Wastewater engineer to water engineer
A wastewater engineer already meets 53% of what the water engineer role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.2/ 100
1 How much of what a water engineer is expected to do is already part of a wastewater 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 water engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A water engineer role treats 16 of its required skills as things a wastewater engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- analyse community needs
- approve engineering design
- create designs for pipeline engineering
- detect flaws in pipeline infrastructure
- engineering principles
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 33 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A water engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a wastewater engineer background worth leading with.
- already held develop sewerage networks communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held ecosystems natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held develop water purification methods communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held supervise sewerage systems construction management skills
- already held create designs for pipeline engineering communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held hydraulic fluid engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 33 carried skills, including the 16 the water engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 40 missing skills fall into 10 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 conserve water resource required
- still to learn advise on irrigation projects required
- optional, not held design piers optional
- optional, not held design sprinkler systems optional
- optional, not held design weirs optional
- optional, not held advise on soil and water protection optional
- optional, not held design dams optional
- optional, not held design drainage well systems optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn lead a team in water management required
- still to learn develop flood remediation strategies required
- optional, not held develop irrigation strategies optional
- optional, not held develop water supply schedule optional
- optional, not held perform follow-up on pipeline route services optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held follow up pipeline integrity management priorities optional
- still to learn landscape design required
- still to learn water reuse required
- optional, not held watershed development optional
- optional, not held environmental engineering optional
- still to learn flood remediation equipment required
- still to learn water policies required
- optional, not held analyse route possibilities in pipeline projects optional
- optional, not held perform water chemistry analysis optional
- optional, not held survey sites for pipeline installation optional
- optional, not held compute irrigation pressure optional
- optional, not held identify risk of flooding optional
- optional, not held manage water quality testing optional
- optional, not held monitor water quality optional
- optional, not held perform water testing procedures optional
- optional, not held maintain irrigation controllers optional
- optional, not held manage desalination control system optional
- optional, not held perform water treatment procedures optional
- optional, not held use water disinfection equipment optional
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a water engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 conserve water resource practise this
- 02 lead a team in water management practise this
- 03 advise on irrigation projects 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 33 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held analyse community needs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held create designs for pipeline engineering skill
- already held detect flaws in pipeline infrastructure skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- already held ensure compliance with safety legislation skill
- already held hydraulic fluid knowledge
- already held hydraulics knowledge
- already held interpret scientific data to assess water quality skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held types of pipelines knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held advise on environmental remediation skill
- already held advise on pollution prevention skill
- already held develop environmental remediation strategies skill
- already held develop sewerage networks skill
- already held develop water purification methods skill
- already held ecosystems knowledge
- already held ensure regulatory compliance in pipeline infrastructures skill
- already held inspect pipelines skill
- already held measure water quality parameters skill
- already held mitigate environmental impact of pipeline projects skill
- already held monitor legislation developments skill
- already held perform pipeline routing studies skill
- already held pollution prevention knowledge
- already held prepare timelines for pipeline development projects skill
- already held supervise sewerage systems construction skill
- already held supervise waste disposal skill
- already held supervise waste water treatments skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held irrigation systems optional
- optional, not held livestock optional
- optional, not held consider the impact of material characteristics on pipeline flows optional
- optional, not held install irrigation systems optional
- optional, not held conserve natural resources optional
- optional, not held water chemistry analysis optional
32 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held design piers optional
- optional, not held design sprinkler systems optional
- optional, not held design weirs optional
- optional, not held advise on soil and water protection optional
- optional, not held analyse route possibilities in pipeline projects optional
- optional, not held conserve natural resources optional
- optional, not held consider the impact of material characteristics on pipeline flows optional
- optional, not held design dams optional
- optional, not held design drainage well systems optional
- optional, not held develop irrigation strategies optional
- optional, not held develop water supply schedule optional
- optional, not held irrigation systems optional
- optional, not held livestock optional
- optional, not held maintain irrigation controllers optional
- optional, not held manage desalination control system optional
- optional, not held perform follow-up on pipeline route services optional
- optional, not held perform water chemistry analysis optional
- optional, not held perform water treatment procedures optional
- optional, not held survey sites for pipeline installation optional
- optional, not held use water disinfection equipment optional
- optional, not held water chemistry analysis optional
- optional, not held watershed development optional
- optional, not held compute irrigation pressure optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held environmental engineering optional
- optional, not held follow up pipeline integrity management priorities optional
- optional, not held identify risk of flooding optional
- optional, not held install irrigation systems optional
- optional, not held manage water quality testing optional
- optional, not held monitor water quality optional
- optional, not held perform water testing procedures optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
0 held skills the water engineer role does not ask for
9 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 landscape design required
- still to learn flood remediation equipment required
- still to learn water policies required
- still to learn water reuse required
- optional, not held irrigation systems optional
- optional, not held livestock optional
- optional, not held water chemistry analysis optional
- optional, not held watershed development optional
- optional, not held environmental engineering optional
Common questions about this move
Can a wastewater engineer become a water engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A wastewater engineer already covers 53% of what a water engineer is expected to do: 33 skills carry over, 16 of which the water engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a wastewater engineer need to become a water engineer?
8 required skills are missing, plus 32 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is conserve water resource.
How hard is the move from wastewater engineer to water engineer?
Its learning distance is 59.2 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.