Olympia Drafting Jobs Overview
Do you have a hard time choosing between a creative and technical career? Consider applying for drafting jobs, where you can combine your artistic abilities with your computer skills to help craft new buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. Drafters—also known as draftsmen, draftspeople, or drafting technicians—translate the ideas of architects and engineers into technical drawings that are easy for construction or manufacturing crews to read and build. In this career, you'll be following in the footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci, who many consider to be one of the first master drafters—his technical drawings of inventions were revolutionary.
Today, most drafters use computer-aided design (CAD) software or computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) software. Drafters can also draw by hand using a tilting table or a drafting machine, but this is mostly limited to the concept stage. Software is used for the final design.
Drafters usually specialize in one of the following areas:
- Mechanical drafters prepare diagrams of machinery and mechanical devices.
- Architectural drafters work with architects to produce designs for buildings and infrastructure.
- Civil drafters work with civil engineers to create maps, drawings, and diagrams of buildings and infrastructure.
- Electrical and electronic drafters work with electrical and electronic engineers to produce diagrams and drawings of equipment and parts.
You can expand your search for engineering jobs by checking out these similar positions:
About Working in Olympia, Washington
Tucked away at the southwestern end of the Puget Sound, Olympia is the capital of Washington state, located just 60 miles from Seattle. It is a mid-sized city of many assets: A ravishing downtown waterfront with boardwalks and public art; gorgeous greenery all around; a tonic culture scene with various theater venues, visual art spaces, live music, and the community-oriented Olympia Film Society (hosted at the historic Capitol Theater, an Art Deco structure built in 1924); and the majestic Legislative Building (featuring the tallest self-supporting masonry dome in the country).
The economy appears to be very strong too, with Olympia jobs predicted to grow 42.5% over the next 10 years, which is 9% higher than the national average. (More job possibilities can be found in Tacoma, Renton, and Seattle nearby.) Rewarding independent thinkers, the city has often fostered maverick entrepreneurs, but jobs can be found in a wide array of sectors, such as government, healthcare, education, natural products, agriculture, wildlife biology, and environmental science. In fact, Olympia is an enchanted sanctum for nature lovers—filled with public parks and conservation areas, including the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge where over 200 bird species flock throughout the year.
Update Your Olympia Drafting Resume
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How Much Do Drafting Jobs Pay in Olympia, Washington?
Got money on your mind? You should! Make sure you’re getting paid what you’re worth. Our Salary Tools can help you understand what you can expect to make in drafting jobs in Olympia, Washington, as well as the skills that can boost your value and what the next steps in your career might be. Right now, the median drafter pay in Olympia is $21.85 per hour, which is 11% lower than the national average.
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