Geothermal technician to geothermal engineer
A geothermal technician already meets 34% of what the geothermal engineer role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.
73.1/ 100
1 How much of what a geothermal engineer is expected to do is already part of a geothermal technician’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 geothermal engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A geothermal engineer role treats 12 of its required skills as things a geothermal technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply health and safety standards
- electric current
- electric generators
- electrical power safety regulations
- electricity
- geothermal energy
What stands in the way is 22 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 geothermal engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a geothermal technician background worth leading with.
- already held geothermal power generation methods engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held geothermal power plant operations engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held geothermal energy engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held assess heating and cooling systems information skills
- already held perform energy simulations information skills
- already held define energy profiles information skills
All 16 carried skills, including the 12 the geothermal engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 33 missing skills fall into 9 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 geothermal energy systems required
- still to learn design heat pump installations required
- still to learn design thermal equipment required
- still to learn adjust engineering designs required
- still to learn advise on building matters required
- still to learn approve engineering design required
- optional, not held design a combined heat and power system optional
- optional, not held design an electric heating system optional
- optional, not held design district heating and cooling energy systems optional
- optional, not held design heating and cooling emission systems optional
- still to learn perform a feasibility study on heat pumps required
- still to learn perform feasibility study on geothermal energy required
- still to learn apply statistical analysis techniques required
- optional, not held inspect facility sites optional
- optional, not held perform a feasibility study on combined heat and power optional
- optional, not held perform a feasibility study on electric heating optional
- optional, not held perform smart grid feasibility study optional
- still to learn energy efficiency required
- still to learn energy transformation required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- still to learn operate scientific measuring equipment required
- still to learn perform laboratory tests required
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
- still to learn assess environmental impact required
- still to learn ensure compliance with environmental legislation required
- still to learn CAM software required
- still to learn CAD software required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a geothermal engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 CAM software study this
- 02 design geothermal energy systems practise this
- 03 design heat pump installations 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 16 skills that carry over
- already held apply health and safety standards skill
- already held electric current knowledge
- already held electric generators knowledge
- already held electrical power safety regulations knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held geothermal energy knowledge
- already held geothermal energy systems knowledge
- already held geothermal power generation methods knowledge
- already held geothermal power plant operations knowledge
- already held renewable energy knowledge
- already held thermodynamics knowledge
- already held types of heat pumps knowledge
- already held assess heating and cooling systems skill
- already held coordinate electricity generation skill
- already held define energy profiles skill
- already held perform energy simulations skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn geographic information systems required
- still to learn geology required
- still to learn design thermal requirements required
- optional, not held develop strategies for electricity contingencies optional
- optional, not held oversee construction project optional
- still to learn environmental legislation required
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held design a combined heat and power system optional
- optional, not held design an electric heating system optional
- optional, not held design district heating and cooling energy systems optional
- optional, not held design heating and cooling emission systems optional
- optional, not held develop strategies for electricity contingencies optional
- optional, not held inspect facility sites optional
- optional, not held perform a feasibility study on combined heat and power optional
- optional, not held perform a feasibility study on electric heating optional
- optional, not held perform smart grid feasibility study optional
- optional, not held oversee construction project optional
- optional, not held use testing equipment optional
29 held skills the geothermal engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role alternative energy knowledge
- not needed by the target role check compatibility of materials skill
- not needed by the target role combined heat and power generation knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct routine machinery checks skill
- not needed by the target role district heating and cooling knowledge
- not needed by the target role domestic cooling systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role electric heating systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical equipment regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role electricity consumption knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy conservation knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure safety in electrical power operations skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety in the workplace knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain electrical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain records of maintenance interventions skill
- not needed by the target role operate climate control skill
- not needed by the target role operate drilling equipment skill
- not needed by the target role prevent pipeline deterioration skill
- not needed by the target role promote environmental awareness skill
- not needed by the target role promote sustainability skill
- not needed by the target role promote sustainable energy skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on geothermal heat pumps skill
- not needed by the target role respond to emergency calls for repairs skill
- not needed by the target role smart grids systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role switching devices knowledge
- not needed by the target role test electrical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role test pipeline infrastructure operations skill
- not needed by the target role test procedures in electricity transmission skill
- not needed by the target role troubleshoot skill
- not needed by the target role zero-energy building design knowledge
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 CAM software required
- still to learn energy efficiency required
- still to learn energy transformation required
- still to learn geographic information systems required
- still to learn CAD software required
- still to learn environmental legislation required
- still to learn geology required
- still to learn technical drawings required
Common questions about this move
Can a geothermal technician become a geothermal engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A geothermal technician already covers 34% of what a geothermal engineer is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 12 of which the geothermal engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a geothermal technician need to become a geothermal engineer?
22 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is CAM software.
How hard is the move from geothermal technician to geothermal engineer?
Its learning distance is 73.1 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.