Electrical engineer to equipment engineer
An electrical engineer already meets 39% of what the equipment engineer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
60.5/ 100
1 How much of what an equipment 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 equipment engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An equipment engineer role treats 6 of its required skills as things an electrical engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess financial viability
- define technical requirements
- engineering principles
- mathematics
- perform scientific research
- use technical drawing software
What stands in the way is 9 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An equipment 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 product data management business, administration and law
- already held robotics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held define technical requirements management skills
- already held assess financial viability information skills
- already held design prototypes communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held analyse production processes for improvement information skills
All 14 carried skills, including the 6 the equipment engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 8 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 engineering processes required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- still to learn production processes required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held human-robot collaboration optional
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held computer engineering optional
- optional, not held robotic components optional
- 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 estimate duration of work optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- still to learn manage engineering project required
- optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
- optional, not held control production optional
- optional, not held manage product testing optional
- still to learn project management required
- optional, not held maintain equipment optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an equipment engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 engineering processes study this
- 02 interpret technical requirements practise this
- 03 project management 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 14 skills that carry over
- already held assess financial viability skill
- 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 design prototypes skill
- already held electrical engineering knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held ensure equipment availability skill
- already held product data management knowledge
- already held robotics knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held inspect industrial equipment optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held human-robot collaboration optional
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
- optional, not held computer engineering optional
- optional, not held control production optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
- optional, not held inspect industrial equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain equipment optional
- optional, not held manage product testing optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- optional, not held robotic components optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
94 held skills the equipment 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 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 battery design knowledge
- not needed by the target role battery management systems knowledge
- 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 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 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
54 further entries not listed here
10 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 engineering processes required
- still to learn project management required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- still to learn production processes required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held human-robot collaboration optional
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held computer engineering optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held robotic components optional
Other moves recorded from electrical engineer
- electronics engineer 52% covered · substantial
- 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
Common questions about this move
Can an electrical engineer become an equipment engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An electrical engineer already covers 39% of what an equipment engineer is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 6 of which the equipment engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an electrical engineer need to become an equipment engineer?
9 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 8 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 equipment engineer?
Its learning distance is 60.5 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.