How To Become A Structural Drafter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a structural drafter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

People with good drawing skills don't just work in the field of design or art. Someone handy with a pen and visual imaging can work as a structural drafter in engineering or construction. Structural drafters draw technical drawings that plan out the structures that a company is trying to build.

Being handy with a pencil is not enough to be a good structural drafter. Structural drafters often use computer-aided design, or CAD, to design 2D and 3D models of their work. They also need to be very precise with measurements, follow OSHA requirements, and have some knowledge of the materials they use.

In order to hone their skills, structural drafters often get a degree in technical drafting from a vocational school or community college. They can also get certified by the American Design Drafting Association to show the extent of their technical knowledge. Someone who likes to draw and has a precise eye for technical measurements can do very well in this position.

ScoreStructural DrafterUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,536

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.3

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 7.02%

Black or African American 3.09%

Hispanic or Latino 11.66%

Unknown 5.20%

White 72.33%

Gender

female 21.12%

male 78.88%

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

4.3

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a structural drafter

Explore structural drafter education requirements

Most common structural drafter degrees

Associate

62.6 %

Bachelor's

27.1 %

High School Diploma

3.7 %

Start to develop specific structural drafter skills

Skills	Percentages
Revit	25.39%
Shop Drawings	11.04%
Structural Drawings	8.46%
Elevations	5.95%
BIM	5.85%

Complete relevant structural drafter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New structural drafters 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 structural drafter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real structural drafter resumes.

Research structural drafter duties and responsibilities

Create as-built AutoCAD and Revit structural drawings for existing conditions.
Create CNC nesting programs for wood, plastic, and graphics.
Create automated schedules, sections, views and plans from Revit database content.
Produce molding samples, analyze pressure & temperature control, CNC part programme adjustments.

Prepare your structural drafter resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable structural drafter resume templates

Build a professional structural drafter 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 structural drafter resume.