Acoustical engineer to aerodynamics engineer
An acoustical engineer already meets 25% of what the aerodynamics engineer role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.
75/ 100
1 How much of what an aerodynamics engineer is expected to do is already part of an acoustical engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the aerodynamics engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aerodynamics engineer role treats 7 of its required skills as things an acoustical engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- examine engineering principles
- perform scientific research
What stands in the way is 18 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aerodynamics engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an acoustical engineer background worth leading with.
- already held examine engineering principles information skills
- already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held physics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held adjust engineering designs communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held engineering processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held engineering principles engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 7 carried skills, including the 7 the aerodynamics engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn operation of different engines required
- still to learn aerodynamics required
- still to learn engine components required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
- optional, not held aircraft mechanics optional
- optional, not held bicycle mechanics optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held mechanics of motor vehicles optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
- still to learn evaluate engine performance required
- still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- still to learn use technical documentation required
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- still to learn ICT software specifications required
- still to learn CAE software required
- still to learn computer simulation required
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- still to learn liaise with engineers required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an aerodynamics engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ICT software specifications study this
- 02 evaluate engine performance practise this
- 03 mechanical engineering study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 7 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held examine engineering principles skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held physics knowledge
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn use technical drawing software required
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
- optional, not held aircraft mechanics optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
- optional, not held bicycle mechanics optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held mechanics of motor vehicles optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
26 held skills the aerodynamics engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role acoustical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role acoustics knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise architects skill
- not needed by the target role advise on building matters skill
- not needed by the target role architecture regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess sound quality skill
- not needed by the target role audio editing software knowledge
- not needed by the target role audio technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role building codes knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer science knowledge
- not needed by the target role create software design skill
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role design transportation systems skill
- not needed by the target role develop audio system designs skill
- not needed by the target role develop product design skill
- not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with noise standards skill
- not needed by the target role operate audio equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate audio-signal processors skill
- not needed by the target role operate the sound in the rehearsal studio skill
- not needed by the target role perform soundchecks skill
- not needed by the target role prevent undesired changes to sound design skill
- not needed by the target role set up sound equipment skill
- not needed by the target role technically design a sound system skill
- not needed by the target role use sound measuring instruments skill
19 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn ICT software specifications required
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn operation of different engines required
- still to learn CAE software required
- still to learn aerodynamics required
- still to learn computer simulation required
- still to learn engine components required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
- optional, not held aircraft mechanics optional
- optional, not held bicycle mechanics optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held mechanics of motor vehicles optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
Common questions about this move
Can an acoustical engineer become an aerodynamics engineer?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An acoustical engineer already covers 25% of what an aerodynamics engineer is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 7 of which the aerodynamics engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an acoustical engineer need to become an aerodynamics engineer?
18 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is ICT software specifications.
How hard is the move from acoustical engineer to aerodynamics engineer?
Its learning distance is 75 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.