Ergonomist to printed circuit board designer
An ergonomist already meets 28% of what the printed circuit board designer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
66.2/ 100
1 How much of what a printed circuit board designer 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 printed circuit board designer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A printed circuit board designer role treats 4 of its required skills as things an ergonomist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- draft design specifications
- mathematics
- use CAD software
- use technical drawing software
What stands in the way is 10 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A printed circuit board designer 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 create a product's virtual model communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held draft design specifications communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held design prototypes communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manufacturing processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held use technical drawing software working with computers
- already held use CAD software working with computers
All 8 carried skills, including the 4 the printed circuit board designer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 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 design drawings required
- still to learn electricity required
- still to learn electronics required
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- still to learn CAD software required
- still to learn printed circuit boards required
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- still to learn interpret circuit diagrams required
- still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
- optional, not held monitor manufacturing quality standards optional
- still to learn design circuit boards required
- optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
- optional, not held draw blueprints optional
- optional, not held use manual draughting techniques optional
- still to learn create technical plans required
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
- still to learn test printed circuit boards required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a printed circuit board designer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 interpret circuit diagrams practise this
- 02 test printed circuit boards practise 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 8 skills that carry over
- already held draft design specifications skill
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held create a product's virtual model skill
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held manual draughting techniques optional
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
- optional, not held draw blueprints optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held manual draughting techniques optional
- optional, not held monitor manufacturing quality standards optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
- optional, not held use manual draughting techniques optional
25 held skills the printed circuit board designer 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 adapt to new design materials 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 build a product's physical model skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research on trends in design 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 design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role determine suitability of materials skill
- not needed by the target role draw design sketches skill
- not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering processes 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 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 prepare production prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role teach ergonomics in work place skill
- not needed by the target role write manuals skill
9 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 CAD software required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn electricity required
- still to learn electronics required
- still to learn printed circuit boards required
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- optional, not held manual draughting techniques optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ergonomist become a printed circuit board designer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ergonomist already covers 28% of what a printed circuit board designer is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 4 of which the printed circuit board designer role treats as required.
What skills does an ergonomist need to become a printed circuit board designer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is interpret circuit diagrams.
How hard is the move from ergonomist to printed circuit board designer?
Its learning distance is 66.2 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.