Rapid City 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 Rapid City, South Dakota
Dubbed the "City of Presidents" for its proximity to Mount Rushmore and its numerous life-sized bronze presidential statues in its downtown district, Rapid City is a South Dakota jewel split by a low mountain ridge. Residents and tourists alike enjoy the escapist isolation of the area, while being able to still take pleasure in fine dining options, golf courses, and multiple cultural amenities (from several movie theaters and the multi-use Rushmore Plaza Civic Center to The Journey Museum and Learning Center). Plus, you can jaunt over to Deadwood nearby for a classic "Old West" experience.
Historically, Rapid City jobs were created within the mining and timber industries in the surrounding Black Hills. Currently, the city's economy is mostly driven by tourism, transportation, education, and healthcare—the latter especially thanks to the Monument Health integrated system of six hospitals, six specialty centers, and 24 clinics (also a member of the prominent Mayo Clinic Care Network). Over the next 10 years, the overall job growth rate is expected to expand at 35.5% (faster than the national average), and Rapid City's cost of living is 7.1% lower than the rest of the country (and 11.7% lower than throughout the state). If you need to look elsewhere in South Dakota for more job possibilities, check out Sioux Falls.
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How Much Do Drafting Jobs Pay in Rapid City, South Dakota?
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 Rapid City, South Dakota, 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 Rapid City is $18.85 per hour, which is 29% lower than the national average.
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