Draw the wiring diagram
In CAD (computer-aided design) software, you turn engineering's information into a diagram showing how wires connect.
Career profile
Electrical and Electronics Drafter
Electrical drafters turn engineers' plans into wiring diagrams and circuit board drawings others build from.
Could someone else work from your drawing? Your job is to make every wire link, measurement and assembly note plain enough to follow.
A day in the life
Ask the engineer about gaps
Settle any unclear connection or missing detail with the engineer before you draw it.
Check a circuit board layout
In electronics roles, you check that part sizes and positions on the board layout match the schematic.
Assemble the drawing set for review
You gather the drawings and their backup paperwork into one set so engineering can review it.
Quick facts
Usually an associate’s degree
United States
$76,870 a year
United States · May 2025
3.4% projected decline
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Usually an associate’s degreeDrafting certificates are another route.
Pay
$76,870 a yearNational median for electrical and electronics drafters; about $36.96 an hour.
Outlook
3.4% projected declineAbout 1,400 openings a year are projected despite shrinking employment.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy making complicated diagrams readable.
- You notice small mismatches and want to resolve them.
- You are comfortable asking precise questions.
Things to weigh
- Expect substantial sitting and close attention to screen details.
- Deadlines can be tight, and some drafters work more than 40 hours a week.
Where AI may help
Electrical drawing software can turn drawing data into connection lists. AutoCAD Electrical, for example, generates reports showing where wires start and end.
What people still lead
You still clarify requirements and resolve drawing problems with engineers.
What we can’t predict yet
How much drawing work stays with drafters may change as software lets engineers complete more of it themselves.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median is a useful comparison point, not a starting-pay offer.
The current midpoint
Electrical and electronics drafters had a May 2025 median wage of $76,870 a year, or $36.96 an hour. Half earned more and half earned less.
The national spread
In May 2025, the 10th-percentile annual wage was $50,040 and the 90th-percentile wage was $120,290. These are wage percentiles, not starting and senior salaries.
Compare workplace types
In May 2023, annual averages were $72,070 in architectural, engineering, and related services; $82,740 in semiconductor and other electronic-component manufacturing; and $89,450 in electric power generation, transmission, and distribution. These historical averages describe different workforces, not a guaranteed raise for changing industries.
Openings alongside decline
Employment is projected to fall 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,400 openings annually on average. Openings and net job growth measure different things.
Getting started
Earn a drafting associate’s degree
Usually about two years of full-time study.
- What the route involves
- Study drafting fundamentals, sketching, and CAD at a community college or technical school.
- What it can lead to
- You complete the typical educational preparation for drafter positions.
Start with a drafting certificate
- What the route involves
- Learn technical drawing and two- and three-dimensional drafting. Daytona State College’s Drafting & Design Technology certificate teaches these entry skills.
- What it can lead to
- Build preparation for drafting roles, including electrical and electronics drafting, with a route into that college’s Associate of Science degree in Drafting and Design Technology.
- What to check
- At Daytona State, completing the degree also requires general education courses. Check transfer arrangements separately at other schools.
Prepare for drafting work under engineers’ supervision. Choose training that includes electrical drawings, and compare its coursework with employers’ requirements.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn to carry an engineer’s concept through to a detailed drawing package, asking for clarification when information is incomplete.
Deepen a specialty
In power-system drafting, develop three-dimensional drawing skills and learn to bring site observations into the plans.
Coordinate other drafters
With experience, you may train newer drafters or coordinate drafting work.
Where you can work
Power-system engineering firms
Work closely with electrical designers on substation drawing packages. Some roles include site walkdowns to record existing conditions, so the plans must fit equipment already in place.
- Office
- Field work
Electronics manufacturers
Work on circuit-board assembly drawings and layouts. Questions from assemblers connect your screen work to how a product goes together.
- Indoors
- Office
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
On paper, draw a pretend battery, switch, and lamp connected in a loop. Label both ends of every connection, then make a separate connection list. Ask someone to trace the loop using only your documents. Notice whether finding and fixing ambiguity appeals to you.
Stay safe: Keep this a drawing exercise; no electrical assembly is needed.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Electrical and Electronics Drafters — 17-3012.00. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Drafters. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wages: Electrical and Electronics Drafters. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- Autodesk. How to create wire reports in AutoCAD Electrical?. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- Daytona State College. Drafting & Design Technology, Certificate. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- FST Engineering. Careers: Electrical Drafter. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, national estimates. Accessed 2026-09-29.