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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

The official count of electronics and electrical drafters in 2008 was 35,000. Workers have recently faced a low level of unemployment. The unemployment rate for employees? About 4% recently.

Area Job Conditions

You'll see a lot of electronics and electrical drafters in Jackson (Michigan), Huntsville (Alabama), and Norwich (Connecticut), and comparatively fewer in Dayton (Ohio), Oxnard (California), and West Palm Beach (Florida).

Wages for Workers are highest in Lowell (Massachusetts), Nassau (New York), and Poughkeepsie (New York), and lowest in Boise (Idaho), Columbus (Ohio), and Jacksonville (Florida).

Training and Education

Employees normally have a postsecondary vocational award before landing a job. Degrees are held by 25% of current electronics and electrical drafters. Post-secondary schooling was enough for 62% of workers. Education topped out at high school for 13% of employees. 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

Part-time work suffices for 6% of electronics and electrical drafters. Workers working on their own make up 6% of the total.

Electronics And Electrical 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

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Birmingham	$51,000	190	+101%
Huntsville	$53,000	190	+389%
Mobile	$60,000	70	+114%
Montgomery	$45,000	50	+65%

Arizona

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Phoenix	$52,000	540	+58%
Tucson	$48,000	140	+115%

Arkansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Fort Smith	$45,000	30	+34%
Little Rock	$43,000	50	-24%

California

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bakersfield	$49,000	50	+2%
Los Angeles	$60,000	560	-29%
Modesto	$63,000	40	+40%
Oakland	$67,000	290	+50%
Oxnard	$67,000	70	+24%
Riverside	$51,000	100	-57%
San Diego	$51,000	370	+46%
San Francisco	$61,000	130	-32%
San Jose	$69,000	500	+188%
San Luis Obispo	$51,000	50	+202%
Santa Ana	$55,000	270	-4%
Santa Cruz	$53,000	50	+224%

Colorado

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boulder	$67,000	50	+77%
Colorado Springs	$59,000	60	+26%
Denver	$58,000	460	+90%
Fort Collins	$51,000	50	+118%

Connecticut

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bridgeport	$62,000	110	+35%
Hartford	$62,000	110	-1%
New Haven	$57,000	100	+94%
Norwich	$59,000	120	+437%

Delaware

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Wilmington	$61,000	230	+271%

District of Columbia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Washington	$59,000	480	+2%

Florida

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Fort Lauderdale	$46,000	120	-11%
Jacksonville	$55,000	100	-14%
Miami	$59,000	90	-53%
Orlando	$54,000	130	-34%
Palm Bay	$45,000	70	+90%
West Palm Beach	$52,000	40	-60%

Georgia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Atlanta	$55,000	430	-4%

Hawaii

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Honolulu	$48,000	150	+78%

Idaho

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boise	$60,000	160	+224%

Illinois

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Chicago	$69,000	690	-6%
Springfield	$60,000	50	+157%

Indiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Gary	$76,000	40	-22%
Indianapolis	$56,000	120	-31%

Kansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Wichita	$47,000	160	+193%

Kentucky

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lexington	$54,000	60	+32%
Louisville	$50,000	80	-32%

Louisiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Baton Rouge	$63,000	130	+83%
New Orleans	$54,000	110	+8%

Maine

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Portland	$55,000	60	+60%

Maryland

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Baltimore	$52,000	400	+57%
Bethesda	$51,000	100	-10%

Massachusetts

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boston	$65,000	360	+6%
Framingham	$67,000	50	+65%
Lowell	$69,000	110	+403%
Springfield	$54,000	70	+24%

Michigan

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Detroit	$53,000	130	+1%
Grand Rapids	$53,000	40	-45%
Warren	$57,000	400	+91%

Minnesota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Minneapolis	$54,000	360	+4%

Mississippi

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Jackson	$52,000	100	+109%

Missouri

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Kansas City	$51,000	330	+68%
St Louis	$57,000	320	+23%

Montana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Billings	$51,000	60	+302%

Nebraska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Omaha	$44,000	50	-45%

Nevada

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Las Vegas	$73,000	100	-39%

New Hampshire

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Manchester	$59,000	40	+114%
Nashua	$56,000	70	+178%

New Jersey

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Camden	$63,000	150	+48%
Edison	$59,000	120	-40%
Newark	$58,000	150	-23%

New Mexico

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albuquerque	$53,000	100	+35%

New York

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albany	$55,000	140	+62%
Binghamton	$56,000	40	+96%
Buffalo	$59,000	120	+13%
Nassau	$62,000	210	-15%
New York	$64,000	840	-17%
Poughkeepsie	$68,000	60	+29%
Rochester	$56,000	130	+33%
Syracuse	$67,000	140	+135%
Utica		50	+119%

North Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Charlotte	$52,000	130	-22%
Durham	$60,000	40	-24%
Greensboro	$52,000	70	+3%
Raleigh	$54,000	190	+91%
Winston Salem	$48,000	50	+26%

North Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Fargo	$39,000	40	+80%

Ohio

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Canton	$42,000	50	+61%
Cleveland	$51,000	160	-19%
Columbus	$46,000	90	-50%
Dayton	$44,000	70	-4%
Youngstown	$49,000	50	+17%

Oklahoma

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Oklahoma City	$45,000	80	-28%
Tulsa	$53,000	130	+57%

Oregon

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Portland	$52,000	350	+77%

Pennsylvania

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Allentown	$48,000	60	-9%
Harrisburg	$52,000	130	+113%
Philadelphia	$58,000	440	+19%
Pittsburgh	$48,000	460	+107%
Reading	$52,000	40	+29%
York	$48,000	70	+113%

Rhode Island

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Providence	$55,000	150	+40%

South Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Charleston	$52,000	160	+193%
Columbia	$55,000	70	+4%
Greenville	$54,000	130	+128%

Tennessee

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Chattanooga	$63,000	80	+86%
Knoxville	$49,000	50	-21%
Memphis	$59,000	70	-41%
Nashville	$50,000	150	+5%

Texas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Austin	$75,000	620	+307%
Beaumont	$47,000	50	+67%
Dallas	$52,000	500	+23%
El Paso	$35,000	70	+35%
Fort Worth	$52,000	220	+31%
Houston	$59,000	1,070	+109%
San Antonio	$47,000	190	+12%

Utah

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Salt Lake City	$54,000	140	+19%

Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Richmond	$54,000	80	-33%
Virginia Beach	$49,000	180	+23%

Washington

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Seattle	$70,000	820	+201%
Spokane	$53,000	90	+134%
Tacoma	$41,000	50	0%

Wisconsin

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Appleton	$55,000	30	+44%
Madison	$47,000	40	-38%
Milwaukee	$50,000	250	+55%