Agronomist to soil surveying technician
An agronomist already meets 41% of what the soil surveying technician role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
61.3/ 100
1 How much of what a soil surveying technician is expected to do is already part of an agronomist’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 soil surveying technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A soil surveying technician role treats 9 of its required skills as things an agronomist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply safety procedures in laboratory
- collect samples for analysis
- ecology
- environmental legislation
- gather experimental data
- laboratory techniques
What stands in the way is 10 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A soil surveying technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an agronomist background worth leading with.
- already held soil structure agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held gather experimental data information skills
- already held agronomy agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held apply safety procedures in laboratory assisting and caring
- already held ecology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held laboratory techniques natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 13 carried skills, including the 9 the soil surveying technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 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 conduct soil sample tests required
- still to learn conduct field work required
- still to learn prepare surveying report required
- optional, not held conduct land surveys optional
- optional, not held monitor geotechnical structures optional
- optional, not held record survey data optional
- optional, not held perform scientific research optional
- still to learn geology required
- still to learn soil science required
- optional, not held geography optional
- still to learn operate surveying instruments required
- still to learn adjust surveying equipment required
- still to learn soil mechanics required
- optional, not held cartography optional
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held surveying methods optional
- optional, not held topography optional
- optional, not held civil engineering optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held surveying optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with safety legislation required
- still to learn collect samples required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a soil surveying technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 collect samples practise this
- 02 conduct soil sample tests practise this
- 03 operate surveying instruments 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
- already held collect samples for analysis skill
- already held ecology knowledge
- already held environmental legislation knowledge
- already held gather experimental data skill
- already held laboratory techniques knowledge
- already held perform laboratory tests skill
- already held soil structure knowledge
- already held write work-related reports skill
- already held agronomy knowledge
- already held biology knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held pollution prevention knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held agroforestry optional
- optional, not held advise on nature conservation optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on nature conservation optional
- optional, not held agroforestry optional
- optional, not held cartography optional
- optional, not held conduct land surveys optional
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held monitor geotechnical structures optional
- optional, not held record survey data optional
- optional, not held surveying methods optional
- optional, not held topography optional
- optional, not held civil engineering optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held geography optional
- optional, not held perform scientific research optional
- optional, not held surveying optional
68 held skills the soil surveying technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role European pesticide legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role accept own accountability skill
- not needed by the target role advise on crop diseases skill
- not needed by the target role advise on fertiliser and herbicide skill
- not needed by the target role advise on soil and water protection skill
- not needed by the target role agricultural equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role agroecology knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse samples of food and beverages skill
- not needed by the target role apply horticultural standards and practices skill
- not needed by the target role archive scientific documentation skill
- not needed by the target role assess crop damage skill
- not needed by the target role bioeconomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role biological chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role budgetary principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role climate smart agriculture knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role comply with agricultural code of practice skill
- not needed by the target role consult with business clients skill
- not needed by the target role consultation methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role create crop protection plans skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role crop production principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role cultivate crops for biomass skill
- not needed by the target role develop irrigation strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop personal skills skill
- not needed by the target role develop scientific research protocols skill
- not needed by the target role develop scientific theories skill
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation in agriculture and forestry knowledge
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- not needed by the target role fertilisation principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role genetic engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role horticulture principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role irrigation systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with crop growers skill
- not needed by the target role livestock feeding knowledge
- not needed by the target role livestock species knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain laboratory equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain plants' growth skill
- not needed by the target role make decisions regarding plant propagation skill
28 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.
- still to learn soil mechanics required
- still to learn geology required
- still to learn soil science required
- optional, not held agroforestry optional
- optional, not held cartography optional
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held surveying methods optional
- optional, not held topography optional
- optional, not held civil engineering optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held geography optional
- optional, not held surveying optional
Common questions about this move
Can an agronomist become a soil surveying technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An agronomist already covers 41% of what a soil surveying technician is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 9 of which the soil surveying technician role treats as required.
What skills does an agronomist need to become a soil surveying technician?
10 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is collect samples.
How hard is the move from agronomist to soil surveying technician?
Its learning distance is 61.3 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.