Electrical engineer to electronics engineer
An electrical engineer already meets 52% of what the electronics engineer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.8/ 100
1 How much of what an electronics 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 electronics engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An electronics engineer role treats 16 of its required skills as things an electrical engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- battery management systems
- design drawings
- design electrical systems
- electrical testing methods
What stands in the way is 11 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 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An electronics 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.
- already held electromagnets engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held design circuit boards communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held electromagnetism natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held design electrical systems communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held electrical testing methods engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held battery design engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 26 carried skills, including the 16 the electronics engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 32 missing skills fall into 11 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 electronic test procedures required
- still to learn industrial research and development required
- still to learn types of electronics required
- optional, not held consumer electronics optional
- optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held model based system engineering optional
- optional, not held programmable logic controller optional
- optional, not held robotic components optional
- optional, not held safety engineering optional
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn design electronic systems required
- still to learn write technical reports required
- optional, not held create software design optional
- optional, not held design integrated circuits optional
- optional, not held design microelectromechanical systems optional
- optional, not held design microelectronics optional
- still to learn create technical plans required
- still to learn develop electronic test procedures required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- still to learn execute feasibility study required
- optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
- optional, not held ensure material compliance optional
- still to learn environmental threats required
- optional, not held regulations on substances optional
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an electronics engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 environmental threats study this
- 02 identify customer's needs practise this
- 03 create technical plans 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 26 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held battery management systems knowledge
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held design electrical systems skill
- already held electrical testing methods knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held electricity principles knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held environmental legislation knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held physics knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held abide by regulations on banned materials skill
- already held assess financial viability skill
- already held battery design knowledge
- already held design circuit boards skill
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held design user interface skill
- already held electromagnetism knowledge
- already held electromagnets knowledge
- already held product data management knowledge
- already held robotics knowledge
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held process customer requests based on the REACh Regulation 1907 2006 optional
- optional, not held perform test run optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
- optional, not held consumer electronics optional
- optional, not held create software design optional
- optional, not held ensure material compliance optional
- optional, not held process customer requests based on the REACh Regulation 1907 2006 optional
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held regulations on substances optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held design integrated circuits optional
- optional, not held design microelectromechanical systems optional
- optional, not held design microelectronics optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held model based system engineering optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held perform test run optional
- optional, not held programmable logic controller optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
- optional, not held robotic components optional
- optional, not held safety engineering optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
82 held skills the electronics engineer role does not ask for
- 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 align software with system architectures skill
- not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
- not needed by the target role analyse test data 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 define technical requirements 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 electric power systems skill
- not needed by the target role design electromagnets skill
- not needed by the target role design electromechanical systems 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 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 engineering 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
- not needed by the target role electrical wiring diagrams knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical wiring plans knowledge
- not needed by the target role electromagnetic spectrum knowledge
42 further entries not listed here
15 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 environmental threats required
- still to learn electronic test procedures required
- still to learn industrial research and development required
- still to learn types of electronics required
- optional, not held consumer electronics optional
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held regulations on substances optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held model based system engineering optional
- optional, not held programmable logic controller optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
- optional, not held robotic components optional
- optional, not held safety engineering optional
Other moves recorded from electrical engineer
- instrumentation engineer 48% covered · substantial
- power electronics engineer 46% covered · substantial
- microelectronics maintenance technician 44% covered · substantial
- electrical drafter 44% covered · substantial
- electromagnetic engineer 42% covered · substantial
- electromechanical engineer 42% covered · substantial
- electromechanical drafter 41% covered · substantial
- component engineer 40% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can an electrical engineer become an electronics engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An electrical engineer already covers 52% of what an electronics engineer is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 16 of which the electronics engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an electrical engineer need to become an electronics engineer?
11 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is environmental threats.
How hard is the move from electrical engineer to electronics engineer?
Its learning distance is 56.8 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.