| Important Core Job Duties (in order of importance) For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 98 (%) | Description: Advise customers and others on the best use of gems to create attractive jewelry items. |
| Importance: 89 (%) | Description: Examine gem surfaces and internal structures, using polariscopes, refractometers, microscopes, and other optical instruments, to differentiate between stones, to identify rare specimens, or to detect flaws, defects, or peculiarities affecting gem values. |
| Importance: 87 (%) | Description: Estimate wholesale and retail value of gems, following pricing guides, market fluctuations, and other relevant economic factors. |
| Importance: 85 (%) | Description: Examine diamonds or gems to ascertain the shape, cut, and width of cut stones, or to select the cuts that will result in the biggest, best quality stones. |
| Importance: 78 (%) | Description: Examine gems during processing to ensure accuracy of angles and positions of cuts or bores, using magnifying glasses, loupes, or shadowgraphs. |
| Importance: 70 (%) | Description: Locate and mark drilling or cutting positions on stones or dies, using diamond chips and power hand tools. |
| Importance: 70 (%) | Description: Select shaping wheels for tasks, and mix and apply abrasives, bort, or polishing compounds. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Assign polish, symmetry, and clarity grades to stones, according to established grading systems. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Secure gems or diamonds in holders, chucks, dops, lapidary sticks, or blocks for cutting, polishing, grinding, drilling, or shaping. |
| Importance: 67 (%) | Description: Identify and document stones' clarity characteristics, using plot diagrams. |
Architectural Design Technology Careers and Jobs
Select, Find and Prepare for Architectural Design Technology Careers and Jobs - all on one page
For people who want architecture-adjacent design work without the multi-year licensure path of a registered architect. Use the tools below to see which architectural design technology roles fit your background and goals.
This major prepares students for the drafting and technical-design side of architecture, distinct from the licensed-architect track that requires a professional degree. Use the tools below to explore Architectural Design Technology-related job titles sorted by growth rate, salary, or required education. You can start with entry points like CAD Drafter, or look ahead to advanced roles such as Architectural Designer or Project Coordinator. Along the way, you will see specific certifications, such as Autodesk Certified Professional (AutoCAD/Revit), that can help you move up the career ladder.
Here is a short Helper Video 
This page will take you through 4 steps to (1) Select from Architectural Design Technology careers/jobs, (2) Find Architectural Design Technology job listings, (3) Prepare for Architectural Design Technology careers, and (4) Provide Architectural Design Technology career-specific resources.
Step 1: Select a Career/Job: This page starts with 4 ways for you to identify and select from listings of Architectural Design Technology careers/jobs:
A) Fastest Growing Architectural Design Technology Careers - 2025 to 2035 (est.)
These listings are based on job growth estimates and helps you to identify the fastest growing and evolving Architectural Design Technology careers. Some careers may not initially seem related to Architectural Design Technology, so relevant Architectural Design Technology jobs are listed alongside each listing. This can also help us to identify which careers (bottom of the listing) may have negative growth - perhaps due to automation or planned obsolescence.
B) Median Annual Salary U.S. Architectural Design Technology Careers
These listings are sorted (descending) by median annual salary in the U.S. This may help us to identify our ideal career. We may not qualify at this time for the desired career, but this listing and the results provided can help us to explore job details, as well as learn how to appropriately prepare for the career.
C) Architectural Design Technology Career Ladders (Educational Requirements)
These listings will help us to identify Architectural Design Technology careers sorted by educational requirements (with the most difficult to obtain listed first). This may help us to identify career ladders (as we scroll down the list), and help us to get jobs that we qualify for now.
D) Select From a Listing of 13 Architectural Design Technology Jobs.
The list may be quite long. There are two ways you might like to use this list:
1) Filter - As you enter a word, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles
2) Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
Once you have identified a job title of interest, simply click on it.
Step 2: Find a Job: After you have selected a career/job title above, you will see a form asking for your location. You will see several radio selection choices to utilize the job search site of your choice.
Step 3: Prepare For a Career: In this section you will gain access to detailed information to help you prepare for the chosen career. Information may include (not every career choice includes all of the elements below - updates occur quarterly):
Core Duties: Lists the primary worker-related tasks performed in this occupation
Supplemental Duties: Lists additional tasks that are performed but are secondary to the core duties
Work Activities: Summarizes the broad types of behaviors and actions related to this career
Specific Work Activities: Provides more granular day-to-day activities tied to the work performed
Essential Skills: Provides foundational skills that are core to performing this specific occupation
Transferable Skills: Provides career-portable skills that can be applied across multiple occupations and industries
Day-in-the-Life Summaries: Provides a snapshot of the key activities performed on a typical workday in this career
Knowledge Required: Provides the requirements regarding the acquisition of facts and principles
Software Skills: Lists software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized by category and priority
Preparation Required: Provides a summary of the required experience and education
Education Required: Detailed breakdown of the education required
Training and Experience Required: Detailed breakdown of the training and Training and Experience Required
Local Salary Information: Provides national and local salary ranges
Certifications: Provides appropriate government and private-sector certifications and/or credentials that may be required
Professional Associations: Provides professional associations that are related to the career selected
Job Listings: Provides links to active current job listings for the selected career, along with multiple similar job titles to explore. All information appears on this page without navigating away.
Related Careers to Consider: Lists up to 20 careers that might be of interest to you (related to your initial choice - what they do, what they know, and what they're called), ranked by best fit.
** If you clicked on a link from section D (as described in Step 1 above), you will see one or more links to an occupation that is usually a bit more general than your initial job selection - the link(s) is directly related to the specific job you identified through your prior selections.
*NOTE: It is possible that there may not be a career path identified for the specific job you selected in Step 1. If this is the case, scroll up the page and click on a different career/job.
Step 4: Career-Specific Resources (detailed and constantly updated): Continue to scroll down the page and you will find tabs that provide detailed (updated) links specific to the career you selected. This information includes:
Videos: Provides a listing of video links related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes: Sources for resume materials and techniques. This can help to get you started.
Job Description: Sources that provide job descriptions, which are vital to resume and interview preparation.
Interviews: Provides links that can help you to prepare for and successfully complete the job interview. Can also assist with coffee chats.
Step by Step: Provides links to resources that can help to organize the career search process.
LinkedIn: One of the best professional social media sites that provides links, opportunities, and networking specifically for careers and career development.
Step 1 of 4: Select a Career/Job
8 Architectural Design Technology careers are listed below (sorted by Percentage Change in Total Job Openings - 2025 to 2035 est.). Architectural Design Technology-related jobs specific to each career are also provided. This shows which careers are emerging and growing the fastest. Please Scroll and Select below:
| Occupations | U.S. Job Openings 2025-2035 (% change) | Architectural Design Technology-Related Jobs |
8 Architectural Design Technology careers are listed below (sorted by U.S. National Median Salary). Architectural Design Technology-related jobs specific to each occupation are also provided. Please Scroll and Select below::
| Occupations | National Median Salary | Architectural Design Technology-Related Jobs |
8 Architectural Design Technology careers are listed (sorted by Education/Preparation Requirements - descending) to provide career ladders. Architectural Design Technology-related jobs specific to each career are also provided.
|
Education/Preparation Categories: 5 = Usually requires graduate school (e.g., Master's degree, Ph.D., M.D., or J.D.) 4 = Usually requires a four-year Bachelor's degree 3 = Usually requires vocational training, related on-the-job experience, or Associate's degree 2 = Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, but not always Please Scroll and Select below: |
||
| Occupations | Education/Preparation | Architectural Design Technology-Related Jobs |
Scroll through the picklist (below). There are 13 specific Architectural Design Technology job titles listed. Select those that may be of interest - you will get active job listing links, along with detailed resources to help you prepare for a career related to that job.
You can use this form two ways:
Filter - As you enter a keyword, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles below
Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
OR - leave blank and scroll through the choices:
Select a Job Title (Scroll and Select) :
Step 2 of 4: Find a Job
Find Job Listings:
Gem and Diamond Workers.
Step 3 of 4: Prepare For a Career
Gem and Diamond Workers
Description: Fabricate, finish, or evaluate the quality of gems and diamonds used in jewelry or industrial tools.
Please click on a section below to expand and see detailed occupational information related to "Gem and Diamond Workers":
Core Duties
Supplemental Duties
| Important Supplemental Job Duties (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 62 (%) | Description: Place stones in clamps on polishing machines and polish facets of stones, using felt-covered or canvas-covered polishing wheels and polishing compounds such as tripoli and rouge. |
| Importance: 62 (%) | Description: Measure sizes of stones' bore holes and cuts to ensure adherence to specifications, using precision measuring instruments. |
| Importance: 60 (%) | Description: Hold stones, gems, dies, or styluses against rotating plates, wheels, saws, or slitters to cut, shape, slit, grind, or polish them. |
| Importance: 55 (%) | Description: Dismantle lapping, boring, cutting, polishing, and shaping equipment and machinery to clean and lubricate it. |
| Importance: 50 (%) | Description: Regulate the speed of revolutions and reciprocating actions of drilling mechanisms. |
| Importance: 46 (%) | Description: Split gems along pre-marked lines to remove imperfections, using blades and jewelers' hammers. |
| Importance: 45 (%) | Description: Secure stones in metal mountings, using solder. |
| Importance: 43 (%) | Description: Replace, true, and sharpen blades, drills, and plates. |
| Importance: 39 (%) | Description: Sort rough diamonds into categories based on shape, size, color, and quality. |
| Importance: 37 (%) | Description: Regrind drill points, and advance drill cutting points according to specifications for channel depths and shapes. |
| Importance: 37 (%) | Description: Immerse stones in prescribed chemical solutions to determine specific gravities and key properties of gemstones or substitutes. |
| Importance: 32 (%) | Description: Lap girdles on rough diamonds, using diamond girdling lathes. |
Work Activities
| Important General Work Activities (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 89 (%) | Description: Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. |
| Importance: 88 (%) | Description: Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
| Importance: 84 (%) | Description: Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Importance: 83 (%) | Description: Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. |
| Importance: 82 (%) | Description: Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. |
| Importance: 82 (%) | Description: Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity. |
| Importance: 80 (%) | Description: Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. |
| Importance: 79 (%) | Description: Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. |
| Importance: 78 (%) | Description: Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people. |
| Importance: 77 (%) | Description: Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. |
| Importance: 76 (%) | Description: Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. |
| Importance: 76 (%) | Description: Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. |
| Importance: 74 (%) | Description: Communicating with People Outside the Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. |
| Importance: 72 (%) | Description: Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. |
| Importance: 72 (%) | Description: Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts. |
| Importance: 70 (%) | Description: Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Working with Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. |
| Importance: 67 (%) | Description: Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money. |
| Importance: 66 (%) | Description: Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them. |
| Importance: 63 (%) | Description: Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles). |
| Importance: 63 (%) | Description: Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
| Importance: 62 (%) | Description: Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork. |
| Importance: 62 (%) | Description: Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests. |
Specific Work Activities
| Important Specific Work Activities
How can you begin to build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. Specific Work Activities appear below: |
|
| Advise others on ways to improve processes or products. | |
| Apply solutions to production equipment. | |
| Cut materials according to specifications or needs. | |
| Determine the value of goods or services. | |
| Disassemble equipment for maintenance or repair. | |
| Evaluate quality of materials or products. | |
| Examine physical characteristics of gemstones or precious metals. | |
| Fabricate products or components using machine tools. | |
| Maneuver workpieces in equipment during production. | |
| Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications. | |
| Measure materials to mark reference points, cutting lines, or other indicators. | |
| Mix substances to create chemical solutions. | |
| Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment. | |
| Operate drilling equipment. | |
| Operate grinding equipment. | |
| Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products. | |
| Position equipment using hand tools, power tools, or heavy equipment. | |
| Position hand tools. | |
| Position raw materials on processing or production equipment. | |
| Record operational or production data. | |
| Replace worn equipment components. | |
| Replace worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts. | |
| Select production equipment according to product specifications. | |
| Shape glass or similar materials. | |
| Sharpen cutting or grinding tools. | |
| Solder parts or connections between parts. | |
| Solder parts or workpieces. | |
| Sort materials or products for processing, storing, shipping, or grading. | |
Knowledge Required
| Knowledge Required (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 74 (%) | Description: 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. |
| Importance: 63 (%) | Description: Production and Processing: Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. |
| Importance: 59 (%) | Description: 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. |
| Importance: 59 (%) | Description: 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. |
Essential Skills
| Essential Skills (in order of importance)
These are the foundational skills most central to success in this occupation. For the Top 5 most important, how can you begin building experience and confidence using these skills now? |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 52 (%) | Description: Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems. |
| Importance: 52 (%) | Description: Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. |
Transferable Skills
| Transferable Skills (in order of importance)
These are skills that can transfer across occupations and industries. For the Top 5 most important, how can you strengthen these skills now so they support both this career and future career flexibility? |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 56 (%) | Description: Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance. |
Day-in-the-Life Summaries
| Day-in-the-Life Summaries These summaries show the main types of activities you are likely to perform on a regular basis in this occupation. How can you imagine your typical workday — using these examples to see if this type of work fits you? |
| Activity: Advise others on business or operational matters. |
| Activity: Apply protective solutions or coatings. |
| Activity: Cut materials. |
| Activity: Determine values or prices of goods or services. |
| Activity: Disassemble equipment. |
| Activity: Evaluate production inputs or outputs. |
| Activity: Fabricate devices or components. |
| Activity: Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products. |
| Activity: Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques. |
| Activity: Maintain operational records. |
| Activity: Maintain tools or equipment. |
| Activity: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment. |
| Activity: Operate construction or excavation equipment. |
| Activity: Operate cutting or grinding equipment. |
| Activity: Position tools or equipment. |
| Activity: Position workpieces or materials on equipment. |
| Activity: Prepare mixtures or solutions. |
| Activity: Repair tools or equipment. |
| Activity: Select materials or equipment for operations or projects. |
| Activity: Shape materials to create products. |
| Activity: Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment. |
| Activity: Sort materials or products. |
Software Skills
|
Software Skills These are examples of software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized from most to least important for your career preparation. How can you start learning or practicing the highest-priority tools so that you feel confident using them on the job? |
| General Software Tools |
| Accounting software: |
| Business accounting software |
| Analytical or scientific software: |
| Spectrophotometer analysis software |
| Computer aided design CAD software: |
| GemCad Jewelry design software |
| Data base user interface and query software: |
| Gem identification databases |
| Internet browser software: |
| Web browser software |
| Inventory management software: |
| Inventory tracking software |
Preparation Required
| Preparation Required - How much preparation is needed to obtain this type of job? |
| Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed |
| Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job. |
| Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. |
| Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations. |
| These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, desktop publishers, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters and simultaneous captioners, and medical assistants. |
Training and Experience Required
| Training and Experience Required - by frequency of training and work experience attainment This section shows you how often different types of training and work experience are required for this occupation. How can you start gaining the kinds of experience and training that are most common for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience |
| Frequency of Attainment: 59.0 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 18.8 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 17.2 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 5.0 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: None |
Local Salary Information
Select a State (scroll and Select) :
Please select a State to see State and National Salaries
Professional Associations
| Professional Associations These associations connect people who work in this occupation or related fields. How can you start using these associations to learn more, build your network, or find mentoring opportunities? |
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American Gem Society (AGS)
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Job Listings
| Job Listings and Similar Occupational Titles - scroll and click to identify common requirements, keywords, and skills in current job listings |
Related Careers to Consider
Step 4 of 4: Career-Specific Resources
This section contains detailed external resources appropriate to "Gem and Diamond Workers". Explore these resources to start learning more. Links are constantly updated, so bookmark this page.
Videos
Here is a listing of videos related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes
Here are resources that allow you to see example resumes for this occupation. It may be helpful to see examples from others who have this type of experience.
Job Description
Here are resources that provide job descriptions, which are vital for resume and interview preparation.
Interviews
There are many great resources that can help guide you through the interview process. These links provide help in preparing and performing an effective interview, specific to this occupation.
Step-by-Step
Here are links to help guide you, step-by-step, to become a(n): Gem and Diamond Workers
LinkedIn®
Here are links to various posts and groups from LinkedIn ® that relate to this occupation. Great way to start building professional contacts in the field that might be most appropriate for you.
Developed by Dr. Ralph Jagodka, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus of Business Management at Mt. San Antonio College and author of the Harvard Business Impact article "What to Do When Students Ask You for Career Advice." - Full bio. © 2026 About This Page
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