Architectural Drafter

In the process of creating a building, an Architectural Drafter is the one in charge of the blueprints that start it all. As an Architectural Drafter, you create the drawings that are eventually turned into everything from schools to offices to homes.

You start with technical information from an Architect, Surveyor, or Engineer. You interpret this information to create a scale drawing that can be followed by the Builders and vendors. In the drawings you create, you need to include things like the type of material that should be used, the way certain pieces should be installed, and the specific measurements for everything. The directions and dimensions you give will be followed to the letter, so you need to pay really close attention to accuracy.

You usually start your blueprint by drawing the outer parts of the building. You delineate the shape, height, and length of the walls before starting on the interiors. You need to keep in mind things like how many doors a building needs to meet fire code, and what type of material should be used and where. Attention to detail is important because if you get something wrong, you can cause a building to lean or, worse, fall.

Back in the day, Architectural Drafters used protractors and the other geometrical instruments that haunt you from 7th-grade math. Today, technology has changed the way you work. Almost all Architectural Drafters use computer-aided design and drafting (CADD). This program lets you see your design and alter it in its 3d form long before the actual walls go up.