Geothermal engineer to hydropower engineer
A geothermal engineer already meets 33% of what the hydropower engineer role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.9/ 100
1 How much of what a hydropower engineer is expected to do is already part of a geothermal 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 hydropower engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A hydropower engineer role treats 10 of its required skills as things a geothermal engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- CAM software
- approve engineering design
- electrical power safety regulations
- electricity
- energy efficiency
What stands in the way is 19 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A hydropower engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a geothermal engineer background worth leading with.
- already held energy transformation engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held inspect facility sites information skills
- already held CAM software information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held renewable energy engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held electrical power safety regulations engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held energy efficiency engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 11 carried skills, including the 10 the hydropower engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 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 electronics principles required
- still to learn energy micro-generation technologies required
- still to learn marine energy required
- still to learn engineering principles required
- still to learn hydroelectricity required
- still to learn resource-efficient technologies required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- still to learn design electric power systems required
- still to learn promote innovative infrastructure design required
- still to learn draw blueprints required
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held promote sustainable energy optional
- optional, not held promote environmental awareness optional
- still to learn examine engineering principles required
- still to learn perform risk analysis required
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- optional, not held research ocean energy projects optional
- still to learn use CAD software required
- still to learn use CAM software required
- still to learn use technical drawing software required
- still to learn manage engineering project required
- still to learn perform project management required
- still to learn project management required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a hydropower engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 design electric power systems practise this
- 02 electronics principles study this
- 03 energy micro-generation technologies 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 11 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held CAM software knowledge
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held electrical power safety regulations knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held energy efficiency knowledge
- already held energy transformation knowledge
- already held operate scientific measuring equipment skill
- already held renewable energy knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held inspect facility sites skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- optional, not held oceanography optional
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held promote sustainable energy optional
- optional, not held research ocean energy projects optional
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held oceanography optional
- optional, not held promote environmental awareness optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
38 held skills the hydropower engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
- not needed by the target role advise on building matters skill
- not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role apply statistical analysis techniques skill
- not needed by the target role assess environmental impact skill
- not needed by the target role assess heating and cooling systems skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate electricity generation skill
- not needed by the target role define energy profiles skill
- not needed by the target role design a combined heat and power system skill
- not needed by the target role design an electric heating system skill
- not needed by the target role design district heating and cooling energy systems skill
- not needed by the target role design geothermal energy systems skill
- not needed by the target role design heat pump installations skill
- not needed by the target role design heating and cooling emission systems skill
- not needed by the target role design thermal equipment skill
- not needed by the target role design thermal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role develop strategies for electricity contingencies skill
- not needed by the target role electric current knowledge
- not needed by the target role electric generators knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role geographic information systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role geology knowledge
- not needed by the target role geothermal energy knowledge
- not needed by the target role geothermal energy systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role geothermal power generation methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role geothermal power plant operations knowledge
- not needed by the target role oversee construction project skill
- not needed by the target role perform a feasibility study on combined heat and power skill
- not needed by the target role perform a feasibility study on electric heating skill
- not needed by the target role perform a feasibility study on heat pumps skill
- not needed by the target role perform energy simulations skill
- not needed by the target role perform feasibility study on geothermal energy skill
- not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
- not needed by the target role perform smart grid feasibility study skill
- not needed by the target role thermodynamics knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of heat pumps knowledge
- not needed by the target role use testing equipment skill
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 electronics principles required
- still to learn energy micro-generation technologies required
- still to learn marine energy required
- still to learn project management required
- still to learn engineering principles required
- still to learn hydroelectricity required
- still to learn resource-efficient technologies required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held oceanography optional
Common questions about this move
Can a geothermal engineer become a hydropower engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A geothermal engineer already covers 33% of what a hydropower engineer is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 10 of which the hydropower engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a geothermal engineer need to become a hydropower engineer?
19 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is design electric power systems.
How hard is the move from geothermal engineer to hydropower engineer?
Its learning distance is 70.9 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.