Drafter to printed circuit board designer
A drafter already meets 77% of what the printed circuit board designer role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
23.8/ 100
1 How much of what a printed circuit board designer is expected to do is already part of a 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 11 of its required skills as things a drafter already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- create technical plans
- design drawings
- draft design specifications
- electricity
- electronics
What stands in the way is 3 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 22 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 a 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 plan manufacturing processes management skills
- already held develop assembly instructions communication, collaboration and creativity
All 22 carried skills, including the 11 the printed circuit board designer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 7 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 design circuit boards required
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- still to learn test printed circuit boards required
- still to learn printed circuit boards required
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- optional, not held monitor manufacturing quality standards optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance 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 test printed circuit boards practise this
- 02 design circuit boards practise this
- 03 printed circuit boards 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 22 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 electricity knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held interpret circuit diagrams 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 create a product's virtual model skill
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held develop assembly instructions skill
- already held draw blueprints skill
- already held electrical engineering knowledge
- already held manual draughting techniques knowledge
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
- already held plan manufacturing processes skill
- already held use CADD software skill
- already held use manual draughting techniques skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held monitor manufacturing quality standards optional
68 held skills the printed circuit board designer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role 3D modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role CAE software knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
- not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
- not needed by the target role advise client on technical possibilities 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 aesthetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role architectural design knowledge
- not needed by the target role archive documentation related to work skill
- not needed by the target role blueprints knowledge
- not needed by the target role building codes knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate materials to build equipment skill
- 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 communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role conduct land surveys skill
- not needed by the target role construction methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role consult with design team 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 customise drafts skill
- not needed by the target role design circuits using CAD skill
- not needed by the target role design electrical systems skill
- not needed by the target role design electromechanical systems 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 a specific interior design skill
- not needed by the target role draft bill of materials skill
- not needed by the target role draw design sketches skill
- not needed by the target role draw prop sketches skill
- not needed by the target role electrical wiring diagrams knowledge
- not needed by the target role electromechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role estimate cost of building materials skill
- not needed by the target role industrial engineering knowledge
28 further entries not listed here
2 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 printed circuit boards required
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
Common questions about this move
Can a drafter become a printed circuit board designer?
Yes, and it is an adjacent move. A drafter already covers 77% of what a printed circuit board designer is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 11 of which the printed circuit board designer role treats as required.
What skills does a drafter need to become a printed circuit board designer?
3 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is test printed circuit boards.
How hard is the move from drafter to printed circuit board designer?
Its learning distance is 23.8 out of 100, which is the adjacent 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.