Geophysicist to mining geotechnical engineer
A geophysicist already meets 23% of what the mining geotechnical engineer role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
69.2/ 100
1 How much of what a mining geotechnical engineer is expected to do is already part of a geophysicist’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 mining geotechnical engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mining geotechnical engineer role treats 3 of its required skills as things a geophysicist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- address problems critically
- geology
- prepare scientific reports
What stands in the way is 8 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 3 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mining geotechnical engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a geophysicist background worth leading with.
- already held prepare scientific reports communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held geology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held address problems critically communication, collaboration and creativity
All 3 carried skills, including the 3 the mining geotechnical engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 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 design infrastructure for surface mines required
- still to learn advise on geology for mineral extraction required
- still to learn advise on construction materials required
- optional, not held advise on archaeological sites optional
- still to learn manage geotechnical staff required
- still to learn supervise staff required
- optional, not held mine dump design optional
- still to learn plan geotechnical investigations in the field required
- optional, not held interpret seismic data optional
- optional, not held test raw minerals optional
- still to learn impact of geological factors on mining operations required
- still to learn use mine planning software required
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mining geotechnical engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 design infrastructure for surface mines practise this
- 02 manage geotechnical staff practise this
- 03 advise on geology for mineral extraction 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 3 skills that carry over
- already held address problems critically skill
- already held geology knowledge
- already held prepare scientific reports skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held install rock movement monitoring devices optional
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held interpret seismic data optional
- optional, not held advise on archaeological sites optional
- optional, not held install rock movement monitoring devices optional
- optional, not held test raw minerals optional
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
- optional, not held mine dump design optional
18 held skills the mining geotechnical engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on geophysical procedures skill
- not needed by the target role archaeology knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess potential gas yield skill
- not needed by the target role assess potential oil yield skill
- not needed by the target role conduct field work skill
- not needed by the target role document seismic research skill
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineer seismic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role geography knowledge
- not needed by the target role measure reservoir volumes skill
- not needed by the target role operate seismic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform electrical geophysical measurements skill
- not needed by the target role perform electromagnetic geophysical measurements skill
- not needed by the target role perform gravity measurements skill
- not needed by the target role physics knowledge
- not needed by the target role seismic measurement techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role use measurement instruments skill
2 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
Common questions about this move
Can a geophysicist become a mining geotechnical engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A geophysicist already covers 23% of what a mining geotechnical engineer is expected to do: 3 skills carry over, 3 of which the mining geotechnical engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a geophysicist need to become a mining geotechnical engineer?
8 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is design infrastructure for surface mines.
How hard is the move from geophysicist to mining geotechnical engineer?
Its learning distance is 69.2 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.