RecordMove

Forecast manager to futures trader

A forecast manager already meets 31% of what the futures trader role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From forecast manager

Distant match

To futures trader

6 You already bring

6 Still to learn

25 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

62.3/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a futures trader is expected to do is already part of a forecast manager’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 futures trader role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A futures trader role treats 4 of its required skills as things a forecast manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

analyse economic trends
analyse market financial trends
economics
forecast economic trends

What stands in the way is 6 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A futures trader role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a forecast manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held forecast economic trends information skills
already held analyse economic trends information skills
already held financial forecasting business, administration and law
already held economics social sciences, journalism and information
already held analyse market financial trends information skills
already held statistics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics

All 6 carried skills, including the 4 the futures trader role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 19 missing skills fall into 5 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 business, administration and law 3 required, 6 supplementary

still to learn commercial law required
still to learn financial markets required
still to learn international trade required

optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
optional, not held banking activities optional
optional, not held financial jurisdiction optional
optional, not held financial products optional
optional, not held international law optional
optional, not held securities optional

02 information skills 2 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn analyse financial risk required
still to learn perform financial risk management in international trade required

optional, not held maintain records of financial transactions optional
optional, not held trace financial transactions optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn trade future commodities required

optional, not held negotiate sale of commodities optional
optional, not held negotiate sales contracts optional
optional, not held trade securities optional

04 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held operate financial instruments optional

05 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary

optional, not held actuarial science optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a futures trader 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 6 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held analyse economic trends skill
already held analyse market financial trends skill
already held economics knowledge
already held forecast economic trends skill
already held financial forecasting knowledge
already held statistics knowledge

13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held actuarial science optional
optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
optional, not held negotiate sale of commodities optional
optional, not held negotiate sales contracts optional
optional, not held banking activities optional
optional, not held financial jurisdiction optional
optional, not held financial products optional
optional, not held international law optional
optional, not held maintain records of financial transactions optional
optional, not held operate financial instruments optional
optional, not held securities optional
optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
optional, not held trade securities optional

34 held skills the futures trader role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role analyse logistic changes skill
not needed by the target role analyse logistic needs skill
not needed by the target role analyse supply chain strategies skill
not needed by the target role analyse supply chain trends skill
not needed by the target role assess supplier risks skill
not needed by the target role assist in planning production scheduling skill
not needed by the target role calculate purchasing levels of raw materials skill
not needed by the target role consumer goods industry knowledge
not needed by the target role coordinate purchasing activities skill
not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
not needed by the target role estimate costs of required supplies skill
not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
not needed by the target role forecast dividend trends skill
not needed by the target role forecast future levels of business skill
not needed by the target role forecast production quantities skill
not needed by the target role forecast products' demand skill
not needed by the target role forecast sales over periods of time skill
not needed by the target role identify suppliers skill
not needed by the target role international business knowledge
not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
not needed by the target role manage inventory skill
not needed by the target role manage logistics skill
not needed by the target role manage standard enterprise resource planning system skill
not needed by the target role manage supplies skill
not needed by the target role monitor ingredient storage skill
not needed by the target role order supplies skill
not needed by the target role strive for company growth skill
not needed by the target role study sales levels of products skill
not needed by the target role supplier management knowledge
not needed by the target role supply chain management knowledge
not needed by the target role supply chain principles knowledge
not needed by the target role use sales forecasting softwares skill

10 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 pick up Tier

still to learn commercial law required
still to learn financial markets required
still to learn international trade required
optional, not held actuarial science optional
optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
optional, not held banking activities optional
optional, not held financial jurisdiction optional
optional, not held financial products optional
optional, not held international law optional
optional, not held securities optional

Index

Other moves recorded from forecast manager

Full index of moves from forecast manager

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a forecast manager become a futures trader?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A forecast manager already covers 31% of what a futures trader is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 4 of which the futures trader role treats as required.

What skills does a forecast manager need to become a futures trader?

6 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is trade future commodities.

How hard is the move from forecast manager to futures trader?

Its learning distance is 62.3 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

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.