Industrial designer to printed circuit board designer
An industrial designer already meets 35% of what the printed circuit board designer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
60.6/ 100
1 How much of what a printed circuit board 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 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 5 of its required skills as things an industrial designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- draft design specifications
- mathematics
- use CAD software
- use technical drawing software
What stands in the way is 9 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 printed circuit board 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 draw blueprints communication, collaboration and creativity
- 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 CAD software information and communication technologies (icts)
All 10 carried skills, including the 5 the printed circuit board designer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 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 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 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 printed circuit boards required
- optional, not held CADD software 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 create technical plans 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 CAD software knowledge
- 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 draw blueprints 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
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held develop assembly instructions 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
57 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 CAM software 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 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 attend design meetings 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 calculate design costs skill
- not needed by the target role calculate materials to build equipment skill
- not needed by the target role ceramic ware knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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
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
- engine designer 41% covered · substantial
- automotive designer 38% covered · substantial
- industrial tool design engineer 38% covered · substantial
- container equipment design engineer 36% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can an industrial designer become a printed circuit board designer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An industrial designer already covers 35% of what a printed circuit board designer is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 5 of which the printed circuit board designer role treats as required.
What skills does an industrial designer need to become a printed circuit board designer?
9 required skills are missing, plus 10 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 industrial designer to printed circuit board designer?
Its learning distance is 60.6 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.