Geochemist to geotechnician
A geochemist already meets 51% of what the geotechnician role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
44.4/ 100
1 How much of what a geotechnician is expected to do is already part of a geochemist’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 geotechnician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A geotechnician role treats 6 of its required skills as things a geochemist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- collect samples
- geology
- perform sample testing
- prepare samples for testing
- prepare scientific reports
- troubleshoot
What stands in the way is 3 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A geotechnician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a geochemist background worth leading with.
- already held prepare samples for testing handling and moving
- already held collect samples handling and moving
- already held perform sample testing information skills
- already held prepare scientific reports communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held geology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held troubleshoot communication, collaboration and creativity
All 6 carried skills, including the 6 the geotechnician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 11 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 test raw minerals required
- optional, not held monitor geotechnical structures optional
- optional, not held plan geotechnical investigations in the field optional
- still to learn impact of geological factors on mining operations required
- still to learn install rock movement monitoring devices required
- optional, not held communicate on the environmental impact of mining optional
- optional, not held negotiate land access optional
- optional, not held prepare geological map sections optional
- optional, not held maintain cores optional
- optional, not held physics optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a geotechnician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 impact of geological factors on mining operations study this
- 02 install rock movement monitoring devices practise this
- 03 test raw minerals 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held collect samples skill
- already held geology knowledge
- already held perform sample testing skill
- already held prepare samples for testing skill
- already held prepare scientific reports skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held communicate on the environmental impact of mining optional
- optional, not held maintain cores optional
- optional, not held monitor geotechnical structures optional
- optional, not held negotiate land access optional
- optional, not held plan geotechnical investigations in the field optional
- optional, not held prepare geological map sections optional
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
- optional, not held physics optional
17 held skills the geotechnician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role address problems critically skill
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate on minerals issues skill
- not needed by the target role conduct environmental site assessments skill
- not needed by the target role conduct laboratory chemical research on metals skill
- not needed by the target role create GIS reports skill
- not needed by the target role create thematic maps skill
- not needed by the target role deal with pressure from unexpected circumstances skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- not needed by the target role examine geochemical samples skill
- not needed by the target role geographic information systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with industrial professionals skill
- not needed by the target role manipulate metal skill
- not needed by the target role perform minor repairs to equipment skill
- not needed by the target role supervise staff skill
- not needed by the target role test samples for pollutants skill
- not needed by the target role types of metal knowledge
3 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 impact of geological factors on mining operations required
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
- optional, not held physics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a geochemist become a geotechnician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A geochemist already covers 51% of what a geotechnician is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 6 of which the geotechnician role treats as required.
What skills does a geochemist need to become a geotechnician?
3 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is impact of geological factors on mining operations.
How hard is the move from geochemist to geotechnician?
Its learning distance is 44.4 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.