Architectural drafter to printed circuit board designer
An architectural drafter already meets 51% of what the printed circuit board designer role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
47.9/ 100
1 How much of what a printed circuit board designer is expected to do is already part of an architectural drafter’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 printed circuit board designer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A printed circuit board designer role treats 8 of its required skills as things an architectural drafter already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- create technical plans
- design drawings
- draft design specifications
- execute analytical mathematical calculations
- mathematics
What stands in the way is 6 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A printed circuit board designer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an architectural drafter background worth leading with.
- already held use CADD software working with computers
- already held manual draughting techniques arts and humanities
- already held use manual draughting techniques communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held CADD software information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held draw blueprints communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held draft design specifications communication, collaboration and creativity
All 13 carried skills, including the 8 the printed circuit board designer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 6 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 electricity required
- still to learn electronics required
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
- still to learn design circuit boards required
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held design prototypes optional
- optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
- still to learn interpret circuit diagrams required
- optional, not held monitor manufacturing quality standards optional
- still to learn test printed circuit boards required
- still to learn printed circuit boards required
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a printed circuit board designer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 interpret circuit diagrams practise this
- 02 test printed circuit boards practise this
- 03 design circuit boards 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held create technical plans skill
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held draft design specifications skill
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held CADD software knowledge
- already held draw blueprints skill
- already held manual draughting techniques knowledge
- already held use CADD software skill
- already held use manual draughting techniques skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held design prototypes optional
- optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held monitor manufacturing quality standards optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
34 held skills the printed circuit board designer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise architects skill
- not needed by the target role advise on architectural matters skill
- not needed by the target role advise on building matters skill
- not needed by the target role advise on construction materials skill
- not needed by the target role apply digital mapping skill
- not needed by the target role architecture regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role building codes knowledge
- not needed by the target role cartography knowledge
- not needed by the target role check architectural drawings on site skill
- not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with construction crews skill
- not needed by the target role construction legal systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role construction methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate construction activities skill
- not needed by the target role create architectural sketches skill
- not needed by the target role create electrical wiring diagram skill
- not needed by the target role design building envelope systems skill
- not needed by the target role design building retrofitting solutions skill
- not needed by the target role develop a specific interior design skill
- not needed by the target role environmental design knowledge
- not needed by the target role estimate budget for interior design plans skill
- not needed by the target role integrate engineering principles in architectural design skill
- not needed by the target role integrated design knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with architects skill
- not needed by the target role manage tender processes skill
- not needed by the target role meet building regulations skill
- not needed by the target role prepare assembly drawings skill
- not needed by the target role prepare building permit applications skill
- not needed by the target role prepare construction documents skill
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role technical drawings knowledge
- not needed by the target role topography knowledge
- not needed by the target role use measurement instruments skill
- not needed by the target role zoning codes knowledge
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 electricity required
- still to learn electronics required
- still to learn printed circuit boards required
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
Common questions about this move
Can an architectural drafter become a printed circuit board designer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An architectural drafter already covers 51% of what a printed circuit board designer is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 8 of which the printed circuit board designer role treats as required.
What skills does an architectural drafter need to become a printed circuit board designer?
6 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is interpret circuit diagrams.
How hard is the move from architectural drafter to printed circuit board designer?
Its learning distance is 47.9 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.