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Career Exploration

Architectural and Civil Drafters

Also called: Architectural Drafter, Civil Drafter, Computer-Aided Drafting Designer (CAD Designer), Draftsman

What they do:

Prepare detailed drawings of architectural and structural features of buildings or drawings and topographical relief maps used in civil engineering projects, such as highways, bridges, and public works. Use knowledge of building materials, engineering practices, and mathematics to complete drawings.

On the job, you would:
  • Produce drawings, using computer-assisted drafting systems (CAD) or drafting machines, or by hand, using compasses, dividers, protractors, triangles, and other drafting devices.
  • Draft plans and detailed drawings for structures, installations, and construction projects, such as highways, sewage disposal systems, and dikes, working from sketches or notes.
  • Coordinate structural, electrical, and mechanical designs and determine a method of presentation to graphically represent building plans.
On the job, you'll need:

Engineering and Technology

  • design
  • building and construction

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Math and Science

  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Safety and Government

  • public safety and security

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Verbal

  • listen and understand what people say
  • read and understand what is written

Ideas and Logic

  • notice when problems happen
  • order or arrange things

Math

  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem
  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide

Realistic

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Cooperation
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Adaptability/Flexibility
  • Independence

Computer aided design CAD software

  • Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
  • Trimble SketchUp Pro

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Graphics or photo imaging software

  • Adobe After Effects
  • Adobe Illustrator

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Below Average.

New job opportunities are less likely in the future.

Median Annual Salary: $59,820