Plumbing drafter vs computer aided design designer

The differences between plumbing drafters and computer aided design designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a plumbing drafter and a computer aided design designer. Additionally, a computer aided design designer has an average salary of $60,150, which is higher than the $51,774 average annual salary of a plumbing drafter.

The top three skills for a plumbing drafter include plumbing, HVAC and revit. The most important skills for a computer aided design designer are auto cad, revit, and aided design.

Plumbing drafter vs computer aided design designer overview

	Plumbing Drafter	Computer Aided Design Designer
Yearly salary	$51,774	$60,150
Hourly rate	$24.89	$28.92
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	3,227	92,503
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 74%	Associate Degree, 45%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	4	4

Plumbing drafter vs computer aided design designer salary

Plumbing drafters and computer aided design designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plumbing Drafter	Computer Aided Design Designer
Average salary	$51,774	$60,150
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $69,000	Between $40,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between plumbing drafter and computer aided design designer education

There are a few differences between a plumbing drafter and a computer aided design designer in terms of educational background:

	Plumbing Drafter	Computer Aided Design Designer
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 74%	Associate Degree, 45%
Most common major	Drafting And Design	Drafting And Design
Most common college	Northwestern University	LeTourneau University

Plumbing drafter vs computer aided design designer demographics

Here are the differences between plumbing drafters' and computer aided design designers' demographics:

	Plumbing Drafter	Computer Aided Design Designer
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1%	Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4%
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, 3.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between plumbing drafter and computer aided design designer duties and responsibilities

Plumbing drafter example responsibilities.

Draft drawings on computer of the HVAC.
Create all require drawings necessary to the complete construction installation of the plumbing system in commercial buildings new and remodels.
Complete dimensional documentation, BOM, structural frame welding and assembly documentation.
Input bearings and points using LDD software.

Computer aided design designer example responsibilities.

Manage the ECN process by assigning the highest priority requests through coordination between engineering staff and drafting personnel.
Manage and supervise other draftsmen.
Develop a product design to solve the problem of height adjustment of a chair using PTC CreO Direct/Elements & parametric.
Used primiarly pro-e with some autocad.
Work with both Intralink and Windchill.
Create blueprints/drawings of unique grille designs for glass windows using computer program

Plumbing drafter vs computer aided design designer skills

Common plumbing drafter skills

Plumbing, 43%
HVAC, 21%
Revit, 19%
Engineering Drawings, 14%
Fire Protection, 3%

Common computer aided design designer skills

Auto CAD, 8%
Revit, 8%
Aided Design, 7%
Construction Drawings, 4%
Engineering Drawings, 4%
Design Drawings, 4%

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Plumbing Drafter vs Computer Aided Design Designer

Updated January 8, 2025

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