Drainage engineer to steam engineer
A drainage engineer already meets 38% of what the steam engineer role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
60/ 100
1 How much of what a steam engineer is expected to do is already part of a drainage 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 steam engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A steam engineer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a drainage engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- hydraulics
- perform scientific research
What stands in the way is 8 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A steam engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a drainage engineer background worth leading with.
- already held hydraulics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use technical drawing software working with computers
- already held technical drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held adjust engineering designs communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held engineering processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 8 carried skills, including the 8 the steam engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 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 manufacturing of steam generators required
- still to learn energy required
- still to learn energy market required
- still to learn heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts required
- still to learn refrigerants required
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- still to learn design utility equipment required
- optional, not held design automation components optional
- optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
- still to learn monitor utility equipment required
- optional, not held perform maintenance on installed equipment optional
- still to learn thermodynamics required
- optional, not held operate hydraulic machinery controls optional
- optional, not held operate steam turbine optional
- optional, not held monitor automated machines optional
- optional, not held operate automated process control optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a steam engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 design utility equipment practise this
- 02 manufacturing of steam generators study this
- 03 monitor utility equipment 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 8 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 hydraulics knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held balance hydraulics of hot water systems optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held balance hydraulics of hot water systems optional
- optional, not held operate hydraulic machinery controls optional
- optional, not held operate steam turbine optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held design automation components optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held monitor automated machines optional
- optional, not held operate automated process control optional
- optional, not held perform maintenance on installed equipment optional
- optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
29 held skills the steam engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on irrigation projects skill
- not needed by the target role advise on pollution prevention skill
- not needed by the target role analyse route possibilities in pipeline projects skill
- not needed by the target role conserve natural resources skill
- not needed by the target role consider the impact of material characteristics on pipeline flows skill
- not needed by the target role create designs for pipeline engineering skill
- not needed by the target role design drainage well systems skill
- not needed by the target role detect flaws in pipeline infrastructure skill
- not needed by the target role develop flood remediation strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop irrigation strategies skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with safety legislation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure regulatory compliance in pipeline infrastructures skill
- not needed by the target role environmental engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role flood remediation equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow up pipeline integrity management priorities skill
- not needed by the target role hydraulic fluid knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydrology knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify risk of flooding skill
- not needed by the target role irrigation systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role mitigate environmental impact of pipeline projects skill
- not needed by the target role monitor legislation developments skill
- not needed by the target role perform follow-up on pipeline route services skill
- not needed by the target role pollution prevention knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare timelines for pipeline development projects skill
- not needed by the target role survey sites for pipeline installation skill
- not needed by the target role types of pipelines knowledge
- not needed by the target role water policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role water reuse knowledge
9 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 manufacturing of steam generators required
- still to learn energy required
- still to learn energy market required
- still to learn heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts required
- still to learn refrigerants required
- still to learn thermodynamics required
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
Common questions about this move
Can a drainage engineer become a steam engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A drainage engineer already covers 38% of what a steam engineer is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 8 of which the steam engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a drainage engineer need to become a steam engineer?
8 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is design utility equipment.
How hard is the move from drainage engineer to steam engineer?
Its learning distance is 60 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.