Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Mechanical engineer to rotating equipment engineer

A mechanical engineer already meets 57% of what the rotating equipment engineer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From mechanical engineer
57 % overlap
Partial match
To rotating equipment engineer
25 You already bring
10 Still to learn
45 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

48.2/ 100

1 How much of what a rotating equipment 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 rotating equipment engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A rotating equipment engineer role treats 14 of its required skills as things a mechanical engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • adjust engineering designs
  • approve engineering design
  • blueprints
  • engineering principles
  • engineering processes
  • industrial engineering

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A rotating equipment 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.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held determine production capacity 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 industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 25 carried skills, including the 14 the rotating equipment engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 20 missing skills fall into 10 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 3 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn types of rotating equipment required
  • still to learn manufacturing processes required
  • still to learn production processes required
  • optional, not held reverse engineering optional
02 working with computers 2 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn use CAD software required
  • still to learn use computer-aided engineering systems required
  • optional, not held use CAM software optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required
  • still to learn advise on safety improvements required
  • still to learn troubleshoot required
04 information skills 1 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn execute feasibility study required
  • optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
  • optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
  • optional, not held monitor production developments optional
  • optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
05 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required
  • still to learn CAD software required
06 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required
  • still to learn mathematics required

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a rotating equipment engineer 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

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 25 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held adjust engineering designs skill
  • already held approve engineering design skill
  • already held blueprints knowledge
  • already held engineering principles knowledge
  • already held engineering processes knowledge
  • already held industrial engineering knowledge
  • already held mechanical engineering knowledge
  • already held mechanics knowledge
  • already held perform scientific research skill
  • already held principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
  • already held read engineering drawings skill
  • already held read standard blueprints skill
  • already held technical drawings knowledge
  • already held use technical drawing software skill
  • already held 3D modelling knowledge
  • already held CAE software knowledge
  • already held advise on machinery malfunctions skill
  • already held create a product's virtual model skill
  • already held design prototypes skill
  • already held determine production capacity skill
  • already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
  • already held manage supplies skill
  • already held material mechanics knowledge
  • already held quality and cycle time optimisation knowledge
  • already held set up the controller of a machine skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 assisting and caring 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
08 constructing 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held maintain rotating equipment optional
09 handling and moving 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
10 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held maintain rotating equipment optional
  • optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
  • optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
  • optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
  • optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
  • optional, not held monitor production developments optional
  • optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
  • optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
  • optional, not held reverse engineering optional
  • optional, not held use CAM software optional
67 held skills the rotating equipment engineer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role aerodynamics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role aircraft mechanics knowledge
  • 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 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 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 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 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
  • not needed by the target role keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain electrical equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain robotic equipment skill

27 further entries not listed here

6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn types of rotating equipment required
  • still to learn CAD software required
  • still to learn manufacturing processes required
  • still to learn mathematics required
  • still to learn production processes required
  • optional, not held reverse engineering optional
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a mechanical engineer become a rotating equipment engineer?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mechanical engineer already covers 57% of what a rotating equipment engineer is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 14 of which the rotating equipment engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a mechanical engineer need to become a rotating equipment engineer?

10 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is types of rotating equipment.

How hard is the move from mechanical engineer to rotating equipment engineer?

Its learning distance is 48.2 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.