Electrical and Electronics Drafters
Prepare wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams, and layout drawings used for the manufacture, installation, or repair of electrical equipment.
Also known as: Analog Design Engineer, Analog Integrated Circuits Design Engineer (Analog IC Design Engineer), AutoCAD Drafter, AutoCAD Technician, CAD Drafter (Computer-Aided Design Drafter), CAD Draftsman (Computer-Aided Design Draftsman), CADD Drafter (Computer-Aided Design and Drafting Drafter), Circuit Board Drafter, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Declining)
What You'd Do
- Draft working drawings, wiring diagrams, wiring connection specifications, or cross-sections of underground cables, as required for instructions to installation crew.
- Assemble documentation packages and produce drawing sets to be checked by an engineer or an architect.
- Consult with engineers to discuss or interpret design concepts, or determine requirements of detailed working drawings.
- Review completed construction drawings and cost estimates for accuracy and conformity to standards and regulations.
- Examine electronic schematics and supporting documents to develop, compute, and verify specifications for drafting data, such as configuration of parts, dimensions, or tolerances.
- Confer with engineering staff and other personnel to resolve problems.
- Draft detail and assembly drawings of design components, circuitry or printed circuit boards, using computer-assisted equipment or standard drafting techniques and devices.
- Measure factors that affect installation and arrangement of equipment, such as distances to be spanned by wire and cable.
- Locate files relating to specified design project in database library, load program into computer, and record completed job data.
- Design electrical systems, such as lighting systems.
- Draw master sketches to scale showing relation of proposed installations to existing facilities and exact specifications and dimensions.
- Study work order requests to determine type of service, such as lighting or power, demanded by installation.
- Explain drawings to production or construction teams and provide adjustments, as necessary.
- Review work orders or procedural manuals and confer with vendors or design staff to resolve problems or modify design.
- Reproduce working drawings on copy machines or trace drawings in ink.
- Compare logic element configuration on display screen with engineering schematics and calculate figures to convert, redesign, or modify element.
- Review blueprints to determine customer requirements and consult with assembler regarding schematics, wiring procedures, or conductor paths.
- Prepare and interpret specifications, calculating weights, volumes, or stress factors.
- Supervise or train other technologists, technicians, or drafters.
- Use computer-aided drafting equipment or conventional drafting stations, technical handbooks, tables, calculators, or traditional drafting tools, such as boards, pencils, protractors, or T-squares.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.