Welding engineer to surface engineer
A welding engineer already meets 55% of what the surface engineer role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
46.1/ 100
1 How much of what a surface engineer is expected to do is already part of a welding 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 surface engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A surface engineer role treats 11 of its required skills as things a welding engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- industrial engineering
- manufacturing processes
What stands in the way is 4 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 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A surface engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a welding engineer background worth leading with.
- already held welding techniques engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held production processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held ferrous metal processing engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held analyse test data information skills
- already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
All 16 carried skills, including the 11 the surface engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 8 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 safety engineering required
- still to learn surface engineering required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
- optional, not held semiconductors optional
- optional, not held soldering techniques optional
- still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- still to learn corrosion types required
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a surface engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 corrosion types study this
- 02 execute analytical mathematical calculations practise this
- 03 safety engineering 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 16 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 industrial engineering knowledge
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held production processes knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held analyse test data skill
- already held ferrous metal processing knowledge
- already held record test data skill
- already held types of metal knowledge
- already held welding techniques knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- optional, not held semiconductors optional
- optional, not held soldering techniques optional
37 held skills the surface engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAD software knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply arc welding techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply brazing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role consult technical resources skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
- not needed by the target role define manufacturing quality criteria skill
- not needed by the target role define technical requirements skill
- not needed by the target role design drawings knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop new welding techniques skill
- not needed by the target role draw design sketches skill
- not needed by the target role ensure correct gas pressure skill
- not needed by the target role ensure equipment maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role ensure finished product meet requirements skill
- not needed by the target role ensure fulfilment of legal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate employees work skill
- not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role identify hazards in the workplace skill
- not needed by the target role inspect quality of products skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with quality assurance skill
- not needed by the target role maintain safe engineering watches skill
- not needed by the target role operate brazing equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate oxy-fuel welding torch skill
- not needed by the target role operate soldering equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate welding equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform metal active gas welding skill
- not needed by the target role perform metal inert gas welding skill
- not needed by the target role perform test run skill
- not needed by the target role perform tungsten inert gas welding skill
- not needed by the target role perform welding inspection skill
- not needed by the target role prepare production prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role research welding techniques skill
- not needed by the target role select filler metal skill
- not needed by the target role spot metal imperfections skill
- not needed by the target role supervise staff skill
14 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 corrosion types required
- still to learn safety engineering required
- still to learn surface engineering required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held semiconductors optional
- optional, not held soldering techniques optional
Common questions about this move
Can a welding engineer become a surface engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A welding engineer already covers 55% of what a surface engineer is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 11 of which the surface engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a welding engineer need to become a surface engineer?
4 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is corrosion types.
How hard is the move from welding engineer to surface engineer?
Its learning distance is 46.1 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.