Table 1Transition record

microelectronics materials engineertosurface engineer

A microelectronics materials engineer already meets 44% of what the surface engineer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

From microelectronics materials engineer

44%

Overlap1

To surface engineer

18 Skills carried over

9 Required, not held

55.6 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

44%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

55.6/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the surface engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the microelectronics materials 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.

Why

Why this move works

A surface engineer role treats 6 of its required skills as things a microelectronics materials engineer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

adjust engineering designs
engineering processes
manufacturing processes
mathematics
perform scientific research
use technical drawing software

What stands in the way is 9 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 18 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 microelectronics materials engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held develop material testing procedures information skills
already held hazardous waste types services
already held semiconductors engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held analyse test data information skills
already held environmental legislation business, administration and law

All 18 carried skills, including the 6 the surface engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 20 missing skills fall into 7 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 engineering, manufacturing and construction 6 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held engineering principles required
required, not held industrial engineering required
required, not held production processes required
required, not held safety engineering required
required, not held surface engineering required
required, not held technical drawings required

optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held soldering techniques optional
optional, not held welding techniques optional

02 information skills 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations required

optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required

required, not held approve engineering design required

04 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required

required, not held corrosion types required

05 constructing 2 supplementary

optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional

06 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 supplementary

optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 18 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held manufacturing processes knowledge
already held mathematics knowledge
already held perform scientific research skill
already held use technical drawing software skill
already held analyse test data skill
already held chemistry knowledge
already held develop material testing procedures skill
already held electrical engineering knowledge
already held environmental legislation knowledge
already held hazardous waste types knowledge
already held material mechanics knowledge
already held mechanical engineering knowledge
already held physics knowledge
already held record test data skill
already held semiconductors knowledge
already held types of metal knowledge

The 1 learning area not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held computer simulation optional

11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional
optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
optional, not held computer simulation optional
optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
optional, not held soldering techniques optional
optional, not held welding techniques optional

61 held skills the surface engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role CAE software knowledge
not needed by the target role abide by regulations on banned materials skill
not needed by the target role advise on pollution prevention skill
not needed by the target role advise on waste management procedures skill
not needed by the target role analyse big data skill
not needed by the target role apply soldering techniques skill
not needed by the target role apply statistical analysis techniques skill
not needed by the target role artificial neural networks knowledge
not needed by the target role basic chemicals knowledge
not needed by the target role characteristics of waste knowledge
not needed by the target role composite materials knowledge
not needed by the target role conduct literature research skill
not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
not needed by the target role data mining knowledge
not needed by the target role data models knowledge
not needed by the target role define manufacturing quality criteria skill
not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
not needed by the target role develop hazardous waste management strategies skill
not needed by the target role develop microelectromechanical system test procedures skill
not needed by the target role dispose of soldering waste skill
not needed by the target role electricity principles knowledge
not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
not needed by the target role emergent technologies knowledge
not needed by the target role environmental threats knowledge
not needed by the target role hazardous waste treatment knowledge
not needed by the target role inspect semiconductor components skill
not needed by the target role integrate new products in manufacturing skill
not needed by the target role join metals skill
not needed by the target role laboratory techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role machine learning knowledge
not needed by the target role manage data skill
not needed by the target role materials engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role microassembly knowledge
not needed by the target role microelectronics knowledge
not needed by the target role micromechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role microoptics knowledge
not needed by the target role microsensors knowledge
not needed by the target role microsystem test procedures knowledge
not needed by the target role nanomaterials knowledge
not needed by the target role nanotechnology knowledge

21 further entries not listed here

12 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 corrosion types required
required, not held engineering principles required
required, not held industrial engineering required
required, not held production processes required
required, not held safety engineering required
required, not held surface engineering required
required, not held technical drawings required
optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
optional, not held computer simulation optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held soldering techniques optional
optional, not held welding techniques optional

Index

Other moves recorded from microelectronics materials engineer

Full index of moves from microelectronics materials 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.