Installation engineer to steam engineer
An installation engineer already meets 32% of what the steam engineer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
65/ 100
1 How much of what a steam engineer is expected to do is already part of an installation 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 steam engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A steam engineer role treats 6 of its required skills as things an installation engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts
- perform scientific research
- technical drawings
- use technical drawing software
What stands in the way is 10 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A steam engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an installation engineer background worth leading with.
- already held heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held CAD software information and communication technologies (icts)
- 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
- already held engineering processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 8 carried skills, including the 6 the steam engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 7 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 manufacturing of steam generators required
- still to learn energy required
- still to learn energy market required
- still to learn hydraulics required
- still to learn refrigerants required
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- still to learn design utility equipment required
- still to learn adjust engineering designs required
- still to learn approve engineering design required
- optional, not held design automation components optional
- optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
- still to learn monitor utility equipment required
- optional, not held perform maintenance on installed equipment optional
- still to learn thermodynamics required
- optional, not held operate hydraulic machinery controls optional
- optional, not held operate steam turbine optional
- optional, not held monitor automated machines optional
- optional, not held operate automated process control optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a steam engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 design utility equipment practise this
- 02 manufacturing of steam generators study this
- 03 monitor utility equipment 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 8 skills that carry over
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held balance hydraulics of hot water systems optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held balance hydraulics of hot water systems optional
- optional, not held operate hydraulic machinery controls optional
- optional, not held operate steam turbine optional
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held design automation components optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held monitor automated machines optional
- optional, not held operate automated process control optional
- optional, not held perform maintenance on installed equipment optional
- optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
31 held skills the steam engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assess project resource needs skill
- not needed by the target role communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role components of air conditioning systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct performance tests skill
- not needed by the target role construction industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role construction methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role construction product regulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role continuous improvement philosophies knowledge
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role design process skill
- not needed by the target role domestic heating systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with construction project deadline skill
- not needed by the target role follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- not needed by the target role industrial heating systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role oversee construction project skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role project management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide improvement strategies skill
- not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role react to events in time-critical environments skill
- not needed by the target role record test data skill
- not needed by the target role report test findings skill
- not needed by the target role supervise staff skill
- not needed by the target role troubleshoot skill
- not needed by the target role use safety equipment in construction skill
- not needed by the target role ventilation systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role work in a construction team skill
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 manufacturing of steam generators required
- still to learn energy required
- still to learn energy market required
- still to learn hydraulics required
- still to learn refrigerants required
- still to learn thermodynamics required
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
Common questions about this move
Can an installation engineer become a steam engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An installation engineer already covers 32% of what a steam engineer is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 6 of which the steam engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an installation engineer need to become a steam engineer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is design utility equipment.
How hard is the move from installation engineer to steam engineer?
Its learning distance is 65 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.