Industrial engineer to surface engineer
An industrial engineer already meets 57% of what the surface engineer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
44.6/ 100
1 How much of what a surface engineer is expected to do is already part of an industrial 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 surface engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A surface engineer role treats 10 of its required skills as things an industrial engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- execute analytical mathematical calculations
- industrial engineering
What stands in the way is 5 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 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A surface engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an industrial engineer background worth leading with.
- already held welding techniques engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held semiconductors engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held production processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held environmental legislation business, administration and law
All 19 carried skills, including the 10 the surface engineer 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 safety engineering required
- still to learn surface engineering required
- optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
- optional, not held soldering techniques optional
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held analyse test data optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- still to learn corrosion types required
- still to learn use technical drawing software required
- optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a surface engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 corrosion types study this
- 02 perform scientific research practise this
- 03 safety engineering 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 19 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held industrial engineering knowledge
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held production processes knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held chemistry knowledge
- already held electrical engineering knowledge
- already held environmental legislation knowledge
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held physics knowledge
- already held semiconductors knowledge
- already held types of metal knowledge
- already held welding techniques knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held analyse test data optional
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
- optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- optional, not held soldering techniques optional
58 held skills the surface engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role 3D modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role CAD software knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on manufacturing problems skill
- not needed by the target role aerospace engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
- not needed by the target role apply advanced manufacturing skill
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role automotive engineering skill
- not needed by the target role build machines skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role computer engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role continuous improvement philosophies knowledge
- not needed by the target role control production skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate manufacturing production activities skill
- not needed by the target role design automation components skill
- not needed by the target role design drawings knowledge
- 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 capacity skill
- not needed by the target role develop product design skill
- not needed by the target role develop production line skill
- not needed by the target role electromechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role examine engineering principles skill
- not needed by the target role industrial research and development knowledge
- not needed by the target role industrial tools knowledge
- not needed by the target role instrumentation engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role instrumentation equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role integrate new products in manufacturing skill
- not needed by the target role keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes skill
- not needed by the target role lead process optimisation skill
- not needed by the target role lean manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role maintain industrial equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage production systems skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechatronics knowledge
18 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 corrosion types required
- still to learn safety engineering required
- still to learn surface engineering required
- optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
- optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
- optional, not held soldering techniques optional
Other moves recorded from industrial engineer
- production engineer 67% covered · moderate
- container equipment design engineer 60% covered · moderate
- industrial tool design engineer 58% covered · moderate
- manufacturing engineer 56% covered · moderate
- rolling stock engineer 55% covered · moderate
- packing machinery engineer 55% covered · moderate
- rotating equipment engineer 55% covered · moderate
- mechanical engineering drafter 54% covered · moderate
Common questions about this move
Can an industrial engineer become a surface engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An industrial engineer already covers 57% of what a surface engineer is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 10 of which the surface engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an industrial engineer need to become a surface engineer?
5 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is corrosion types.
How hard is the move from industrial engineer to surface engineer?
Its learning distance is 44.6 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.