Industrial designer to engine designer
An industrial designer already meets 41% of what the engine designer role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
55.6/ 100
1 How much of what an engine designer is expected to do is already part of an industrial designer’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 engine designer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An engine designer role treats 5 of its required skills as things an industrial designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- calculate design costs
- calculate materials to build equipment
- conduct research on trends in design
- use CAD software
What stands in the way is 7 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. An engine designer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an industrial designer background worth leading with.
- already held attend design meetings communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held adapt to new design materials information skills
- already held calculate materials to build equipment information skills
- already held conduct research on trends in design information skills
- already held calculate design costs information skills
- already held collaborate with engineers communication, collaboration and creativity
All 10 carried skills, including the 5 the engine designer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 6 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 vehicle electrical systems required
- still to learn motor vehicle parts drawings required
- optional, not held design drawings optional
- optional, not held packaging engineering optional
- optional, not held packaging processes optional
- still to learn stay up-to-date with vehicle trends required
- still to learn define part requirements required
- optional, not held evaluate engine performance optional
- still to learn adjust engineering designs required
- optional, not held collaborate with designers optional
- optional, not held approve engineering design optional
- optional, not held design process optional
- still to learn quality standards required
- still to learn ecological principles required
- optional, not held office software optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an engine designer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 stay up-to-date with vehicle trends practise this
- 02 define part requirements practise this
- 03 vehicle electrical systems 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held calculate design costs skill
- already held calculate materials to build equipment skill
- already held conduct research on trends in design skill
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held 3D modelling knowledge
- already held adapt to new design materials skill
- already held attend design meetings skill
- already held collaborate with engineers skill
- already held use specialised design software skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held collaborate with designers optional
- optional, not held evaluate engine performance optional
- optional, not held approve engineering design optional
- optional, not held design drawings optional
- optional, not held design process optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held packaging engineering optional
- optional, not held packaging processes optional
57 held skills the engine designer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAM software 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 analyse production processes for improvement skill
- not needed by the target role apply 3D imaging techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role build a product's physical model skill
- not needed by the target role build jewellery models skill
- not needed by the target role ceramic ware knowledge
- not needed by the target role consult with design team skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate manufacturing production activities skill
- not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a product's virtual model skill
- not needed by the target role design management knowledge
- not needed by the target role design package skill
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role determine production feasibility skill
- not needed by the target role determine suitability of materials skill
- not needed by the target role develop jewellery designs skill
- not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role draw blueprints 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 human-robot collaboration knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydraulics 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 industrial engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role jewellery processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manufacturing processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role monitor production developments skill
17 further entries not listed here
8 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 vehicle electrical systems required
- still to learn ecological principles required
- still to learn motor vehicle parts drawings required
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held design drawings optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held packaging engineering optional
- optional, not held packaging processes optional
Other moves recorded from industrial designer
- ergonomist 81% covered · adjacent
- furniture designer 46% covered · substantial
- product development engineering drafter 44% covered · moderate
- design engineer 41% covered · substantial
- automotive designer 38% covered · substantial
- industrial tool design engineer 38% covered · substantial
- container equipment design engineer 36% covered · substantial
- tooling engineer 36% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can an industrial designer become an engine designer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An industrial designer already covers 41% of what an engine designer is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 5 of which the engine designer role treats as required.
What skills does an industrial designer need to become an engine designer?
7 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is stay up-to-date with vehicle trends.
How hard is the move from industrial designer to engine designer?
Its learning distance is 55.6 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.