Mechanical engineer to mechanical engineering drafter
A mechanical engineer already meets 51% of what the mechanical engineering drafter role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
46.6/ 100
1 How much of what a mechanical engineering drafter 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 mechanical engineering drafter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mechanical engineering drafter role treats 7 of its required skills as things a mechanical engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- create technical plans
- design drawings
- mechanical engineering
- mechanics
- principles of mechanical engineering
- technical drawings
What stands in the way is 7 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 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mechanical engineering drafter 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 define part requirements information skills
- already held blueprints engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held principles of mechanical engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held create a product's virtual model communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held draft design specifications communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 15 carried skills, including the 7 the mechanical engineering drafter role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 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 create solutions to problems required
- still to learn liaise with engineers required
- still to learn use manual draughting techniques required
- optional, not held advise client on technical possibilities optional
- optional, not held review drafts optional
- still to learn CAD software required
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held physics optional
- still to learn use CAD software required
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
- still to learn manual draughting techniques required
- optional, not held maintain mechanical equipment optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mechanical engineering drafter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 CAD software study this
- 02 create solutions to problems practise this
- 03 liaise with engineers 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 15 skills that carry over
- already held create technical plans skill
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held 3D modelling knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held blueprints knowledge
- already held create a product's virtual model skill
- already held define part requirements skill
- already held draft design specifications skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held read standard blueprints skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held calculate materials to build equipment optional
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain mechanical equipment optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held advise client on technical possibilities optional
- optional, not held calculate materials to build equipment optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held review drafts optional
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
77 held skills the mechanical engineering drafter role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAE software knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on machinery malfunctions skill
- not needed by the target role aerodynamics knowledge
- not needed by the target role aircraft mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role approve engineering design 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 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 computer simulation 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 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 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 electric current knowledge
- not needed by the target role electromechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate engine performance skill
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- 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
37 further entries not listed here
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 CAD software required
- still to learn manual draughting techniques required
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held physics optional
Other moves recorded from mechanical engineer
- fluid power engineer 66% covered · moderate
- robotics engineer 59% covered · moderate
- aerodynamics engineer 57% 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
Common questions about this move
Can a mechanical engineer become a mechanical engineering drafter?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mechanical engineer already covers 51% of what a mechanical engineering drafter is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 7 of which the mechanical engineering drafter role treats as required.
What skills does a mechanical engineer need to become a mechanical engineering drafter?
7 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is CAD software.
How hard is the move from mechanical engineer to mechanical engineering drafter?
Its learning distance is 46.6 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.