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Electronics And Electrical Drafters Job Overview

Electronics and electrical drafters make drawings and plans related to manufacturing, installing and wiring buildings and industrial places.

Electronics And Electrical Drafters Schools and Degrees

Courses on electronics and electrical drafting are available at universities and colleges, technical institutes and community colleges. Courses may last two or four years. Employers prefer candidates who have taken a four year program from a technical institute, as they offer in-depth technical training. Community college courses put more stress on the study of liberal arts than technical studies. Students can acquire knowledge of mathematics, engineering and architecture at technical institutes, which help to pave the way to become a good drafter.

Job Requirements

Electronics and electrical drafters can earn certifications and degrees in drafting. A certification can be obtained from the American Design Drafting Association. Those who wish to become certified have to pass the Drafter Certification Test. Aspirants are tested on drafting concepts, working designs and other technical aspects of electronics and electrical drafting.

Visual aptitude and a keen understanding of the operations of mechanical instruments are important for electronics and electrical drafters. They also need to have a good knowledge of electronics and electrical circuitry. An aesthetic sense is an added advantage as is also the ability to communicate well and interact with different people, as they have to interact with architects, engineers, customers and other professionals.

Nature of Work

Electronic drafters work on designing and drawing schematics and assembling circuit boards and drawings for the layout of electronic devices and components. Electrical drafters prepare layout and wiring drawings for electrical equipment, power plants and buildings.

Electronics and electrical drafters work in a comfortable office environment. While preparing manual drawings, they work on drafting tables and drawing boards. They also work on computers for designing purposes. As they work for long hours doing detailed work on the computer and drawing boards, they are often susceptible to back problems, eye strain and hand and wrist problems. Electronics and electrical drafters work for about forty hours a week and a few even work on a part-time basis.

Interior Design Jobs and Outlook

Electronics and electrical drafters have a slower than average growth in the next ten years. Research in 2006 showed that jobs opportunities in the profession are expected to grow by about four percent in the next decade.

The average annual salary of an electronics and electrical engineer is around $49,610.

Job Numbers and Growth

If you add up all the electronics and electical drafters in the country you get a total of about 35,000. There has been a low unemployment rate for workers. An unfortunate 4% of employees were without jobs in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Electronics and electical drafters appear most common in Jackson (Michigan), Huntsville (Alabama), and Norwich (Connecticut), and least common in Dayton (Ohio), Oxnard (California), and West Palm Beach (Florida).

Lowell (Massachusetts), Nassau (New York), and Poughkeepsie (New York) offer the highest pay. Boise (Idaho), Columbus (Ohio), and Jacksonville (Florida) offer the lowest salaries.

Training and Education

A postsecondary vocational award is often necessary for working in the field. About 25% of electronics and electical drafters have earned a degree. Some college, below a 4-year degree, is sufficient for 62% of workers. Employees with only a high school education represent about 13% of all. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Government statistics report that 6% of electronics and electical drafters are employed part-time. Workers who work for themselves total about 6%.

Electronics And Electical Drafters by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin