Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers build judgment and decision making, time management and quality control analysis skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic (77%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic | 77% | $58,000 | −8% | None |
| 2 | Fashion Designers | 75% | $80,960 | +29% | None |
| 3 | Mechanical Drafters | 74% | $71,550 | +14% | None |
| 4 | Model Makers, Wood | 72% | $56,550 | −10% | None |
| 5 | Electrical and Electronics Drafters | 71% | $76,870 | +23% | None |
| 6 | Commercial and Industrial Designers | 71% | $83,910 | +34% | Bachelor's degree |
| 7 | Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators | 69% | $55,490 | −12% | None |
| 8 | Desktop Publishers | 66% | $55,290 | −12% | None |
| 9 | Architectural and Civil Drafters | 66% | $66,150 | +5% | None |
| 10 | Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic | 65% | $63,870 | +2% | None |
Compared with Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers, median $62,750. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as fabric and apparel patternmakers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
77% skill match · $58,000 · −8% pay
Equipment Maintenance · Repairing · Operation and Control
75% skill match · $80,960 · +29% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Negotiation · Persuasion
74% skill match · $71,550 · +14% pay
Operations Analysis · Programming · Complex Problem Solving
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic (77% skill match, median $58,000), Fashion Designers (75% skill match, median $80,960) and Mechanical Drafters (74% skill match, median $71,550), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 15 pay more than fabric and apparel patternmakers at the median. The biggest increases: Aerospace Engineers (+115%, $134,960), Materials Engineers (+80%, $112,860) and Mechanical Engineers (+66%, $104,110).
17 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.