Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Electrical engineer to component engineer

An electrical engineer already meets 40% of what the component engineer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From electrical engineer
40 % overlap
Partial match
To component engineer
17 You already bring
10 Still to learn
43 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

61.1/ 100

1 How much of what a component engineer is expected to do is already part of an electrical 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 component engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A component engineer role treats 7 of its required skills as things an electrical engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • assess financial viability
  • battery design
  • define technical requirements
  • engineering principles
  • mathematics
  • perform scientific research

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A component engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an electrical engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held design electromechanical systems communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held battery design engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held battery management systems engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held product data management business, administration and law
  • already held interpret circuit diagrams information skills
  • already held define technical requirements management skills

All 17 carried skills, including the 7 the component engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 26 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 4 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn engineering processes required
  • still to learn manufacturing processes required
  • still to learn production processes required
  • still to learn technical drawings required
  • optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
  • optional, not held robotic components optional
  • optional, not held state estimation optional
02 information skills 3 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn interpret technical requirements required
  • still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
  • still to learn execute feasibility study required
  • optional, not held conduct quality control analysis optional
  • optional, not held record test data optional
03 management skills 1 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn manage engineering project required
  • optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
  • optional, not held manage product testing optional
04 business, administration and law 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn project management required
  • optional, not held quality standards optional
05 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn computer simulation required
  • optional, not held computer science optional
06 working with machinery and specialised equipment 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held install machinery optional
  • optional, not held maintain equipment optional
  • optional, not held use testing equipment optional

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a component engineer 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

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 17 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held assess financial viability skill
  • already held battery design knowledge
  • already held define technical requirements skill
  • already held engineering principles knowledge
  • already held mathematics knowledge
  • already held perform scientific research skill
  • already held use technical drawing software skill
  • already held analyse production processes for improvement skill
  • already held analyse test data skill
  • already held battery management systems knowledge
  • already held design electromechanical systems skill
  • already held electrical engineering knowledge
  • already held electromechanics knowledge
  • already held electronics knowledge
  • already held ensure equipment availability skill
  • already held interpret circuit diagrams skill
  • already held product data management knowledge
The 3 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
  • optional, not held draft design specifications optional
08 arts and humanities 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held design principles optional
09 working with computers 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held use CAD software optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
  • optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
  • optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
  • optional, not held computer science optional
  • optional, not held conduct quality control analysis optional
  • optional, not held design principles optional
  • optional, not held draft design specifications optional
  • optional, not held install machinery optional
  • optional, not held maintain equipment optional
  • optional, not held manage product testing optional
  • optional, not held quality standards optional
  • optional, not held record test data optional
  • optional, not held robotic components optional
  • optional, not held state estimation optional
  • optional, not held use CAD software optional
  • optional, not held use testing equipment optional
91 held skills the component engineer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role Assembly (computer programming) knowledge
  • not needed by the target role CAM software knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Objective-C knowledge
  • not needed by the target role PHP knowledge
  • not needed by the target role R knowledge
  • not needed by the target role VBScript knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Visual Basic knowledge
  • not needed by the target role abide by regulations on banned materials skill
  • not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
  • not needed by the target role align software with system architectures skill
  • not needed by the target role approve engineering design skill
  • not needed by the target role artificial lighting systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role assemble electromechanical systems skill
  • not needed by the target role assemble hardware components skill
  • not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role automotive engineering skill
  • not needed by the target role biotechnology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role combined heat and power generation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role computer technology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role create electrical wiring diagram skill
  • not needed by the target role design a mini wind power system skill
  • not needed by the target role design an electric heating system skill
  • not needed by the target role design circuit boards skill
  • not needed by the target role design drawings knowledge
  • not needed by the target role design electric power systems skill
  • not needed by the target role design electrical systems skill
  • not needed by the target role design electromagnets skill
  • not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
  • not needed by the target role design sensors skill
  • not needed by the target role design smart grids skill
  • not needed by the target role design user interface skill
  • not needed by the target role domestic cooling systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electric drives knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electric generators knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electric heating systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electric motors knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electrical equipment components knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electrical equipment regulations knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electrical instrumentation engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electrical machines knowledge

51 further entries not listed here

12 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn engineering processes required
  • still to learn project management required
  • still to learn computer simulation required
  • still to learn manufacturing processes required
  • still to learn production processes required
  • still to learn technical drawings required
  • optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
  • optional, not held computer science optional
  • optional, not held design principles optional
  • optional, not held quality standards optional
  • optional, not held robotic components optional
  • optional, not held state estimation optional
Index

Other moves recorded from electrical engineer

Full index of moves from electrical engineer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an electrical engineer become a component engineer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An electrical engineer already covers 40% of what a component engineer is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 7 of which the component engineer role treats as required.

What skills does an electrical engineer need to become a component engineer?

10 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is engineering processes.

How hard is the move from electrical engineer to component engineer?

Its learning distance is 61.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.