Table 1Transition record

application engineertoprecision engineer

A application engineer already meets 53% of what the precision engineer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.

From application engineer

53%

Overlap1

To precision engineer

16 Skills carried over

5 Required, not held

47.2 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 47.2

This move: 47.2 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the precision engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the application engineer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A precision engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a application engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held manage product testing management skills
already held develop test procedures management skills
already held interpret technical requirements information skills
already held precision mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held product data management business, administration and law
already held manage engineering project management skills

All 16 carried skills, including the 10 the precision engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 21 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held design microelectromechanical systems required
required, not held design scientific equipment required

optional, not held design prototypes optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional

02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held precision engineering required

optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held industrial engineering optional

03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held calibrate precision instrument required

optional, not held operate precision machinery optional
optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
optional, not held use testing equipment optional

04 information skills 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held define part requirements required

optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
optional, not held record test data optional

05 constructing 2 supplementary

optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
optional, not held maintain test equipment optional

06 arts and humanities 1 supplementary

optional, not held design principles optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a precision engineer 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 16 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held define technical requirements skill
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held interpret technical requirements skill
already held manage engineering project skill
already held perform scientific research skill
already held precision mechanics knowledge
already held project management knowledge
already held technical drawings knowledge
already held use technical drawing software skill
already held analyse test data skill
already held develop test procedures skill
already held manage product testing skill
already held mechatronics knowledge
already held perform test run skill
already held product data management knowledge

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional

08 working with computers 1 supplementary

optional, not held use CAD software optional

16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held design prototypes optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held industrial engineering optional
optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
optional, not held operate precision machinery optional
optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
optional, not held record test data optional
optional, not held use CAD software optional
optional, not held use testing equipment optional

73 held skills the precision engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role ABAP knowledge
not needed by the target role Assembly (computer programming) knowledge
not needed by the target role ICT debugging tools knowledge
not needed by the target role Microsoft Visual C++ knowledge
not needed by the target role Perl knowledge
not needed by the target role R knowledge
not needed by the target role SAS language knowledge
not needed by the target role TypeScript knowledge
not needed by the target role VBScript knowledge
not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
not needed by the target role advanced materials knowledge
not needed by the target role algorithms knowledge
not needed by the target role analyse software specifications skill
not needed by the target role analyse supply chain strategies skill
not needed by the target role analyse supply chain trends skill
not needed by the target role archive documentation related to work skill
not needed by the target role carry out inventory planning skill
not needed by the target role collect customer feedback on applications skill
not needed by the target role compare contractors' bids skill
not needed by the target role computer engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role computer programming knowledge
not needed by the target role computer science knowledge
not needed by the target role conduct ICT code review skill
not needed by the target role conduct quality control analysis skill
not needed by the target role conduct research on trends in design skill
not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
not needed by the target role create a product's virtual model skill
not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
not needed by the target role debug software skill
not needed by the target role define quality standards skill
not needed by the target role design user interface skill
not needed by the target role determine suitability of materials skill
not needed by the target role develop software prototype skill
not needed by the target role develop translation memory software skill
not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
not needed by the target role handle customer complaints skill
not needed by the target role human-robot collaboration knowledge
not needed by the target role identify customer requirements skill
not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
not needed by the target role implement efficiency plans for logistics operations skill

33 further entries not listed here

6 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 acquire Tier

required, not held precision engineering required
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held industrial engineering optional

Index

Other moves recorded from application engineer

Full index of moves from application engineer

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.