Compare A Mechanical Design Drafter ↔ B Industrial Engineer
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1 move · +$25,180 a year, Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
Gates on this route
- Move 1, to Industrial Engineer: bachelor's degree (O*NET: most in Industrial Engineer hold one), license depends on the work (Texas PE license (TBPELS) is required for the practice of engineering as defined in Occ. Code 1001.003; whether this job needs it depends on the work).
Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Mechanical Design Drafter to Industrial Engineer +$25,180 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists Industrial Engineers as a related occupation (Supplemental); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.90.
- Gates: bachelor's degree (O*NET: most in Industrial Engineer hold one), license depends on the work (Texas PE license (TBPELS) is required for the practice of engineering as defined in Occ. Code 1001.003; whether this job needs it depends on the work).
- Skills to build: Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension
Side by side
All Industrial Engineers: Texas median $104,560, $25,180 more a year than all Mechanical Drafters ($79,380), every experience level.
Industrial Engineer: 80% work more than 40 hours a week, about 1.8 times the share for Mechanical Design Drafter (44%).
This level's pay
A No headline record for this level
B $101,314 a year H-1B filings, n = 42, TX+AZ, 2026
No published schedule lists both jobs, so no level-specific difference is shown.
Occupation-wide pay all experience levels, not this level's pay; Texas median, base pay, $0 to $300k
Gates on the route: bachelor's degree (O*NET: most in Industrial Engineer hold one), license depends on the work (Texas PE license (TBPELS) is required for the practice of engineering as defined in Occ. Code 1001.003; whether this job needs it depends on the work).
Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation
A -0.4% Texas, 300 openings a year
B +20.3% Texas, 2,390 openings a year
Over 40 h a week
Physical load our index from O*NET, 1 to 5; A B; largest differences first
1.5 / 5+0.41.8 / 5
- Hazardous conditions+0.77Hazardous conditions: A 1.15, B 1.92
- Cramped space+0.66Cramped space: A 1.13, B 1.79
- Walking or running+0.61Walking or running: A 1.74, B 2.35
- Protective gear+0.61Protective gear: A 1.14, B 1.75
- Standing+0.60Standing: A 2.05, B 2.65
Degree
A Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 19% do).
B Most people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher (O*NET: 74%).
License
A No license for this job title at the 8 Texas and federal licensing agencies read on 2026-10-03 (TDLR, TSBPE, TCEQ, TCFP, TEA, TBPELS, NRC and EPA).
B Texas PE license (TBPELS) is required for the practice of engineering as defined in Occ. Code 1001.003; whether this job needs it depends on the work.
Experience
A Most common related work experience: over 4 years, up to and including 6 years (O*NET: 30%).
B Most common related work experience: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (O*NET: 42%).
Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5
You likely have: 6
- Active Learning
- Mathematics
- Coordination
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Instructing
- Social Perceptiveness
To build: 6
- Speaking +0.76
- Active Listening +0.75
- Reading Comprehension +0.75
- Writing +0.75
- Complex Problem Solving +0.63
- Critical Thinking +0.62
Make this your goal
Save Mechanical Design Drafter to Industrial Engineer as your goal. Each step then shows the hours you have logged toward it, your exam practice and your license, with the one thing to do next and the 6 skills to build as a checklist. Free with an account.
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