Environmental education officer to marine biologist
An environmental education officer already meets 19% of what the marine biologist role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.
81.8/ 100
1 How much of what a marine biologist is expected to do is already part of an environmental education officer’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 marine biologist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A marine biologist role treats 5 of its required skills as things an environmental education officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- biology
- botany
- ecology
- fish biology
- molecular biology
What stands in the way is 20 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 marine biologist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an environmental education officer background worth leading with.
- already held conduct ecological surveys information skills
- already held advise on nature conservation communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held conduct ecological research information skills
- already held molecular biology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held fish biology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held botany natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 8 carried skills, including the 5 the marine biologist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 36 missing skills fall into 11 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 research on fauna required
- still to learn conduct research on flora required
- still to learn perform field research required
- still to learn apply scientific methods required
- still to learn collect biological data required
- still to learn gather experimental data required
- still to learn monitor water quality required
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- optional, not held analyse fish samples for diagnosis optional
- optional, not held conduct fish mortality studies optional
- optional, not held inspect fish stock optional
- optional, not held monitor fish health status optional
- optional, not held conduct fish populations studies optional
- still to learn fish anatomy required
- still to learn marine biology required
- still to learn microbiology-bacteriology required
- still to learn organism taxonomy required
- still to learn fish identification and classification required
- still to learn laboratory techniques required
- optional, not held coastal management optional
- optional, not held habitat restoration optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held oceanography optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- still to learn write research proposals required
- still to learn write work-related reports required
- still to learn physiology of animals required
- still to learn ecosystem management required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a marine biologist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 conduct research on fauna practise this
- 02 conduct research on flora practise this
- 03 ecosystem management 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 biology knowledge
- already held botany knowledge
- already held ecology knowledge
- already held fish biology knowledge
- already held molecular biology knowledge
- already held advise on nature conservation skill
- already held conduct ecological research skill
- already held conduct ecological surveys skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn perform data analysis required
- optional, not held control aquatic production environment optional
- optional, not held send samples to laboratory optional
- optional, not held treat fish diseases optional
- optional, not held wind energy optional
- optional, not held biotechnology optional
- optional, not held develop aquaculture strategies optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held analyse fish samples for diagnosis optional
- optional, not held coastal management optional
- optional, not held conduct fish mortality studies optional
- optional, not held habitat restoration optional
- optional, not held inspect fish stock optional
- optional, not held monitor fish health status optional
- optional, not held wind energy optional
- optional, not held biotechnology optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held conduct fish populations studies optional
- optional, not held control aquatic production environment optional
- optional, not held develop aquaculture strategies optional
- optional, not held oceanography optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held send samples to laboratory optional
- optional, not held treat fish diseases optional
17 held skills the marine biologist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse ecological data skill
- not needed by the target role animal biology knowledge
- not needed by the target role animate in the outdoors skill
- not needed by the target role aquatic ecology knowledge
- not needed by the target role ecological principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role ecopedagogy knowledge
- not needed by the target role educate people about nature skill
- not needed by the target role educate public on fire safety skill
- not needed by the target role educate the public about wildlife skill
- not needed by the target role forest ecology knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify plants characteristics skill
- not needed by the target role implement risk management for outdoors skill
- not needed by the target role manage outdoor resources skill
- not needed by the target role manage volunteers skill
- not needed by the target role monitor interventions in the outdoors skill
- not needed by the target role provide training in sustainable tourism development and management skill
- not needed by the target role train staff to reduce food waste skill
16 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 ecosystem management required
- still to learn fish anatomy required
- still to learn marine biology required
- still to learn microbiology-bacteriology required
- still to learn organism taxonomy required
- still to learn physiology of animals required
- still to learn fish identification and classification required
- still to learn laboratory techniques required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- optional, not held coastal management optional
- optional, not held habitat restoration optional
- optional, not held wind energy optional
- optional, not held biotechnology optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held oceanography optional
- optional, not held physics optional
Other moves recorded from environmental education officer
Common questions about this move
Can an environmental education officer become a marine biologist?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An environmental education officer already covers 19% of what a marine biologist is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 5 of which the marine biologist role treats as required.
What skills does an environmental education officer need to become a marine biologist?
20 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is conduct research on fauna.
How hard is the move from environmental education officer to marine biologist?
Its learning distance is 81.8 out of 100, which is the career change 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.