Engine designer to mechanical engineering drafter
An engine designer already meets 23% of what the mechanical engineering drafter role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
70/ 100
1 How much of what a mechanical engineering drafter 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 mechanical engineering drafter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mechanical engineering drafter role treats 3 of its required skills as things an engine designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- design drawings
- use CAD software
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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mechanical engineering drafter 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.
- already held calculate materials to build equipment information skills
- already held define part requirements 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
All 7 carried skills, including the 3 the mechanical engineering drafter 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 mechanical engineering required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn principles of mechanical engineering required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- still to learn liaise with engineers required
- still to learn use manual draughting techniques required
- optional, not held advise client on technical possibilities optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held draft design specifications optional
- optional, not held review drafts optional
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held physics optional
- still to learn use technical drawing software required
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
- still to learn manual draughting techniques required
- still to learn create technical plans required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mechanical engineering drafter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 mechanical engineering study this
- 02 create solutions to problems 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 7 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held 3D modelling knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held calculate materials to build equipment skill
- already held define part requirements skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held maintain mechanical equipment optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain mechanical equipment optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held advise client on technical possibilities optional
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held draft design specifications optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
- optional, not held review drafts optional
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
18 held skills the mechanical engineering drafter role does not ask for
- 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 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
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 mechanical engineering required
- still to learn manual draughting techniques required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn principles of mechanical engineering required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held physics optional
Common questions about this move
Can an engine designer become a mechanical engineering drafter?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An engine designer already covers 23% of what a mechanical engineering drafter is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 3 of which the mechanical engineering drafter role treats as required.
What skills does an engine designer need to become a mechanical engineering drafter?
11 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is mechanical engineering.
How hard is the move from engine designer to mechanical engineering drafter?
Its learning distance is 70 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.