Mechanical engineer to aerodynamics engineer
A mechanical engineer already meets 58% of what the aerodynamics engineer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
46.9/ 100
1 How much of what an aerodynamics engineer is expected to do is already part of a mechanical 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 aerodynamics engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aerodynamics engineer role treats 15 of its required skills as things a mechanical engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAE software
- adjust engineering designs
- aerodynamics
- approve engineering design
- computer simulation
- engineering principles
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 19 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 mechanical engineer background worth leading with.
- already held aerodynamics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held mechanics of trains engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held evaluate engine performance information skills
- already held aircraft mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held computer simulation information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held mechanics of motor vehicles engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 19 carried skills, including the 15 the aerodynamics engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 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 operation of different engines required
- still to learn engine components required
- optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
- optional, not held bicycle mechanics optional
- still to learn examine engineering principles required
- still to learn use technical documentation required
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn physics required
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- still to learn liaise with engineers required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
2 further areas in the appendix
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 ICT software specifications study this
- 02 operation of different engines study this
- 03 engine components 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 CAE software knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held aerodynamics knowledge
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held computer simulation knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held evaluate engine performance skill
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held aircraft mechanics knowledge
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held mechanics of motor vehicles knowledge
- already held mechanics of trains knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn ICT software specifications required
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
- optional, not held bicycle mechanics optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
73 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 advise on machinery malfunctions skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability 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 blueprints knowledge
- not needed by the target role build machines skill
- not needed by the target role building automation knowledge
- not needed by the target role calibrate mechatronic instruments skill
- not needed by the target role combined heat and power generation knowledge
- not needed by the target role continuum mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
- not needed by the target role create a product's virtual model skill
- not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
- not needed by the target role define part requirements skill
- not needed by the target role define technical requirements skill
- not needed by the target role design a domotic system in buildings skill
- not needed by the target role design a solar absorption cooling system 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 engineering components skill
- not needed by the target role design heating and cooling emission systems 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 capacity skill
- not needed by the target role develop mechatronic test procedures skill
- not needed by the target role disassemble engines skill
- not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role electric current knowledge
- not needed by the target role electromechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role fluid mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role gather technical information skill
- not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
- not needed by the target role industrial engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect engine rooms skill
- not needed by the target role install automation components skill
- not needed by the target role install mechatronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role instruct on energy saving technologies skill
- not needed by the target role integrated design knowledge
33 further entries not listed here
10 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 ICT software specifications required
- still to learn operation of different engines required
- still to learn engine components required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- still to learn physics required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
- optional, not held bicycle mechanics optional
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
Other moves recorded from mechanical engineer
- fluid power engineer 66% covered · moderate
- robotics engineer 59% covered · moderate
- rotating equipment engineer 57% covered · moderate
- container equipment design engineer 55% covered · moderate
- mechanical engineering technician 55% covered · moderate
- packing machinery engineer 54% covered · moderate
- aerospace engineering drafter 52% covered · moderate
- rolling stock engineering drafter 51% covered · moderate
Common questions about this move
Can a mechanical engineer become an aerodynamics engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mechanical engineer already covers 58% of what an aerodynamics engineer is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 15 of which the aerodynamics engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a mechanical engineer need to become an aerodynamics engineer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is ICT software specifications.
How hard is the move from mechanical engineer to aerodynamics engineer?
Its learning distance is 46.9 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.