Fibre optic installer to avionics technician
A fibre optic installer already meets 20% of what the avionics technician role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.5/ 100
1 How much of what an avionics technician is expected to do is already part of a fibre optic installer’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 avionics technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An avionics technician role treats 5 of its required skills as things a fibre optic installer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply soldering techniques
- electrical engineering
- electricity
- operate soldering equipment
- troubleshoot
What stands in the way is 14 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 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An avionics technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a fibre optic installer background worth leading with.
- already held apply soldering techniques constructing
- already held operate soldering equipment constructing
- already held electrical engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held electricity engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held troubleshoot communication, collaboration and creativity
All 5 carried skills, including the 5 the avionics technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 30 missing skills fall into 11 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 electrical systems used in transportation required
- still to learn electronics principles required
- still to learn electrical wiring plans required
- still to learn electronics required
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- still to learn solder electronics required
- still to learn test electronic units required
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- still to learn read standard blueprints required
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- still to learn apply health and safety standards required
- still to learn wear appropriate protective gear required
- still to learn install electrical and electronic equipment required
- optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
- optional, not held maintain electrical equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain electronic equipment optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
- still to learn assemble electrical components required
- optional, not held follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health optional
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an avionics technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 aircraft flight control systems study this
- 02 common aviation safety regulations study this
- 03 electrical systems used in transportation 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 5 skills that carry over
- already held apply soldering techniques skill
- already held electrical engineering knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held operate soldering equipment skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
- still to learn aircraft flight control systems required
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
- optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held maintain electrical equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain electronic equipment optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
20 held skills the avionics technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role MOEM knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on equipment maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role anticipate installation maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role electrical wire accessories knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with maintenance legislation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure conformity to specifications skill
- not needed by the target role fibre optics knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect cables skill
- not needed by the target role install electronic communication equipment skill
- not needed by the target role install low voltage wiring skill
- not needed by the target role install power lines skill
- not needed by the target role monitor customer service skill
- not needed by the target role optical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role optomechanical components knowledge
- not needed by the target role repair wiring skill
- not needed by the target role rigging terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role soldering techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role splice cable skill
- not needed by the target role use wire hand tools skill
- not needed by the target role wire harnesses knowledge
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 aircraft flight control systems required
- still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
- still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
- still to learn electronics principles required
- still to learn electrical wiring plans required
- still to learn electronics required
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
Common questions about this move
Can a fibre optic installer become an avionics technician?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A fibre optic installer already covers 20% of what an avionics technician is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 5 of which the avionics technician role treats as required.
What skills does a fibre optic installer need to become an avionics technician?
14 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is aircraft flight control systems.
How hard is the move from fibre optic installer to avionics technician?
Its learning distance is 76.5 out of 100, which is the career change 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.