Aerodynamics engineer to material stress analyst
An aerodynamics engineer already meets 55% of what the material stress analyst role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
50.3/ 100
1 How much of what a material stress analyst is expected to do is already part of an aerodynamics 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 material stress analyst role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A material stress analyst role treats 15 of its required skills as things an aerodynamics engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAE software
- ICT software specifications
- analyse stress resistance of products
- computer simulation
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
What stands in the way is 10 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 21 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A material stress analyst role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an aerodynamics engineer background worth leading with.
- already held bicycle mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held analyse stress resistance of products information skills
- already held mechanics of trains engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held aircraft mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held computer simulation information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held mechanics of vessels engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 21 carried skills, including the 15 the material stress analyst role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 7 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 create a product's virtual model required
- still to learn recommend product improvements required
- still to learn write stress-strain analysis reports required
- optional, not held assist scientific research optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held render 3D images optional
- still to learn solid mechanics required
- still to learn materials engineering required
- optional, not held continuum mechanics optional
- optional, not held rubber technology optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- still to learn advanced materials required
- still to learn 3D modelling required
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- still to learn record test data required
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held perform physical stress tests on models optional
- optional, not held report analysis results optional
- still to learn provide technical documentation required
- still to learn use computer-aided engineering systems required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a material stress analyst role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 21 skills that carry over
- already held CAE software knowledge
- already held ICT software specifications knowledge
- already held analyse stress resistance of products skill
- already held computer simulation knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held multimedia systems knowledge
- already held physics knowledge
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held aircraft mechanics knowledge
- already held bicycle mechanics knowledge
- already held mechanics of motor vehicles knowledge
- already held mechanics of trains knowledge
- already held mechanics of vessels knowledge
- already held scientific research methodology knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held continuum mechanics optional
- optional, not held rubber technology optional
- optional, not held assist scientific research optional
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held perform physical stress tests on models optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held render 3D images optional
- optional, not held report analysis results optional
14 held skills the material stress analyst role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
- not needed by the target role aerodynamics knowledge
- not needed by the target role approve engineering design skill
- not needed by the target role conduct performance tests skill
- not needed by the target role determine production feasibility skill
- not needed by the target role engine components knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate engine performance skill
- not needed by the target role examine engineering principles skill
- not needed by the target role operation of different engines knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform scientific research skill
- not needed by the target role technical drawings knowledge
- not needed by the target role thermodynamics knowledge
- not needed by the target role use technical documentation skill
- not needed by the target role use technical drawing software skill
8 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 advanced materials required
- still to learn solid mechanics required
- still to learn 3D modelling required
- still to learn materials engineering required
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held continuum mechanics optional
- optional, not held rubber technology optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
Common questions about this move
Can an aerodynamics engineer become a material stress analyst?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An aerodynamics engineer already covers 55% of what a material stress analyst is expected to do: 21 skills carry over, 15 of which the material stress analyst role treats as required.
What skills does an aerodynamics engineer need to become a material stress analyst?
10 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is advanced materials.
How hard is the move from aerodynamics engineer to material stress analyst?
Its learning distance is 50.3 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.