Microelectronics designer to electronics drafter
A microelectronics designer already meets 65% of what the electronics drafter role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
39.2/ 100
1 How much of what an electronics drafter is expected to do is already part of a microelectronics designer’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 electronics drafter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An electronics drafter role treats 14 of its required skills as things a microelectronics designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- customise drafts
- design drawings
- design electronic systems
- design prototypes
- electronic components
What stands in the way is 8 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 27 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An electronics drafter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a microelectronics designer background worth leading with.
- already held electronic components engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held customise drafts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held design electronic systems communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held design sensors communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held review drafts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held printed circuit boards information and communication technologies (icts)
All 27 carried skills, including the 14 the electronics drafter role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 5 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 design circuit boards required
- still to learn draw blueprints required
- still to learn liaise with engineers required
- optional, not held design hardware optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held design microelectronics optional
- optional, not held use manual draughting techniques optional
- still to learn electricity required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- still to learn types of electronics required
- still to learn create technical plans required
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
- still to learn manual draughting techniques required
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an electronics drafter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create technical plans practise this
- 02 design circuit boards practise this
- 03 draw blueprints 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 27 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held customise drafts skill
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held design electronic systems skill
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held electronic components knowledge
- already held electronic equipment standards knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held integrated circuits knowledge
- already held interpret circuit diagrams skill
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held printed circuit boards knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held consumer electronics knowledge
- already held create a product's virtual model skill
- already held design sensors skill
- already held develop assembly instructions skill
- already held draft bill of materials skill
- already held electrical engineering knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
- already held power electronics knowledge
- already held prepare assembly drawings skill
- already held review drafts skill
- already held train employees skill
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held design hardware optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held design microelectronics optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held use manual draughting techniques optional
59 held skills the electronics drafter role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAE software knowledge
- not needed by the target role LED lighting components knowledge
- not needed by the target role abide by regulations on banned materials skill
- not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
- not needed by the target role apply soldering techniques skill
- not needed by the target role approve engineering design skill
- not needed by the target role artificial neural networks knowledge
- not needed by the target role assemble electronic units skill
- not needed by the target role biomedical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role calibrate electronic instruments skill
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role composite materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct literature research skill
- not needed by the target role conduct quality control analysis skill
- not needed by the target role control engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
- not needed by the target role design circuits using CAD skill
- not needed by the target role design integrated circuits skill
- not needed by the target role develop product design skill
- not needed by the target role electricity principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role emergent technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental threats knowledge
- not needed by the target role integrate new products in manufacturing skill
- not needed by the target role integrate system components skill
- not needed by the target role integrated circuit types knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret electronic design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role machine learning knowledge
- not needed by the target role material mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role medical devices knowledge
- not needed by the target role microassembly knowledge
- not needed by the target role microelectronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role micromechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role microoptics knowledge
- not needed by the target role microsensors knowledge
- not needed by the target role model sensor skill
- not needed by the target role monitor system performance skill
- not needed by the target role nanotechnology knowledge
19 further entries not listed here
4 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 electricity required
- still to learn manual draughting techniques required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- still to learn types of electronics required
Other moves recorded from microelectronics designer
Common questions about this move
Can a microelectronics designer become an electronics drafter?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A microelectronics designer already covers 65% of what an electronics drafter is expected to do: 27 skills carry over, 14 of which the electronics drafter role treats as required.
What skills does a microelectronics designer need to become an electronics drafter?
8 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is create technical plans.
How hard is the move from microelectronics designer to electronics drafter?
Its learning distance is 39.2 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.