Geological engineer to rolling stock engineer
A geological engineer already meets 36% of what the rolling stock engineer role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
64/ 100
1 How much of what a rolling stock engineer is expected to do is already part of a geological engineer’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 rolling stock engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A rolling stock engineer role treats 9 of its required skills as things a geological engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- assess financial viability
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- execute feasibility study
What stands in the way is 8 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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A rolling stock engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a geological engineer background worth leading with.
- already held execute feasibility study information skills
- already held assess financial viability information skills
- already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use technical drawing software working with computers
- already held use CAD software working with computers
- already held technical drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 10 carried skills, including the 9 the rolling stock engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 32 missing skills fall into 12 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 industrial engineering required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- still to learn production processes required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electromechanics optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
- optional, not held precision mechanics optional
- optional, not held safety engineering optional
- still to learn design wayside signalling interlockings required
- still to learn control production required
- optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
- optional, not held develop test procedures optional
- optional, not held manage product testing optional
- still to learn analyse production processes for improvement required
- optional, not held record test data optional
- still to learn control compliance of railway vehicles regulations required
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held design electromechanical systems optional
- optional, not held design prototypes optional
- optional, not held draft design specifications optional
6 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a rolling stock engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 control compliance of railway vehicles regulations practise this
- 02 design wayside signalling interlockings practise this
- 03 analyse production processes for improvement 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held assess financial viability skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held execute feasibility study skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held use CAD software skill
The 6 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held ensure maintenance of railway machinery optional
- optional, not held ensure maintenance of trains optional
- optional, not held maintain electromechanical equipment optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held perform test run optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
24 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ensure maintenance of railway machinery optional
- optional, not held ensure maintenance of trains optional
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held design electromechanical systems optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held design prototypes optional
- optional, not held develop test procedures optional
- optional, not held draft design specifications optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electromechanics optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- optional, not held maintain electromechanical equipment optional
- optional, not held manage product testing optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
- optional, not held perform test run optional
- optional, not held precision mechanics optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- optional, not held safety engineering optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
35 held skills the rolling stock engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on building matters skill
- not needed by the target role advise on construction materials skill
- not needed by the target role advise on geology for mineral extraction skill
- not needed by the target role advise on waste management procedures skill
- not needed by the target role apply digital mapping skill
- not needed by the target role assess environmental impact skill
- not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect geological data skill
- not needed by the target role collect samples for analysis skill
- not needed by the target role conduct field work skill
- not needed by the target role conduct land surveys skill
- not needed by the target role develop geological databases skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with safety legislation skill
- not needed by the target role environmental design knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role examine geochemical samples skill
- not needed by the target role geochemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role geographic information systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role geography knowledge
- not needed by the target role geological time scale knowledge
- not needed by the target role geology knowledge
- not needed by the target role geophysics knowledge
- not needed by the target role impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret geophysical data skill
- not needed by the target role mining, construction and civil engineering machinery products knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor geotechnical structures skill
- not needed by the target role nuclear energy knowledge
- not needed by the target role oversee construction project skill
- not needed by the target role perform computer analyses of geotechnical structures skill
- not needed by the target role perform sample testing skill
- not needed by the target role prepare geological map sections skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on geological characteristics skill
- not needed by the target role soil science knowledge
- not needed by the target role study aerial photos skill
- not needed by the target role use geographic information systems skill
13 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 industrial engineering required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- still to learn production processes required
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electromechanics optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
- optional, not held precision mechanics optional
- optional, not held safety engineering optional
Common questions about this move
Can a geological engineer become a rolling stock engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A geological engineer already covers 36% of what a rolling stock engineer is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 9 of which the rolling stock engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a geological engineer need to become a rolling stock engineer?
8 required skills are missing, plus 24 optional ones. They fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is control compliance of railway vehicles regulations.
How hard is the move from geological engineer to rolling stock engineer?
Its learning distance is 64 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.