Application engineer to precision engineer
An application engineer already meets 53% of what the precision engineer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
47.2/ 100
1 How much of what a precision engineer is expected to do is already part of an application 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 precision engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A precision engineer role treats 10 of its required skills as things an application engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- define technical requirements
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- interpret technical requirements
- manage engineering project
- perform scientific research
What stands in the way is 5 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 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A precision engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an application engineer background worth leading with.
- already held manage product testing management skills
- already held develop test procedures management skills
- already held interpret technical requirements information skills
- already held precision mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held product data management business, administration and law
- already held manage engineering project management skills
All 16 carried skills, including the 10 the precision engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 8 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 design microelectromechanical systems required
- still to learn design scientific equipment required
- optional, not held design prototypes optional
- optional, not held draft design specifications optional
- still to learn precision engineering required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- optional, not held industrial engineering optional
- still to learn calibrate precision instrument required
- optional, not held operate precision machinery optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
- still to learn define part requirements required
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a precision engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 define part requirements practise this
- 02 calibrate precision instrument practise this
- 03 design microelectromechanical systems practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held define technical requirements skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held interpret technical requirements skill
- already held manage engineering project skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held precision mechanics knowledge
- already held project management knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held analyse test data skill
- already held develop test procedures skill
- already held manage product testing skill
- already held mechatronics knowledge
- already held perform test run skill
- already held product data management knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
- optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held design prototypes optional
- optional, not held draft design specifications optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- optional, not held industrial engineering optional
- optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
- optional, not held operate precision machinery optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
73 held skills the precision engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ABAP knowledge
- not needed by the target role Assembly (computer programming) knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT debugging tools knowledge
- not needed by the target role Microsoft Visual C++ knowledge
- not needed by the target role Perl knowledge
- not needed by the target role R knowledge
- not needed by the target role SAS language knowledge
- not needed by the target role TypeScript knowledge
- not needed by the target role VBScript knowledge
- not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
- not needed by the target role advanced materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role algorithms knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse software specifications skill
- not needed by the target role analyse supply chain strategies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse supply chain trends skill
- not needed by the target role archive documentation related to work skill
- not needed by the target role carry out inventory planning skill
- not needed by the target role collect customer feedback on applications skill
- not needed by the target role compare contractors' bids skill
- not needed by the target role computer engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer programming knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer science knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct ICT code review skill
- not needed by the target role conduct quality control analysis skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research on trends in design skill
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a product's virtual model skill
- not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
- not needed by the target role debug software skill
- not needed by the target role define quality standards skill
- not needed by the target role design user interface skill
- not needed by the target role determine suitability of materials skill
- not needed by the target role develop software prototype skill
- not needed by the target role develop translation memory software skill
- not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
- not needed by the target role handle customer complaints skill
- not needed by the target role human-robot collaboration knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify customer requirements skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role implement efficiency plans for logistics operations skill
33 further entries not listed here
6 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 precision engineering required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- optional, not held industrial engineering optional
Common questions about this move
Can an application engineer become a precision engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An application engineer already covers 53% of what a precision engineer is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 10 of which the precision engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an application engineer need to become a precision engineer?
5 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is define part requirements.
How hard is the move from application engineer to precision engineer?
Its learning distance is 47.2 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.