Thermal engineer to steam engineer
A thermal engineer already meets 42% of what the steam engineer role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.3/ 100
1 How much of what a steam engineer is expected to do is already part of a thermal 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 steam engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A steam engineer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a thermal engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- perform scientific research
- technical drawings
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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A steam engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a thermal engineer background worth leading with.
- already held thermodynamics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use testing equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held CAD software information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held use technical drawing software working with computers
- already held technical drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 10 carried skills, including the 8 the steam engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 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 manufacturing of steam generators required
- still to learn energy required
- still to learn energy market required
- still to learn heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts required
- still to learn hydraulics required
- still to learn refrigerants required
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- still to learn design utility equipment required
- optional, not held design automation components optional
- optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
- still to learn monitor utility equipment required
- optional, not held perform maintenance on installed equipment optional
- optional, not held operate hydraulic machinery controls optional
- optional, not held operate steam turbine optional
- optional, not held monitor automated machines optional
- optional, not held operate automated process control optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- optional, not held balance hydraulics of hot water systems optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a steam engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 design utility equipment practise this
- 02 manufacturing of steam generators study this
- 03 monitor utility equipment 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held thermodynamics knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held use testing equipment skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held balance hydraulics of hot water systems optional
- optional, not held operate hydraulic machinery controls optional
- optional, not held operate steam turbine optional
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held design automation components optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held monitor automated machines optional
- optional, not held operate automated process control optional
- optional, not held perform maintenance on installed equipment optional
- optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
44 held skills the steam engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assess energy consumption of ventilation systems skill
- not needed by the target role combined heat and power generation knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role computational fluid dynamics knowledge
- not needed by the target role design a solar absorption cooling system skill
- not needed by the target role design a solar heating system skill
- not needed by the target role design an electric heating system skill
- not needed by the target role design engineering components skill
- not needed by the target role design firmware skill
- not needed by the target role design heat pump installations skill
- not needed by the target role design hot water systems skill
- not needed by the target role design passive energy measures skill
- not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role design thermal equipment skill
- not needed by the target role design thermal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role develop product design skill
- not needed by the target role develop software prototype skill
- not needed by the target role distribution of heating cooling and hot water knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure equipment cooling skill
- not needed by the target role fluid mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
- not needed by the target role heat transfer processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify fitted source for heat pumps skill
- not needed by the target role interpret 2D plans skill
- not needed by the target role interpret 3D plans skill
- not needed by the target role manage engineering project skill
- not needed by the target role mechanical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate climate control skill
- not needed by the target role operate solar thermal energy systems for hot water and heating skill
- not needed by the target role oversee quality control skill
- not needed by the target role perform a feasibility study on combined heat and power skill
- not needed by the target role perform a feasibility study on electric heating skill
- not needed by the target role perform a feasibility study on heat pumps skill
- not needed by the target role perform feasibility study on solar heating skill
- not needed by the target role power engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide information on geothermal heat pumps skill
- not needed by the target role report test findings skill
- not needed by the target role sustainable technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role thermal materials knowledge
4 further entries not listed here
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 manufacturing of steam generators required
- still to learn energy required
- still to learn energy market required
- still to learn heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts required
- still to learn hydraulics required
- still to learn refrigerants required
- optional, not held automation technology optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
Common questions about this move
Can a thermal engineer become a steam engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A thermal engineer already covers 42% of what a steam engineer is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 8 of which the steam engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a thermal engineer need to become a steam engineer?
8 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is design utility equipment.
How hard is the move from thermal engineer to steam engineer?
Its learning distance is 57.3 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.