Powertrain engineer to aerodynamics engineer
A powertrain engineer already meets 56% of what the aerodynamics engineer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
47.5/ 100
1 How much of what an aerodynamics engineer is expected to do is already part of a powertrain 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 aerodynamics engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aerodynamics engineer role treats 15 of its required skills as things a powertrain engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAE software
- adjust engineering designs
- aerodynamics
- approve engineering design
- engine components
- engineering principles
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 · What you already bring
Of the 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aerodynamics engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a powertrain engineer background worth leading with.
- already held aerodynamics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held evaluate engine performance information skills
- already held operation of different engines engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held mechanics of motor vehicles engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held engine components engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 18 carried skills, including the 15 the aerodynamics engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 6 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 examine engineering principles required
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- still to learn use technical documentation required
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn physics required
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
- still to learn ICT software specifications required
- still to learn computer simulation required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
- optional, not held aircraft mechanics optional
- optional, not held bicycle mechanics optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an aerodynamics engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ICT software specifications study this
- 02 computer simulation study this
- 03 examine engineering principles 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 18 skills that carry over
- already held CAE software knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held aerodynamics knowledge
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held engine components knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held evaluate engine performance skill
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held operation of different engines knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held conduct performance tests skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held mechanics of motor vehicles knowledge
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
- optional, not held aircraft mechanics optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
- optional, not held bicycle mechanics optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
119 held skills the aerodynamics engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAD software knowledge
- not needed by the target role CADD software knowledge
- not needed by the target role Prototyping development knowledge
- not needed by the target role advanced driver assistant systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role aerospace engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role anticipate change in car technology skill
- not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role assemble automotive batteries skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role assess powertrain skill
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role automotive diagnostic equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role automotive engineering skill
- not needed by the target role battery components knowledge
- not needed by the target role calibrate electromechanical system skill
- not needed by the target role calibrate engines skill
- not needed by the target role car controls knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate with designers skill
- not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role compare alternative vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role computer technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role control engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role control the performance of the vehicle skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
- not needed by the target role create CAD drawings skill
- not needed by the target role define technical requirements skill
- not needed by the target role describe electric drive system skill
- not needed by the target role design chassis skill
- not needed by the target role design control systems skill
- not needed by the target role design drawings knowledge
- not needed by the target role design electrical systems skill
- not needed by the target role design electromechanical systems skill
- not needed by the target role design electronic systems skill
- not needed by the target role design engineering components skill
- not needed by the target role design hybrid operating strategies skill
- not needed by the target role design power electronics skill
- not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role design sensors skill
- not needed by the target role develop electronic test procedures skill
- not needed by the target role develop test procedures skill
79 further entries not listed here
12 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 ICT software specifications required
- still to learn computer simulation required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- still to learn physics required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
- optional, not held aircraft mechanics optional
- optional, not held bicycle mechanics optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a powertrain engineer become an aerodynamics engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A powertrain engineer already covers 56% of what an aerodynamics engineer is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 15 of which the aerodynamics engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a powertrain engineer need to become an aerodynamics engineer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is ICT software specifications.
How hard is the move from powertrain engineer to aerodynamics engineer?
Its learning distance is 47.5 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.