Microelectronics designer to printed circuit board designer
A microelectronics designer already meets 51% of what the printed circuit board designer role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
47.4/ 100
1 How much of what a printed circuit board designer 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 printed circuit board designer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A printed circuit board designer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a microelectronics designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- design drawings
- electronics
- interpret circuit diagrams
- mathematics
- printed circuit boards
What stands in the way is 6 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A printed circuit board designer 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 printed circuit boards information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held develop assembly instructions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create a product's virtual model communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held interpret circuit diagrams information skills
- already held design prototypes communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held design drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 13 carried skills, including the 8 the printed circuit board designer 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 design circuit boards required
- still to learn draft design specifications required
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held draw blueprints optional
- optional, not held use manual draughting techniques optional
- still to learn create technical plans required
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
- still to learn electricity required
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
- optional, not held monitor manufacturing quality standards optional
- still to learn test printed circuit boards required
- optional, not held manual draughting techniques optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a printed circuit board designer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 test printed circuit boards practise this
- 02 create technical plans practise this
- 03 design circuit boards 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held electronics 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 create a product's virtual model skill
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held develop assembly instructions skill
- already held electrical engineering knowledge
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held draw blueprints optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held manual draughting techniques optional
- optional, not held monitor manufacturing quality standards optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
- optional, not held use manual draughting techniques optional
73 held skills the printed circuit board designer 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 apply technical communication skills 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 consumer electronics knowledge
- 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 customise drafts skill
- not needed by the target role design circuits using CAD skill
- not needed by the target role design electronic systems skill
- not needed by the target role design integrated circuits skill
- not needed by the target role design sensors skill
- not needed by the target role develop product design skill
- not needed by the target role draft bill of materials skill
- not needed by the target role electricity principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronic components knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronic equipment standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role emergent technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering principles 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 integrated circuits 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
33 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
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- optional, not held manual draughting techniques optional
Other moves recorded from microelectronics designer
Common questions about this move
Can a microelectronics designer become a printed circuit board designer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A microelectronics designer already covers 51% of what a printed circuit board designer is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 8 of which the printed circuit board designer role treats as required.
What skills does a microelectronics designer need to become a printed circuit board designer?
6 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is test printed circuit boards.
How hard is the move from microelectronics designer to printed circuit board designer?
Its learning distance is 47.4 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.