Topic: US Salary Statistics

[Keith™]

For those of you interested this is a link to the US Government Bureau of Labor Statistics detailing the job description, salary statistics and future outlook for "Drafters". It certainly will put your view of how much you get paid into perspective.

[Mark]

Great link Keith

[t-bear]

I *KNEW* I was under-paid....just didn't realize HOW underpaid.
Thanks, Keith....I think......

[Trev]

I wonder how acurate those things are in reality.
Mind you I agree in that the job outlook is decreasing but I don't think it is in they way they portray. Certainly not here in Aust. in my industry.
Drafters doing more engineering work!!!   phhhhhhttttt... not likely, what are the engineers going to do then. It's more like the engineers or at least junior engineers doing drafting work eliminating the need to employ a drafter. I've seen project managers having to do drawings (at minimum edit drawings) to eliminate the drafting expense.
NEWS FLASH: It costs more, damn lame brains.
Oh but at least you get crap drawings.
oops sorry, started going of on a tangent and started venting.

[Keith™]

I know of at least 5 people personally that make above the 50% median and I know one who who was making 62k, simple drafting fools, like ourselves. I rank at the high end of the 50% group, and hopefully I will move into the next bracket soon, although I know I will not make it into the top 10% anytime real soon.

[confusedCADguy]

Good information.  I wish they would have had information on how experience affected the median.  I have 9 years in the same discipline and I only make just above the meadian.  I personally feel that with almost 10 years under my belt I should at least be a little higher.

P.S.  I feel your pain Trev.  I have engineers doing about 35% of the drafting on my projects.  Messes everything up because they don't know all the "tricks of the trade" and end up messing up something I'm doing with my drawings.

[Keith™]

...  I have engineers doing about 35% of the drafting on my projects.  Messes everything up because they don't know all the "tricks of the trade" and end up messing up something I'm doing with my drawings.

I do not allow anyone to work on my drawings......period

[confusedCADguy]

I wish I had that kind of clout.  I'm lucky if I work on the same project from beginning to end. without it getting handed off to whom ever is looking for work at the time.  Really ticks me off when I start a project and I get it back 3 months later after its been through 2 other drafters and an engineer and then I'm expected to crank it out for a deadline.  WRONG ANSWER!!!!  It's a good thing I have a job interview tomorrow.

[Keith™]

I don't really have that kind of clout ...... I just am able to complete all of my projects without others, and there are only 4 people in my office....

[pmvliet]

That is where they are coming up with Drafting Engineers/Architects.
They figure instead of having an engineer spend time marking/sketching things up, let them put it directly onto the computer.
In some regards it works but in some regards it is a nightmare!
Most degreed people do not want to be a Cadd Jock.
I have had people tell me they are above drafting because they have some degree...
If I had my own company it would be a hard choice. Most people right out of school do have Cadd knowledge so it could work better then say someone who grew up on the board.
pieter

[PDJ]

Most people right out of school do have Cadd knowledge so it could work better then say someone who grew up on the board.
pieter

Ouch, that really hurts.  You actually have to consider that the guy that "grew up on the board" probably has over 10 years of cadd experience by now along with his board experience.  I know I got off the boards 15 years ago.. I don't think there's too many guys coming out of college that can match my experience.  

Here's a simple way of explaining why there should be a separation between engineers and drafters.

Draw a square on a piece of paper and write your name in the middle.  Now draw it in AutoCad.  Which was faster??  When you draw it on the paper, you're not thinking about layers, o'snaps, font styles and sizes, ltscale, etc..

Why pay an engineer all that money to worry about that stuff when you can have him draw a LOT of squares and get a lot of design done?  

I actually learned that concept from an Architect who has a computer on his desk for nothing but looking at pictures of the custom homes he's building. He draws EVERYTHING on paper and hands it off to his technicians.  

Oh well, that's my .02 cents.. Hmm, should I raise that based on the median level of pay for cadd operators??

Paul Jordan
Anchorage, AK

[Kate M]

Draw a square on a piece of paper and write your name in the middle. Now draw it in AutoCad. Which was faster??

AutoCAD. Is that the right answer?

Most people right out of school do have Cadd knowledge so it could work better then say someone who grew up on the board.

They have *some* CAD knowledge. The trouble is convincing them to spend the time to learn to do it RIGHT instead of whatever half-a$$ed way they could get by with in school. If you want drafting engineers, make them draft for two years before you let them graduate from engineering school. Worked for me.

[Bob Garner]

Ditto what Kate said.

Bob G.

[Keith™]

The problem with mnost engineers is that they BELIEVE they know how to use AutoCAD, while the drafter does KNOW how to use it. The difference is the engineer believes his job is more mind power than brawn, and while drafting is alot of mind power, it is thought of by many engineers as manual labor not worthy of someone with their knowledge.
It's the same reason a draftsperson would not go out and build a foundation....it is too hard...they don't have to think... my job is to think it out for them....
Kinda puts it into perspective....

[Dent Cermak]

If they ever decide to pay me what I'm worth, I'll have to get a 2nd job at Walmart. I'd make a good door nazi.

[PDJ]

[quote="Kate MIf you want drafting engineers, make them draft for two years before you let them graduate from engineering school. Worked for me. [/quote]

I tried convincing the Air Force to do just what you're talking ab out there Kate.. If you want to fly a jet for the Air Force, you should be down there in the hangar at 2 in the morning checking all the rivets cause of some extra G-Force move a pilot did while out horsing around.  Make them turn wrenches for 2 years and it'll make them better pilots with less maintenance costs I guaratee..

We actually had our engineers doing something similiar to what you mentioned.  When I was a construction inspector, we'd get young engineers in and let them inspect projects that other engineers designed, that way they'd learn what mistakes to avoid and what it takes when a simple mistake is made and needs to be corrected.  

Wow, are we straying off topic??

Oh well.. It's all T-Bears fault..

[Dent Cermak]

T-Bear's like that you know. The point you bring up is SO true. Everyone needs to do their time in the trenches before trying to lead the wolf pack. The best officers that I served with were the ones that had been an E6 or E7 BEFORE they went to OCS.
I worked at Michael Baker, Jr. for several years. They put their EIT's through the paces doing field work and I think it made for better PE's.