Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Software architect to embedded systems software developer

A software architect already meets 58% of what the embedded systems software developer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From software architect
58 % overlap
Partial match
To embedded systems software developer
50 You already bring
10 Still to learn
76 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

54.3/ 100

1 How much of what an embedded systems software developer 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 systems software developer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An embedded systems software developer role treats 6 of its required skills as things a software architect already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • analyse software specifications
  • computer programming
  • create flowchart diagram
  • develop software prototype
  • tools for software configuration management
  • utilise computer-aided software engineering tools

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 50 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An embedded systems software developer 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.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held SPARK information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held object-oriented modelling information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held create flowchart diagram communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held Ansible information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held tools for software configuration management information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held Apache Maven information and communication technologies (icts)

All 50 carried skills, including the 6 the embedded systems software developer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 26 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 information and communication technologies (icts) 4 required, 6 supplementary
  • still to learn ICT debugging tools required
  • still to learn Internet of Things required
  • still to learn integrated development environment software required
  • still to learn digital systems required
  • optional, not held Eclipse (integrated development environment software) optional
  • optional, not held KDevelop optional
  • optional, not held Xcode optional
  • optional, not held software anomalies optional
  • optional, not held trading software optional
  • optional, not held World Wide Web Consortium standards optional
02 working with computers 3 required, 6 supplementary
  • still to learn develop ICT device driver required
  • still to learn debug software required
  • still to learn use software libraries required
  • optional, not held integrate system components optional
  • optional, not held use automatic programming optional
  • optional, not held use concurrent programming optional
  • optional, not held use functional programming optional
  • optional, not held use logic programming optional
  • optional, not held use object-oriented programming optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn use software design patterns required
  • optional, not held adapt to changes in technological development plans optional
  • optional, not held design user interface optional
  • optional, not held develop creative ideas optional
04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required
  • still to learn embedded systems required
05 information skills 1 required
  • still to learn interpret technical texts required
06 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held develop automated migration methods optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an embedded systems software developer 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 50 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held analyse software specifications skill
  • already held computer programming knowledge
  • already held create flowchart diagram skill
  • already held develop software prototype skill
  • already held tools for software configuration management knowledge
  • already held utilise computer-aided software engineering tools skill
  • 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 Common Lisp knowledge
  • already held Groovy knowledge
  • already held Haskell knowledge
  • already held ICT security legislation 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 Swift (computer programming) knowledge
  • already held TypeScript knowledge
  • already held VBScript knowledge
  • already held Visual Basic knowledge
  • already held collect customer feedback on applications skill
  • already held object-oriented modelling knowledge
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held Eclipse (integrated development environment software) optional
  • optional, not held KDevelop optional
  • optional, not held Xcode optional
  • optional, not held adapt to changes in technological development plans optional
  • optional, not held design user interface optional
  • optional, not held develop automated migration methods optional
  • optional, not held integrate system components optional
  • optional, not held software anomalies optional
  • optional, not held trading software optional
  • optional, not held use automatic programming optional
  • optional, not held use concurrent programming optional
  • optional, not held use functional programming optional
  • optional, not held use logic programming optional
  • optional, not held use object-oriented programming optional
  • optional, not held World Wide Web Consortium standards optional
  • optional, not held develop creative ideas optional
39 held skills the embedded systems software developer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role Agile project management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role CoffeeScript knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Erlang knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ICT project management methodologies knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Process-based management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Smalltalk (computer programming) 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 build business relationships skill
  • not needed by the target role business process modelling knowledge
  • not needed by the target role create software design skill
  • not needed by the target role define software architecture skill
  • not needed by the target role define technical requirements 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 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 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 ICT consulting advice 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 system design knowledge
  • not needed by the target role systems development life-cycle knowledge
  • not needed by the target role systems theory knowledge
  • not needed by the target role task algorithmisation 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
11 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 ICT debugging tools required
  • still to learn Internet of Things required
  • still to learn embedded systems required
  • still to learn integrated development environment software required
  • still to learn digital systems required
  • optional, not held Eclipse (integrated development environment software) optional
  • optional, not held KDevelop optional
  • optional, not held Xcode optional
  • optional, not held software anomalies optional
  • optional, not held trading software optional
  • optional, not held World Wide Web Consortium standards optional
Index

Other moves recorded from software architect

Full index of moves from software architect

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a software architect become an embedded systems software developer?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A software architect already covers 58% of what an embedded systems software developer is expected to do: 50 skills carry over, 6 of which the embedded systems software developer role treats as required.

What skills does a software architect need to become an embedded systems software developer?

10 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information and communication technologies (icts). The single most important is develop ICT device driver.

How hard is the move from software architect to embedded systems software developer?

Its learning distance is 54.3 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.