Botanist to curator of horticulture
A botanist already meets 32% of what the curator of horticulture role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.5/ 100
1 How much of what a curator of horticulture is expected to do is already part of a botanist’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 curator of horticulture role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A curator of horticulture role treats 5 of its required skills as things a botanist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on acquisitions
- biology
- botany
- ecology
- manage budgets
What stands in the way is 11 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A curator of horticulture role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a botanist background worth leading with.
- already held advise on acquisitions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held educate the public about wildlife communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held educate people about nature communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held forest ecology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held botany natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held ecology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 8 carried skills, including the 5 the curator of horticulture role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 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 workplace audits required
- still to learn keep task records required
- still to learn manage database required
- still to learn horticultural design required
- still to learn horticulture principles required
- optional, not held forest conservation optional
- still to learn collection management required
- still to learn collection management software required
- still to learn manage contracts required
- optional, not held advise on tree issues optional
- optional, not held educate public on fire safety optional
- optional, not held support volunteers optional
- still to learn advertising techniques required
- still to learn identify plants characteristics required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a curator of horticulture role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 collection management study this
- 02 collection management software study this
- 03 horticultural design 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 8 skills that carry over
- already held advise on acquisitions skill
- already held biology knowledge
- already held botany knowledge
- already held ecology knowledge
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held educate people about nature skill
- already held educate the public about wildlife skill
- already held forest ecology knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn manage ground maintenance required
- optional, not held respond to enquiries optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on tree issues optional
- optional, not held educate public on fire safety optional
- optional, not held forest conservation optional
- optional, not held respond to enquiries optional
- optional, not held support volunteers optional
23 held skills the curator of horticulture role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role aquatic ecology knowledge
- not needed by the target role characteristics of plants knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect biological data skill
- not needed by the target role conduct ecological surveys skill
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop recreation programmes skill
- not needed by the target role employ habitat survey techniques skill
- not needed by the target role establish daily priorities skill
- not needed by the target role evolution of economic forecasts knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with local authorities skill
- not needed by the target role manage logistics skill
- not needed by the target role manage recreational facility skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage supplies skill
- not needed by the target role monitor grounds maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role promote recreation activities skill
- not needed by the target role recreation activities knowledge
- not needed by the target role represent the organisation skill
- not needed by the target role schedule recreation facilities skill
- not needed by the target role set organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role supervise daily information operations skill
- not needed by the target role variety of botanicals knowledge
6 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 collection management required
- still to learn collection management software required
- still to learn horticultural design required
- still to learn horticulture principles required
- still to learn advertising techniques required
- optional, not held forest conservation optional
Common questions about this move
Can a botanist become a curator of horticulture?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A botanist already covers 32% of what a curator of horticulture is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 5 of which the curator of horticulture role treats as required.
What skills does a botanist need to become a curator of horticulture?
11 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is collection management.
How hard is the move from botanist to curator of horticulture?
Its learning distance is 64.5 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.