RecordMove

Nanoengineer to materials engineer

A nanoengineer already meets 48% of what the materials engineer role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From nanoengineer

Partial match

To materials engineer

19 You already bring

12 Still to learn

47 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

59.1/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a materials engineer is expected to do is already part of a nanoengineer’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 materials engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A materials engineer role treats 15 of its required skills as things a nanoengineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

adjust engineering designs
analytical chemistry
apply health and safety standards
approve engineering design
assess environmental impact
chemistry

What stands in the way is 12 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 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A materials engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a nanoengineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held develop chemical products communication, collaboration and creativity
already held green chemistry engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held forecast organisational risks information skills
already held materials engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held perform chemical experiments working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held work with chemicals handling and moving

All 19 carried skills, including the 15 the materials engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 28 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 4 required, 7 supplementary

still to learn integrated design required
still to learn sustainable building materials required
still to learn manufacturing processes required
still to learn material mechanics required

optional, not held envelope systems for buildings optional
optional, not held properties of textile materials optional
optional, not held rubber technology optional
optional, not held types of plastic optional
optional, not held electricity optional
optional, not held semiconductors optional
optional, not held types of metal optional

02 information skills 4 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn develop advanced materials required
still to learn analyse production processes for improvement required
still to learn develop material testing procedures required
still to learn test materials required

optional, not held assess the feasibility of implementing developments optional

03 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 3 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn advanced materials required
still to learn composite materials required
still to learn thermoplastic materials required

optional, not held basic chemicals optional
optional, not held laboratory techniques optional

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn create solutions to problems required

optional, not held advise on pollution prevention optional
optional, not held advise on waste management procedures optional

05 business, administration and law 2 supplementary

optional, not held pollution legislation optional
optional, not held quality standards optional

06 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held define quality standards optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a materials 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 19 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held analytical chemistry knowledge
already held apply health and safety standards skill
already held approve engineering design skill
already held assess environmental impact skill
already held chemistry knowledge
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held forecast organisational risks skill
already held integrate new products in manufacturing skill
already held materials engineering knowledge
already held perform chemical experiments skill
already held perform scientific research skill
already held test chemical samples skill
already held work with chemicals skill
already held design prototypes skill
already held develop chemical products skill
already held green chemistry knowledge
already held mechanics knowledge

The 1 learning area not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional

16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held envelope systems for buildings optional
optional, not held pollution legislation optional
optional, not held properties of textile materials optional
optional, not held rubber technology optional
optional, not held types of plastic optional
optional, not held advise on pollution prevention optional
optional, not held advise on waste management procedures optional
optional, not held assess the feasibility of implementing developments optional
optional, not held basic chemicals optional
optional, not held define quality standards optional
optional, not held electricity optional
optional, not held laboratory techniques optional
optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional
optional, not held quality standards optional
optional, not held semiconductors optional
optional, not held types of metal optional

36 held skills the materials engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
not needed by the target role biology knowledge
not needed by the target role computational chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role computational mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role computer engineering 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 design optical systems skill
not needed by the target role design pharmaceutical manufacturing systems skill
not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
not needed by the target role develop components separation processes skill
not needed by the target role develop pharmaceutical drugs skill
not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role examine engineering principles skill
not needed by the target role improve chemical processes skill
not needed by the target role industrial research and development knowledge
not needed by the target role life sciences knowledge
not needed by the target role manage chemical testing procedures skill
not needed by the target role mathematical modelling knowledge
not needed by the target role microbiology-bacteriology knowledge
not needed by the target role nanomaterials knowledge
not needed by the target role nanotechnology knowledge
not needed by the target role optical engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role pharmaceutical chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role pharmaceutical drug development knowledge
not needed by the target role pharmaceutical technology knowledge
not needed by the target role physics knowledge
not needed by the target role quantum computing knowledge
not needed by the target role quantum technology knowledge
not needed by the target role record test data skill
not needed by the target role scientific literature knowledge
not needed by the target role solid mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role spectroscopy knowledge
not needed by the target role use CAD software skill
not needed by the target role use chemical analysis equipment skill

18 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 advanced materials required
still to learn integrated design required
still to learn sustainable building materials required
still to learn composite materials required
still to learn manufacturing processes required
still to learn material mechanics required
still to learn thermoplastic materials required
optional, not held envelope systems for buildings optional
optional, not held pollution legislation optional
optional, not held properties of textile materials optional
optional, not held rubber technology optional
optional, not held types of plastic optional
optional, not held basic chemicals optional
optional, not held electricity optional
optional, not held laboratory techniques optional
optional, not held quality standards optional
optional, not held semiconductors optional
optional, not held types of metal optional

Index

Other moves recorded from nanoengineer

Full index of moves from nanoengineer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a nanoengineer become a materials engineer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A nanoengineer already covers 48% of what a materials engineer is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 15 of which the materials engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a nanoengineer need to become a materials engineer?

12 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is develop advanced materials.

How hard is the move from nanoengineer to materials engineer?

Its learning distance is 59.1 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.