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The differences between senior architectural designers and computer aided drafters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a senior architectural designer and a computer aided drafter. Additionally, a senior architectural designer has an average salary of $74,891, which is higher than the $43,520 average annual salary of a computer aided drafter.
The top three skills for a senior architectural designer include revit, autocad and design concepts. The most important skills for a computer aided drafter are cad standards, revit, and aided design.
| Senior Architectural Designer | Computer Aided Drafter | |
| Yearly salary | $74,891 | $43,520 |
| Hourly rate | $36.01 | $20.92 |
| Growth rate | -3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 53,724 | 16,907 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Associate Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A senior architectural designer's responsibilities include designing buildings, providing instructions to a manufacturing team, and using architectural design software to create models. Specifications for designs may be provided by clients or by a company. Senior architectural designers must also ensure that their buildings comply with all legal standards.
A computer-aided drafter is responsible for creating designs, usually for industrial manufacturing and construction projects, using computer-aided software systems and applications. Computer-aided drafters should have excellent command in programming languages and navigating computer system codes to develop a technical output, following the clients' specifications and business requirements. They also work closely with design engineers to discuss dimensions, costs, materials, and production processes. A computer-aided drafter must be highly communicative and organizational, incorporating all the schematics, developing operational manuals, and performing draft adjustment as needed.
Senior architectural designers and computer aided drafters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Architectural Designer | Computer Aided Drafter | |
| Average salary | $74,891 | $43,520 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $101,000 | Between $33,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Kearny, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | Johnson Controls |
| Best paying industry | Media | Professional |
There are a few differences between a senior architectural designer and a computer aided drafter in terms of educational background:
| Senior Architectural Designer | Computer Aided Drafter | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Associate Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Architecture | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between senior architectural designers' and computer aided drafters' demographics:
| Senior Architectural Designer | Computer Aided Drafter | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.9% Female, 26.1% | Male, 74.2% Female, 25.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |