RecordMove

Engine designer to 3D printing technician

An engine designer already meets 18% of what the 3D printing technician role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From engine designer

Distant match

To 3D printing technician

6 You already bring

15 Still to learn

38 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance A rebuild

79.5/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a 3D printing technician is expected to do is already part of an engine designer’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 3D printing technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A 3D printing technician role treats 4 of its required skills as things an engine designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

3D modelling
CAD software
adjust engineering designs
use CAD software

What stands in the way is 15 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A 3D printing technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an engine designer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held calculate materials to build equipment information skills
already held 3D modelling natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held design drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held CAD software information and communication technologies (icts)
already held use CAD software working with computers
already held adjust engineering designs communication, collaboration and creativity

All 6 carried skills, including the 4 the 3D printing technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 32 missing skills fall into 13 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 communication, collaboration and creativity 5 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn identify customer's needs required
still to learn operate 3D computer graphics software required
still to learn advise client on technical possibilities required
still to learn create solutions to problems required
still to learn draft design specifications required

optional, not held design prototypes optional
optional, not held determine suitability of materials optional
optional, not held use manual draughting techniques optional

02 arts and humanities 5 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn 3D printing process required
still to learn maintenance of printing machines required
still to learn printing materials required
still to learn printing on large scale machines required
still to learn printing techniques required

optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held manual draughting techniques optional

03 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 5 supplementary

still to learn maintenance operations required

optional, not held blueprints optional
optional, not held industrial engineering optional
optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
optional, not held mechanics optional
optional, not held technical drawings optional

04 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn ICT software specifications required

optional, not held CADD software optional

05 social sciences, journalism and information 1 required

still to learn digitization required

06 working with computers 1 required

still to learn use technical drawing software required

7 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a 3D printing technician 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 6 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held 3D modelling knowledge
already held CAD software knowledge
already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held use CAD software skill
already held calculate materials to build equipment skill
already held design drawings knowledge

The 7 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required

still to learn operate printing machinery required

08 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held product comprehension optional

09 handling and moving 1 supplementary

optional, not held clean equipment optional

10 health and welfare 1 supplementary

optional, not held prosthetic devices optional

11 information skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held monitor manufacturing quality standards optional

12 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held create technical plans optional

13 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary

optional, not held mathematics optional

17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held product comprehension optional
optional, not held prosthetic devices optional
optional, not held CADD software optional
optional, not held blueprints optional
optional, not held clean equipment optional
optional, not held create technical plans optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held design prototypes optional
optional, not held determine suitability of materials optional
optional, not held industrial engineering optional
optional, not held manual draughting techniques optional
optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
optional, not held mathematics optional
optional, not held mechanics optional
optional, not held monitor manufacturing quality standards optional
optional, not held technical drawings optional
optional, not held use manual draughting techniques optional

19 held skills the 3D printing technician role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role adapt to new design materials skill
not needed by the target role approve engineering design skill
not needed by the target role attend design meetings skill
not needed by the target role calculate design costs skill
not needed by the target role collaborate with designers skill
not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
not needed by the target role conduct research on trends in design skill
not needed by the target role define part requirements skill
not needed by the target role design process skill
not needed by the target role ecological principles knowledge
not needed by the target role evaluate engine performance skill
not needed by the target role motor vehicle parts drawings knowledge
not needed by the target role office software knowledge
not needed by the target role packaging engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role packaging processes knowledge
not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
not needed by the target role stay up-to-date with vehicle trends skill
not needed by the target role use specialised design software skill
not needed by the target role vehicle electrical systems knowledge

19 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 3D printing process required
still to learn ICT software specifications required
still to learn maintenance of printing machines required
still to learn printing materials required
still to learn printing on large scale machines required
still to learn digitization required
still to learn maintenance operations required
still to learn printing techniques required
optional, not held product comprehension optional
optional, not held prosthetic devices optional
optional, not held CADD software optional
optional, not held blueprints optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held industrial engineering optional
optional, not held manual draughting techniques optional
optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
optional, not held mathematics optional
optional, not held mechanics optional
optional, not held technical drawings optional

Index

Other moves recorded from engine designer

Full index of moves from engine designer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an engine designer become a 3D printing technician?

Yes, and it is a career change move. An engine designer already covers 18% of what a 3D printing technician is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 4 of which the 3D printing technician role treats as required.

What skills does an engine designer need to become a 3D printing technician?

15 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 13 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is 3D printing process.

How hard is the move from engine designer to 3D printing technician?

Its learning distance is 79.5 out of 100, which is the career change 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.