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:

Computer-Aided Design Operator Designer Drafter Drafting Technician (Drafting Tech) Electrical Designer Electrical Drafter Layout Designer Printed Circuit Board Designer (PCB Designer) Staking Engineer Staking Technician (Staking Tech)

Wages

Hourly

Annual wages for Electrical and Electronics Drafters in United States

Job Outlook Average

New job opportunities are likely in the future

United States 2033 Projected Employment

24,200

4% Change From 2023

Explore Architectural and Civil Drafters video

Tasks you might complete in a day.

Review blueprints to determine customer requirements and consult with assembler regarding schematics, wiring procedures, or conductor paths.
Review work orders or procedural manuals and confer with vendors or design staff to resolve problems or modify design.
Determine the order of work and the method of presentation, such as orthographic or isometric drawing.
Assemble documentation packages and produce drawing sets to be checked by an engineer or an architect.
Examine electronic schematics and supporting documents to develop, compute, and verify specifications for drafting data, such as configuration of parts, dimensions, or tolerances.
Measure factors that affect installation and arrangement of equipment, such as distances to be spanned by wire and cable.
Assemble documentation packages and produce drawing sets to be checked by an engineer or an architect.
Draft working drawings, wiring diagrams, wiring connection specifications, or cross-sections of underground cables, as required for instructions to installation crew.
Locate files relating to specified design project in database library, load program into computer, and record completed job data.
Confer with engineering staff and other personnel to resolve problems.
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.
Visit proposed installation sites and draw rough sketches of location.
Copy drawings of printed circuit board fabrication using print machine or blueprinting procedure.
Select drill size to drill test head, according to test design and specifications, and submit guide layout to designated department.
Supervise and coordinate work activities of workers engaged in drafting, designing layouts, assembling, or testing printed circuit boards.
Review completed construction drawings and cost estimates for accuracy and conformity to standards and regulations.
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.
Consult with engineers to discuss or interpret design concepts, or determine requirements of detailed working drawings.
Design electrical systems, such as lighting systems.
Generate computer tapes of final layout design to produce layered photo masks or photo plotting design onto film.
Key and program specified commands and engineering specifications into computer system to change functions and test final layout.
Plot electrical test points on layout sheets and draw schematics for wiring test fixture heads to frames.
Write technical reports and draw charts that display statistics and data.
Train students to use drafting machines and to prepare schematic diagrams, block diagrams, control drawings, logic diagrams, integrated circuit drawings, or interconnection diagrams.
Draft detail and assembly drawings of design components, circuitry or printed circuit boards, using computer-assisted equipment or standard drafting techniques and devices.

Subject areas you may need to master.

Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Strengths you may need in this role.

Time Management - Managing your time and the time of other people.
Management of Personnel Resources - Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Social Perceptiveness - Understanding people's reactions.
Active Listening - Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Equipment Selection - Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Monitoring - Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Operation and Control - Using equipment or systems.
Coordination - Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Active Learning - Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Instructing - Teaching people how to do something.
Programming - Writing computer programs.
Critical Thinking - Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Systems Analysis - Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Systems Evaluation - Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Equipment Maintenance - Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Service Orientation - Looking for ways to help people.
Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Persuasion - Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Troubleshooting - Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Installation - Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Quality Control Analysis - Testing how well a product or service works.
Management of Financial Resources - Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Management of Material Resources - Managing equipment and materials.
Speaking - Talking to others.
Operations Analysis - Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Mathematics - Using math to solve problems.
Technology Design - Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Learning Strategies - Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Reading Comprehension - Reading work-related information.
Science - Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Negotiation - Bringing people together to solve differences.
Judgment and Decision Making - Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Writing - Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Complex Problem Solving - Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Problem Sensitivity - Noticing when problems happen.
Fluency of Ideas - Coming up with lots of ideas.
Extent Flexibility - Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Perceptual Speed - Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Speed of Limb Movement - Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Speech Clarity - Speaking clearly.
Far Vision - Seeing details that are far away.
Spatial Orientation - Knowing where things are around you.
Wrist-Finger Speed - Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Explosive Strength - Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Written Comprehension - Reading and understanding what is written.
Oral Comprehension - Listening and understanding what people say.
Originality - Creating new and original ideas.
Reaction Time - Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Number Facility - Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Selective Attention - Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Response Orientation - Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Control Precision - Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Multilimb Coordination - Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Category Flexibility - Grouping things in different ways.
Peripheral Vision - Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Auditory Attention - Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Gross Body Coordination - Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Glare Sensitivity - Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Stamina - Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Gross Body Equilibrium - Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Night Vision - Seeing at night or under low light.
Speech Recognition - Recognizing spoken words.
Memorization - Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Time Sharing - Doing two or more things at the same time.
Flexibility of Closure - Seeing hidden patterns.
Oral Expression - Communicating by speaking.
Information Ordering - Ordering or arranging things.
Written Expression - Communicating by writing.
Trunk Strength - Using your lower back and stomach.
Visual Color Discrimination - Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Mathematical Reasoning - Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Speed of Closure - Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Arm-Hand Steadiness - Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Rate Control - Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Static Strength - Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Manual Dexterity - Holding or moving items with your hands.
Finger Dexterity - Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Deductive Reasoning - Using rules to solve problems.
Inductive Reasoning - Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Dynamic Strength - Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Visualization - Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Dynamic Flexibility - Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Depth Perception - Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Sound Localization - Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Near Vision - Seeing details up close.
Hearing Sensitivity - Telling the difference between sounds.