Photonics engineering technician to microsystem engineering technician
A photonics engineering technician already meets 49% of what the microsystem engineering technician role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.2/ 100
1 How much of what a microsystem engineering technician is expected to do is already part of a photonics engineering technician’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 microsystem engineering technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A microsystem engineering technician role treats 10 of its required skills as things a photonics engineering technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- align components
- assist scientific research
- design drawings
- fasten components
- inspect quality of products
What stands in the way is 11 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 21 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A microsystem engineering technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a photonics engineering technician background worth leading with.
- already held MOEM engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held firmware information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held program firmware working with computers
- already held integrate new products in manufacturing communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held assist scientific research communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held write technical reports communication, collaboration and creativity
All 21 carried skills, including the 10 the microsystem engineering technician role treats as required.
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.
- still to learn package microelectromechanical systems required
- still to learn assemble microelectromechanical systems required
- still to learn set tolerances required
- optional, not held use precision tools optional
- still to learn microelectromechanical systems required
- optional, not held surface-mount technology optional
- optional, not held precision measuring instruments optional
- optional, not held precision mechanics optional
- still to learn test microelectromechanical systems required
- optional, not held apply soldering techniques optional
- still to learn microsystem test procedures required
- optional, not held automatic control system optional
- still to learn wear cleanroom suit required
- still to learn quality standards required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a microsystem engineering technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 package microelectromechanical systems practise this
- 02 assemble microelectromechanical systems practise this
- 03 microelectromechanical systems study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 21 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held align components skill
- already held assist scientific research skill
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held fasten components skill
- already held inspect quality of products skill
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held prepare production prototypes skill
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held MOEM knowledge
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held firmware knowledge
- already held integrate new products in manufacturing skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held monitor machine operations skill
- already held program firmware skill
- already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
- already held use CAM software skill
- already held write technical reports skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn read assembly drawings required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- still to learn microassembly required
- optional, not held maintain microelectromechanical systems optional
- optional, not held operate precision machinery optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain microelectromechanical systems optional
- optional, not held surface-mount technology optional
- optional, not held apply soldering techniques optional
- optional, not held automatic control system optional
- optional, not held operate precision machinery optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
- optional, not held precision measuring instruments optional
- optional, not held precision mechanics optional
- optional, not held use precision tools optional
40 held skills the microsystem engineering technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAE software knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply optical coating skill
- not needed by the target role assemble optoelectronics skill
- not needed by the target role calibrate optical instruments skill
- not needed by the target role clean optical components skill
- not needed by the target role computational mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role digital camera sensors knowledge
- not needed by the target role electromagnetic spectrum knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrooptic devices knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role fibre optics knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect optical supplies skill
- not needed by the target role interpret circuit diagrams skill
- not needed by the target role lasers knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain optical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role microoptics knowledge
- not needed by the target role microprocessors knowledge
- not needed by the target role microsensors knowledge
- not needed by the target role mount optical components on frames skill
- not needed by the target role operate optical assembly equipment skill
- not needed by the target role optical components knowledge
- not needed by the target role optical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role optical equipment standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role optical glass characteristics knowledge
- not needed by the target role optical manufacturing process knowledge
- not needed by the target role optics knowledge
- not needed by the target role optoelectronic devices knowledge
- not needed by the target role optoelectronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role optomechanical components knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform test run skill
- not needed by the target role photonics knowledge
- not needed by the target role printed circuit boards knowledge
- not needed by the target role quantum technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role refractive power knowledge
- not needed by the target role semiconductors knowledge
- not needed by the target role sensors knowledge
- not needed by the target role test optical components skill
- not needed by the target role types of optical instruments knowledge
8 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 microelectromechanical systems required
- still to learn microsystem test procedures required
- still to learn microassembly required
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held surface-mount technology optional
- optional, not held automatic control system optional
- optional, not held precision measuring instruments optional
- optional, not held precision mechanics optional
Other moves recorded from photonics engineering technician
Common questions about this move
Can a photonics engineering technician become a microsystem engineering technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A photonics engineering technician already covers 49% of what a microsystem engineering technician is expected to do: 21 skills carry over, 10 of which the microsystem engineering technician role treats as required.
What skills does a photonics engineering technician need to become a microsystem engineering technician?
11 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is package microelectromechanical systems.
How hard is the move from photonics engineering technician to microsystem engineering technician?
Its learning distance is 56.2 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.