Material stress analyst to aerodynamics engineer
A material stress analyst already meets 58% of what the aerodynamics engineer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
46.5/ 100
1 How much of what an aerodynamics engineer is expected to do is already part of a material stress analyst’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 aerodynamics engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aerodynamics engineer role treats 14 of its required skills as things a material stress analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAE software
- ICT software specifications
- computer simulation
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- execute analytical mathematical calculations
What stands in the way is 11 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 21 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aerodynamics engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a material stress analyst background worth leading with.
- already held bicycle mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held analyse stress resistance of products information skills
- already held mechanics of trains engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held aircraft mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held computer simulation information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held mechanics of vessels engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 21 carried skills, including the 14 the aerodynamics engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 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 evaluate engine performance required
- still to learn examine engineering principles required
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- still to learn use technical documentation required
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- still to learn operation of different engines required
- still to learn aerodynamics required
- still to learn engine components required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- still to learn adjust engineering designs required
- still to learn approve engineering design required
- still to learn use technical drawing software required
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an aerodynamics engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 evaluate engine performance practise this
- 02 operation of different engines study this
- 03 adjust engineering designs 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 21 skills that carry over
- already held CAE software knowledge
- already held ICT software specifications knowledge
- already held computer simulation knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held multimedia systems knowledge
- already held physics knowledge
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held scientific research methodology knowledge
- already held aircraft mechanics knowledge
- already held analyse stress resistance of products skill
- already held bicycle mechanics knowledge
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held mechanics of motor vehicles knowledge
- already held mechanics of trains knowledge
- already held mechanics of vessels knowledge
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
21 held skills the aerodynamics engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role 3D modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role advanced materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role assist scientific research skill
- not needed by the target role build a product's physical model skill
- not needed by the target role computational mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role continuum mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a product's virtual model skill
- not needed by the target role develop material testing procedures skill
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role materials engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform physical stress tests on models skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role provide technical documentation skill
- not needed by the target role recommend product improvements skill
- not needed by the target role record test data skill
- not needed by the target role render 3D images skill
- not needed by the target role report analysis results skill
- not needed by the target role rubber technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role solid mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role use computer-aided engineering systems skill
- not needed by the target role write stress-strain analysis reports skill
5 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 operation of different engines required
- still to learn aerodynamics required
- still to learn engine components required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a material stress analyst become an aerodynamics engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A material stress analyst already covers 58% of what an aerodynamics engineer is expected to do: 21 skills carry over, 14 of which the aerodynamics engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a material stress analyst need to become an aerodynamics engineer?
11 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is evaluate engine performance.
How hard is the move from material stress analyst to aerodynamics engineer?
Its learning distance is 46.5 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.