Software architect to embedded system designer
A software architect already meets 67% of what the embedded system designer role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
45.3/ 100
1 How much of what an embedded system designer is expected to do is already part of a software architect’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 embedded system designer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An embedded system designer role treats 9 of its required skills as things a software architect already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse software specifications
- create flowchart diagram
- create software design
- define technical requirements
- provide ICT consulting advice
- system design
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 57 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An embedded system designer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a software architect background worth leading with.
- already held SPARK information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held system design information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held task algorithmisation information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held create flowchart diagram communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create software design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held Ansible information and communication technologies (icts)
All 57 carried skills, including the 9 the embedded system designer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 4 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 ICT communications protocols required
- still to learn embedded systems required
- still to learn engineering control theory required
- still to learn signal processing required
- optional, not held field-programmable gate arrays optional
- optional, not held battery management systems optional
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held hardware architectures optional
- optional, not held state estimation optional
- still to learn real-time computing required
- still to learn digital systems required
- optional, not held ICT network simulation optional
- optional, not held ICT security standards optional
- optional, not held ICT system integration optional
- optional, not held network management system tools optional
- optional, not held software components libraries optional
- optional, not held tools for ICT test automation optional
- optional, not held hardware components optional
- still to learn interpret electronic design specifications required
- optional, not held verify formal ICT specifications optional
- still to learn develop creative ideas required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an embedded system designer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 real-time computing study this
- 02 ICT communications protocols study this
- 03 embedded 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 57 skills that carry over
- already held analyse software specifications skill
- already held create flowchart diagram skill
- already held create software design skill
- already held define technical requirements skill
- already held provide ICT consulting advice skill
- already held system design knowledge
- already held systems development life-cycle knowledge
- already held task algorithmisation knowledge
- already held tools for software configuration management knowledge
- already held ABAP knowledge
- already held AJAX knowledge
- already held APL knowledge
- already held ASP.NET knowledge
- already held Ansible knowledge
- already held Apache Maven knowledge
- already held Assembly (computer programming) knowledge
- already held C# knowledge
- already held C++ knowledge
- already held COBOL knowledge
- already held CoffeeScript knowledge
- already held Common Lisp knowledge
- already held Erlang knowledge
- already held Groovy knowledge
- already held Haskell knowledge
- already held Java (computer programming) knowledge
- already held JavaScript knowledge
- already held Jenkins (tools for software configuration management) knowledge
- already held Lisp knowledge
- already held MATLAB knowledge
- already held ML (computer programming) knowledge
- already held Microsoft Visual C++ knowledge
- already held Objective-C knowledge
- already held OpenEdge Advanced Business Language knowledge
- already held PHP knowledge
- already held Pascal (computer programming) knowledge
- already held Perl knowledge
- already held Prolog (computer programming) knowledge
- already held Puppet (tools for software configuration management) knowledge
- already held Python (computer programming) knowledge
- already held R knowledge
- already held Ruby (computer programming) knowledge
- already held SAP R3 knowledge
- already held SAS language knowledge
- already held SPARK knowledge
- already held STAF knowledge
- already held Salt (tools for software configuration management) knowledge
- already held Scala knowledge
- already held Scratch (computer programming) knowledge
- already held Smalltalk (computer programming) knowledge
- already held Swift (computer programming) knowledge
- already held TypeScript knowledge
- already held VBScript knowledge
- already held Visual Basic knowledge
- already held build business relationships skill
- already held collect customer feedback on applications skill
- already held computer programming knowledge
- already held utilise computer-aided software engineering tools skill
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held field-programmable gate arrays optional
- optional, not held ICT network simulation optional
- optional, not held ICT security standards optional
- optional, not held ICT system integration optional
- optional, not held battery management systems optional
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held hardware architectures optional
- optional, not held network management system tools optional
- optional, not held software components libraries optional
- optional, not held tools for ICT test automation optional
- optional, not held verify formal ICT specifications optional
- optional, not held hardware components optional
- optional, not held state estimation optional
32 held skills the embedded system designer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Agile project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT project management methodologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT security legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role Process-based management knowledge
- not needed by the target role WildFly knowledge
- not needed by the target role align software with system architectures skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business requirements skill
- not needed by the target role apply ICT systems theory skill
- not needed by the target role business process modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role define software architecture skill
- not needed by the target role design cloud architecture skill
- not needed by the target role design database in the cloud skill
- not needed by the target role design database scheme skill
- not needed by the target role design process skill
- not needed by the target role develop software prototype skill
- not needed by the target role do cloud refactoring skill
- not needed by the target role implement data warehousing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role lean project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role object-oriented modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role oversee development of software skill
- not needed by the target role perform ICT troubleshooting skill
- not needed by the target role perform resource planning skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role security engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role systems theory knowledge
- not needed by the target role unified modelling language knowledge
- not needed by the target role use an application-specific interface skill
- not needed by the target role use markup languages skill
- not needed by the target role use query languages skill
- not needed by the target role web programming knowledge
18 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 real-time computing required
- still to learn ICT communications protocols required
- still to learn embedded systems required
- still to learn engineering control theory required
- still to learn signal processing required
- still to learn digital systems required
- optional, not held field-programmable gate arrays optional
- optional, not held ICT network simulation optional
- optional, not held ICT security standards optional
- optional, not held ICT system integration optional
- optional, not held battery management systems optional
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held hardware architectures optional
- optional, not held network management system tools optional
- optional, not held software components libraries optional
- optional, not held tools for ICT test automation optional
- optional, not held hardware components optional
- optional, not held state estimation optional
Other moves recorded from software architect
- numerical tool and process control programmer 68% covered · moderate
- computer-aided design operator 64% covered · moderate
- ICT system architect 63% covered · moderate
- ICT application configurator 58% covered · moderate
- embedded systems software developer 58% covered · moderate
- mobile application developer 57% covered · substantial
- ICT application developer 54% covered · substantial
- industrial mobile devices software developer 53% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a software architect become an embedded system designer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A software architect already covers 67% of what an embedded system designer is expected to do: 57 skills carry over, 9 of which the embedded system designer role treats as required.
What skills does a software architect need to become an embedded system designer?
8 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is real-time computing.
How hard is the move from software architect to embedded system designer?
Its learning distance is 45.3 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.