsman vs senior mechanical designer demographics

Here are the differences between mechanical draftsmen' and senior mechanical designers' demographics:

	Mechanical Draftsman	Senior Mechanical Designer
Average age	45	41
Gender ratio	Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9%	Male, 94.1% Female, 5.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 11.4% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	5%

Differences between mechanical draftsman and senior mechanical designer duties and responsibilities

Mechanical draftsman example 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.
Coordinate between MEP and prepare project deliverables.
Revise and update mechanical drawing and BOM as required.

Senior mechanical designer example responsibilities.

Lead FPGA development of key digital communication component used in successful demonstration of spacecraft radio link.
Create and modify very large assemblies in Creo which are used to create drawings for top level spacecraft assemblies.
Generate fabrication and assembly drawings for fabrication of commercial/Industrial water heaters and boilers base on ISO 9000 and AWA standards.
Perform complex interference fit checks, motion studies, and tolerance stack-up analysis on large assemblies using Pro/E - Creo software.
Verify all design factors including performance, tolerances, fitting, materials, surface finish and BOM for components and systems.
Improve dynamic response of microscope using ANSYS vibration simulation.

Mechanical draftsman vs senior mechanical designer skills

Common mechanical draftsman skills

Auto CAD, 12%
Assembly Drawings, 8%
HVAC, 7%
R, 5%
Mechanical Drawings, 5%
BOM, 5%

Common senior mechanical designer skills

CAD, 12%
Mechanical Design, 11%
GD, 5%
Creo, 5%
Autocad, 4%
FEA, 4%

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Mechanical Draftsman vs Senior Mechanical Designer

Updated January 8, 2025

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