Ergonomist to design engineer
An ergonomist already meets 31% of what the design engineer role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
69.4/ 100
1 How much of what a design engineer is expected to do is already part of an ergonomist’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 design engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A design engineer role treats 5 of its required skills as things an ergonomist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- design principles
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- mathematics
- use technical drawing software
What stands in the way is 12 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 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A design engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ergonomist background worth leading with.
- already held adapt to new design materials information skills
- already held conduct research on trends in design information skills
- already held determine suitability of materials communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held build a product's physical model handling and moving
- already held draw design sketches communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create a product's virtual model communication, collaboration and creativity
All 16 carried skills, including the 5 the design engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 33 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 interpret technical requirements required
- still to learn assess financial viability required
- still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
- still to learn execute feasibility study required
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- optional, not held keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
- optional, not held analyse test data optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- still to learn circular economy required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held thermohydraulics optional
- optional, not held industrial research and development optional
- optional, not held model based system engineering optional
- still to learn define technical requirements required
- still to learn manage engineering project required
- optional, not held create technical plans optional
- optional, not held develop test procedures optional
- optional, not held supervise work on design planning optional
- still to learn present artistic design proposals required
- optional, not held design power plant systems optional
- optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- still to learn project management required
- optional, not held design management optional
- optional, not held product data management optional
- still to learn CAD software required
- optional, not held CAE software optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a design engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 interpret technical requirements practise this
- 02 project management study this
- 03 CAD software 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 16 skills that carry over
- already held design principles knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held adapt to new design materials skill
- already held build a product's physical model skill
- already held conduct research on trends in design skill
- already held create a product's virtual model skill
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held determine suitability of materials skill
- already held draft design specifications skill
- already held draw design sketches skill
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
- already held prepare production prototypes skill
- already held use CAD software skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held perform test run optional
- optional, not held nuclear physics optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held design management optional
- optional, not held design power plant systems optional
- optional, not held keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes optional
- optional, not held nuclear physics optional
- optional, not held thermohydraulics optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
- optional, not held analyse test data optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held create technical plans optional
- optional, not held develop test procedures optional
- optional, not held industrial research and development optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held model based system engineering optional
- optional, not held perform test run optional
- optional, not held product data management optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- optional, not held supervise work on design planning optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
17 held skills the design engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role 3D modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role adapt existing designs to changed circumstances skill
- not needed by the target role aesthetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply 3D imaging techniques skill
- not needed by the target role assess ergonomics of the workplace skill
- not needed by the target role consult with design team skill
- not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role ergonomics knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
- not needed by the target role gather feedback from employees skill
- not needed by the target role human anatomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role industrial design knowledge
- not needed by the target role occupational health knowledge
- not needed by the target role occupational physiology knowledge
- not needed by the target role teach ergonomics in work place skill
- not needed by the target role write manuals skill
11 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 project management required
- still to learn CAD software required
- still to learn circular economy required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held design management optional
- optional, not held nuclear physics optional
- optional, not held thermohydraulics optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held industrial research and development optional
- optional, not held model based system engineering optional
- optional, not held product data management optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ergonomist become a design engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ergonomist already covers 31% of what a design engineer is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 5 of which the design engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an ergonomist need to become a design engineer?
12 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is interpret technical requirements.
How hard is the move from ergonomist to design engineer?
Its learning distance is 69.4 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.