Hydrographic surveying technician to land surveyor
A hydrographic surveying technician already meets 52% of what the land surveyor role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.3/ 100
1 How much of what a land surveyor is expected to do is already part of a hydrographic surveying 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 land surveyor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A land surveyor role treats 13 of its required skills as things a hydrographic surveying technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust surveying equipment
- cartography
- document survey operations
- geodesy
- geomatics
- mathematics
What stands in the way is 14 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 29 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A land surveyor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a hydrographic surveying technician background worth leading with.
- already held adjust surveying equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held conduct research before survey information skills
- already held document survey operations information skills
- already held geomatics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held prepare surveying report information skills
- already held collect mapping data information skills
All 29 carried skills, including the 13 the land surveyor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 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 engineering processes required
- still to learn mining, construction and civil engineering machinery products required
- still to learn civil engineering required
- still to learn engineering principles required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held quantity surveying optional
- optional, not held photogrammetry optional
- still to learn compare survey computations required
- still to learn conduct land surveys required
- still to learn determine property boundaries required
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- optional, not held compile GIS-data optional
- optional, not held study aerial photos optional
- optional, not held value properties optional
- still to learn adjust engineering designs required
- still to learn approve engineering design required
- optional, not held advise on mining environmental issues optional
- optional, not held advise architects optional
- optional, not held design scientific equipment optional
- still to learn use technical drawing software required
- optional, not held create cadastral maps optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with safety legislation required
- still to learn calibrate electronic instruments required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a land surveyor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 compare survey computations practise this
- 02 conduct land surveys practise this
- 03 engineering processes 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 29 skills that carry over
- already held adjust surveying equipment skill
- already held cartography knowledge
- already held document survey operations skill
- already held geodesy knowledge
- already held geomatics knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held operate surveying instruments skill
- already held perform surveying calculations skill
- already held prepare surveying report skill
- already held record survey data skill
- already held surveying knowledge
- already held surveying methods knowledge
- already held topography knowledge
- already held apply digital mapping skill
- already held collect data using GPS skill
- already held collect geological data skill
- already held collect mapping data skill
- already held conduct research before survey skill
- already held create GIS reports skill
- already held create thematic maps skill
- already held develop geological databases skill
- already held geographic information systems knowledge
- already held geography knowledge
- already held geology knowledge
- already held interpret geophysical data skill
- already held prepare geological map sections skill
- already held process collected survey data skill
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use geographic information systems skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held urban planning law optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on mining environmental issues optional
- optional, not held quantity surveying optional
- optional, not held advise architects optional
- optional, not held compile GIS-data optional
- optional, not held create cadastral maps optional
- optional, not held design scientific equipment optional
- optional, not held photogrammetry optional
- optional, not held study aerial photos optional
- optional, not held urban planning law optional
- optional, not held value properties optional
16 held skills the land surveyor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse scientific data skill
- not needed by the target role apply scientific methods skill
- not needed by the target role assist hydrographic surveys skill
- not needed by the target role assist scientific research skill
- not needed by the target role bathymetry knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct underwater surveys skill
- not needed by the target role hydrography knowledge
- not needed by the target role morphology knowledge
- not needed by the target role oceanography knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate marine communication systems skill
- not needed by the target role operate marine machinery systems skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on geological characteristics skill
- not needed by the target role survey techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role vessel safety equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role write technical reports skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
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 engineering processes required
- still to learn mining, construction and civil engineering machinery products required
- still to learn civil engineering required
- still to learn engineering principles required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held quantity surveying optional
- optional, not held photogrammetry optional
- optional, not held urban planning law optional
Other moves recorded from hydrographic surveying technician
Common questions about this move
Can a hydrographic surveying technician become a land surveyor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A hydrographic surveying technician already covers 52% of what a land surveyor is expected to do: 29 skills carry over, 13 of which the land surveyor role treats as required.
What skills does a hydrographic surveying technician need to become a land surveyor?
14 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is compare survey computations.
How hard is the move from hydrographic surveying technician to land surveyor?
Its learning distance is 56.3 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.