Civil engineer to land planner
A civil engineer already meets 47% of what the land planner role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.3/ 100
1 How much of what a land planner is expected to do is already part of a civil engineer’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 land planner role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A land planner role treats 10 of its required skills as things a civil engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- civil engineering
- engineering principles
- environmental policy
- execute feasibility study
- surveying
- surveying methods
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 · What you already bring
Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A land planner role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a civil engineer background worth leading with.
- already held photogrammetry engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held geodesy natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held perform surveying calculations information skills
- already held urban planning law business, administration and law
- already held advise on building matters communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held surveying methods engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 16 carried skills, including the 10 the land planner role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 7 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 advise on architectural matters required
- still to learn advise on use of land required
- still to learn provide technical expertise required
- optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
- optional, not held promote sustainability optional
- still to learn compare survey computations required
- still to learn process collected survey data required
- optional, not held conduct land surveys optional
- optional, not held document survey operations optional
- optional, not held record survey data optional
- optional, not held collect data using GPS optional
- optional, not held compile GIS-data optional
- optional, not held determine property boundaries optional
- still to learn green building standards required
- still to learn zoning codes required
- optional, not held spatial planning optional
- optional, not held building codes optional
- still to learn geographic information systems required
- still to learn geography required
- optional, not held architecture regulations optional
- optional, not held rural development strategies optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a land planner role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advise on architectural matters practise this
- 02 compare survey computations practise this
- 03 geographic information systems 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 16 skills that carry over
- already held civil engineering knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held environmental policy knowledge
- already held execute feasibility study skill
- already held surveying knowledge
- already held surveying methods knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held topography knowledge
- already held urban planning knowledge
- already held urban planning law knowledge
- already held advise architects skill
- already held advise on building matters skill
- already held geodesy knowledge
- already held geology knowledge
- already held perform surveying calculations skill
- already held photogrammetry knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held operate surveying instruments optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held architecture regulations optional
- optional, not held conduct land surveys optional
- optional, not held document survey operations optional
- optional, not held operate surveying instruments optional
- optional, not held record survey data optional
- optional, not held rural development strategies optional
- optional, not held spatial planning optional
- optional, not held building codes optional
- optional, not held collect data using GPS optional
- optional, not held compile GIS-data optional
- optional, not held determine property boundaries optional
- optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
- optional, not held promote sustainability optional
80 held skills the land planner role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
- not needed by the target role approve engineering design skill
- not needed by the target role assess environmental impact skill
- not needed by the target role assess project resource needs skill
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role bridge engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role cartography knowledge
- not needed by the target role check quality of raw materials skill
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect geological data skill
- not needed by the target role conduct field work skill
- not needed by the target role conduct quality control analysis skill
- not needed by the target role construction methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role construction products knowledge
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role create CAD drawings skill
- not needed by the target role create cadastral maps skill
- not needed by the target role demonstrate disciplinary expertise skill
- not needed by the target role design building envelope systems skill
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role design wind turbines skill
- not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role draw blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role electric generators knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role electricity consumption knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy efficiency knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy performance of buildings knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with safety legislation skill
- not needed by the target role environmental engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role examine engineering principles skill
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- not needed by the target role geochemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role geomatics knowledge
- not needed by the target role geophysics knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify energy needs skill
- not needed by the target role inspect construction supplies skill
40 further entries not listed here
8 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 geographic information systems required
- still to learn green building standards required
- still to learn geography required
- still to learn zoning codes required
- optional, not held architecture regulations optional
- optional, not held rural development strategies optional
- optional, not held spatial planning optional
- optional, not held building codes optional
Other moves recorded from civil engineer
- transport engineer 66% covered · moderate
- land surveyor 56% covered · moderate
- geological engineer 54% covered · moderate
- environmental mining engineer 52% covered · moderate
- equipment engineer 47% covered · moderate
- surveying technician 47% covered · substantial
- logistics engineer 46% covered · moderate
- wood technology engineer 45% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a civil engineer become a land planner?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A civil engineer already covers 47% of what a land planner is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 10 of which the land planner role treats as required.
What skills does a civil engineer need to become a land planner?
9 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is advise on architectural matters.
How hard is the move from civil engineer to land planner?
Its learning distance is 56.3 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.