Steam engineer to fluid power engineer
A steam engineer already meets 37% of what the fluid power engineer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.3/ 100
1 How much of what a fluid power engineer is expected to do is already part of a steam 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 fluid power engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A fluid power engineer role treats 10 of its required skills as things a steam engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- hydraulics
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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A fluid power engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a steam engineer background worth leading with.
- already held hydraulics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held CAD software information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held use technical drawing software working with computers
- already held use CAD software working with computers
- already held technical drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 10 carried skills, including the 10 the fluid power engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 30 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.
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn fluid mechanics required
- still to learn hydraulic fluid required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn principles of mechanical engineering required
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held quality and cycle time optimisation optional
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
- still to learn execute feasibility study required
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- optional, not held determine production capacity optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations optional
- optional, not held monitor production developments optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held design prototypes optional
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held 3D modelling optional
- optional, not held pneumatics optional
- still to learn use computer-aided engineering systems required
- optional, not held set up the controller of a machine optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a fluid power engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 mechanical engineering study this
- 02 execute feasibility study practise this
- 03 fluid mechanics 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held hydraulics knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held CAE software optional
20 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held 3D modelling optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held design prototypes optional
- optional, not held determine production capacity optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held monitor production developments optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held pneumatics optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- optional, not held quality and cycle time optimisation optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
- optional, not held set up the controller of a machine optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
20 held skills the fluid power engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role balance hydraulics of hot water systems skill
- not needed by the target role design automation components skill
- not needed by the target role design utility equipment skill
- not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy market knowledge
- not needed by the target role heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts knowledge
- not needed by the target role manufacturing of steam generators knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor automated machines skill
- not needed by the target role monitor utility equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate automated process control skill
- not needed by the target role operate hydraulic machinery controls skill
- not needed by the target role operate steam turbine skill
- not needed by the target role perform maintenance on installed equipment skill
- not needed by the target role refrigerants knowledge
- not needed by the target role resolve equipment malfunctions skill
- not needed by the target role thermodynamics knowledge
- not needed by the target role use personal protection equipment skill
- not needed by the target role use testing equipment skill
13 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 mechanical engineering required
- still to learn fluid mechanics required
- still to learn hydraulic fluid required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn mechanics required
- still to learn principles of mechanical engineering required
- optional, not held 3D modelling optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held pneumatics optional
- optional, not held quality and cycle time optimisation optional
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
Common questions about this move
Can a steam engineer become a fluid power engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A steam engineer already covers 37% of what a fluid power engineer is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 10 of which the fluid power engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a steam engineer need to become a fluid power engineer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 20 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is mechanical engineering.
How hard is the move from steam engineer to fluid power engineer?
Its learning distance is 63.3 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.