Table 1Transition record

computer-aided design operatortocomputer hardware engineering technician

A computer-aided design operator already meets 38% of what the computer hardware engineering technician role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.

From computer-aided design operator

38%

Overlap1

To computer hardware engineering technician

45 Skills carried over

22 Required, not held

70.5 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

38%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

70.5/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the computer hardware engineering technician role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the computer-aided design operator 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.

Why

Why this move works

A computer hardware engineering technician role treats 2 of its required skills as things a computer-aided design operator already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

adjust engineering designs
design drawings

What stands in the way is 22 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 45 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A computer hardware engineering technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a computer-aided design operator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held CoffeeScript information and communication technologies (icts)
already held Erlang information and communication technologies (icts)
already held Smalltalk (computer programming) information and communication technologies (icts)
already held Microsoft Visual C++ information and communication technologies (icts)
already held ABAP information and communication technologies (icts)
already held APL information and communication technologies (icts)

All 45 carried skills, including the 2 the computer hardware engineering technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 39 missing skills fall into 10 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 information skills 5 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held interpret circuit diagrams required
required, not held inspect quality of products required
required, not held read assembly drawings required
required, not held read engineering drawings required
required, not held record test data required

optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
optional, not held replace machines optional

02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 4 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held hardware architectures required
required, not held computer engineering required
required, not held computer technology required
required, not held electronics required

optional, not held electrical engineering optional

03 information and communication technologies (icts) 4 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held hardware materials required
required, not held hardware platforms required
required, not held hardware components required
required, not held hardware testing methods required

optional, not held firmware optional

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held assist scientific research required
required, not held liaise with engineers required
required, not held prepare production prototypes required

optional, not held integrate new products in manufacturing optional
optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
optional, not held write technical reports optional

05 working with computers 2 required, 8 supplementary

required, not held use ICT hardware required
required, not held assemble hardware components required

optional, not held align software with system architectures optional
optional, not held implement anti-virus software optional
optional, not held customise software for drive system optional
optional, not held install operating system optional
optional, not held install software optional
optional, not held program a CNC controller optional
optional, not held program firmware optional
optional, not held remove computer virus or malware from a computer optional

06 handling and moving 2 required

required, not held align components required
required, not held fasten components required

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a computer hardware engineering technician 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 45 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held design drawings knowledge
already held ABAP knowledge
already held AJAX knowledge
already held APL knowledge
already held ASP.NET knowledge
already held Assembly (computer programming) knowledge
already held C# knowledge
already held C++ knowledge
already held CAD software knowledge
already held COBOL knowledge
already held CoffeeScript knowledge
already held Common Lisp knowledge
already held Erlang knowledge
already held Groovy knowledge
already held Haskell knowledge
already held Java (computer programming) knowledge
already held JavaScript knowledge
already held Lisp knowledge
already held MATLAB knowledge
already held ML (computer programming) knowledge
already held Microsoft Visual C++ knowledge
already held Objective-C knowledge
already held OpenEdge Advanced Business Language knowledge
already held PHP knowledge
already held Pascal (computer programming) knowledge
already held Perl knowledge
already held Prolog (computer programming) knowledge
already held Python (computer programming) knowledge
already held R knowledge
already held Ruby (computer programming) knowledge
already held SAP R3 knowledge
already held SAS language knowledge
already held Scala knowledge
already held Scratch (computer programming) knowledge
already held Smalltalk (computer programming) knowledge
already held Swift (computer programming) knowledge
already held TypeScript knowledge
already held VBScript knowledge
already held Visual Basic knowledge
already held apply technical communication skills skill
already held computer programming knowledge
already held mathematics knowledge
already held use CAD software skill
already held use CAM software skill

The 4 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 constructing 1 required

required, not held test hardware required

08 management skills 1 required

required, not held meet deadlines required

09 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held quality standards optional

10 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held maintain computer hardware optional

17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held align software with system architectures optional
optional, not held implement anti-virus software optional
optional, not held customise software for drive system optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held firmware optional
optional, not held install operating system optional
optional, not held install software optional
optional, not held integrate new products in manufacturing optional
optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
optional, not held maintain computer hardware optional
optional, not held program a CNC controller optional
optional, not held program firmware optional
optional, not held quality standards optional
optional, not held remove computer virus or malware from a computer optional
optional, not held replace machines optional
optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
optional, not held write technical reports optional

38 held skills the computer hardware engineering technician role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role CAE software knowledge
not needed by the target role adapt to new design materials skill
not needed by the target role apply organisational techniques skill
not needed by the target role attend design meetings skill
not needed by the target role attend to detail regarding jewellery creation skill
not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
not needed by the target role create CAD drawings skill
not needed by the target role create architectural sketches skill
not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
not needed by the target role customise drafts skill
not needed by the target role design automation components skill
not needed by the target role design circuits using CAD skill
not needed by the target role design engineering components skill
not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
not needed by the target role design process skill
not needed by the target role develop design concept skill
not needed by the target role develop design plans skill
not needed by the target role develop jewellery designs skill
not needed by the target role develop product design skill
not needed by the target role documentation types knowledge
not needed by the target role geometry knowledge
not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
not needed by the target role imitation jewellery knowledge
not needed by the target role industrial design knowledge
not needed by the target role industrial software knowledge
not needed by the target role jewellery processes knowledge
not needed by the target role manufacturing of jewellery knowledge
not needed by the target role material mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role metalworking knowledge
not needed by the target role trigonometry knowledge
not needed by the target role use CAE software skill
not needed by the target role use automatic programming skill
not needed by the target role use communication techniques skill
not needed by the target role use microsoft office skill
not needed by the target role use specialised design software skill
not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
not needed by the target role woodworking processes knowledge

11 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 hardware architectures required
required, not held hardware materials required
required, not held hardware platforms required
required, not held computer engineering required
required, not held computer technology required
required, not held electronics required
required, not held hardware components required
required, not held hardware testing methods required
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held firmware optional
optional, not held quality standards optional

Index

Other moves recorded from computer-aided design operator

Full index of moves from computer-aided design operator

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.