Mechanical engineer to mechanical engineering technician
A mechanical engineer already meets 55% of what the mechanical engineering technician role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
45.6/ 100
1 How much of what a mechanical engineering technician 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 technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mechanical engineering technician role treats 10 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
- define part requirements
- design engineering components
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
What stands in the way is 4 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 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mechanical engineering technician 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 design engineering components communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held define part requirements information skills
- already held blueprints engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held fluid mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held principles of mechanical engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 17 carried skills, including the 10 the mechanical engineering technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 12 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 liaise with engineers required
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- still to learn analyse test data required
- optional, not held interpret technical requirements optional
- optional, not held analyse production processes for improvement optional
- optional, not held assess operating cost optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held monitor nuclear power plant systems optional
- optional, not held perform maintenance on installed equipment optional
- optional, not held perform test run optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use computer-aided engineering systems optional
- optional, not held maintain power plants optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
6 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mechanical engineering technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 skills that carry over
- already held CAE software knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held define part requirements skill
- already held design engineering components skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held blueprints knowledge
- already held create technical plans skill
- already held fluid mechanics knowledge
- already held manage supplies skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
The 6 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
- optional, not held oversee quality control optional
- optional, not held nuclear energy optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held health and safety in the workplace optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held interpret technical requirements optional
- optional, not held maintain power plants optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held analyse production processes for improvement optional
- optional, not held assess operating cost optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held health and safety in the workplace optional
- optional, not held monitor nuclear power plant systems optional
- optional, not held nuclear energy optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held oversee quality control optional
- optional, not held perform maintenance on installed equipment optional
- optional, not held perform test run optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use computer-aided engineering systems optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
75 held skills the mechanical engineering technician 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 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 create a product's virtual model 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 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 evaluate engine performance skill
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- 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
35 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 mathematics required
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held health and safety in the workplace optional
- optional, not held nuclear energy optional
- optional, not held technical terminology 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
- 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 a mechanical engineering technician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mechanical engineer already covers 55% of what a mechanical engineering technician is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 10 of which the mechanical engineering technician role treats as required.
What skills does a mechanical engineer need to become a mechanical engineering technician?
4 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is analyse test data.
How hard is the move from mechanical engineer to mechanical engineering technician?
Its learning distance is 45.6 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.