Marine biologist to biologist
A marine biologist already meets 33% of what the biologist role asks for. The move turns on 24 required skills not yet in the profile.
77.1/ 100
1 How much of what a biologist is expected to do is already part of a marine biologist’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 biologist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A biologist role treats 14 of its required skills as things a marine biologist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply scientific methods
- biology
- botany
- collect biological data
- conduct research on fauna
- conduct research on flora
What stands in the way is 24 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 30 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A biologist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a marine biologist background worth leading with.
- already held marine biology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held conduct fish populations studies information skills
- already held inspect fish stock information skills
- already held conduct research on flora information skills
- already held send samples to laboratory handling and moving
- already held conduct ecological research information skills
All 30 carried skills, including the 14 the biologist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 68 missing skills fall into 12 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 communicate with a non-scientific audience required
- still to learn develop professional network with researchers and scientists required
- still to learn disseminate results to the scientific community required
- still to learn draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentation required
- still to learn evaluate research activities required
- still to learn increase the impact of science on policy and society required
- still to learn interact professionally in research and professional environments required
- still to learn promote the transfer of knowledge required
- still to learn publish academic research required
- still to learn write scientific publications required
- optional, not held provide on-site training in aquaculture facilities optional
- optional, not held communicate by telephone optional
- optional, not held provide technical expertise optional
- optional, not held write routine reports optional
- still to learn apply for research funding required
- still to learn apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities required
- still to learn conduct research across disciplines required
- still to learn demonstrate disciplinary expertise required
- still to learn manage research data required
- still to learn promote open innovation in research required
- still to learn promote the participation of citizens in scientific and research activities required
- still to learn synthesise information required
- optional, not held create natural science taxonomies optional
- optional, not held analyse blood samples optional
- optional, not held analyse cell cultures optional
- optional, not held assess environmental impact in aquaculture operations optional
- optional, not held conduct genome research optional
- optional, not held archive scientific documentation optional
- optional, not held develop scientific research protocols optional
- optional, not held report analysis results optional
- optional, not held seek innovation in current practices optional
- still to learn manage personal professional development required
- still to learn perform project management required
- optional, not held develop aquaculture breeding strategies optional
- still to learn life sciences required
- optional, not held entomology optional
- optional, not held herpetology optional
- optional, not held lepidoptery optional
- optional, not held mammalogy optional
- optional, not held mycology optional
- optional, not held ornithology optional
- optional, not held applied zoology optional
- optional, not held biological chemistry optional
- optional, not held computational biology optional
- optional, not held cryopreservation optional
- optional, not held genomics optional
- optional, not held proteomics optional
- optional, not held stem cells optional
- optional, not held synthetic biology optional
- optional, not held aquatic species optional
- optional, not held pharmacology optional
- optional, not held toxicology optional
- still to learn virology required
- optional, not held medical parasitology optional
- optional, not held biosecurity optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- still to learn scientific literature required
6 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a biologist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply for research funding practise this
- 02 apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities practise this
- 03 communicate with a non-scientific audience 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 30 skills that carry over
- already held apply scientific methods skill
- already held biology knowledge
- already held botany knowledge
- already held collect biological data skill
- already held conduct research on fauna skill
- already held conduct research on flora skill
- already held ecosystem management knowledge
- already held gather experimental data skill
- already held laboratory techniques knowledge
- already held microbiology-bacteriology knowledge
- already held molecular biology knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held scientific research methodology knowledge
- already held send samples to laboratory skill
- already held chemistry knowledge
- already held conduct ecological research skill
- already held conduct fish mortality studies skill
- already held conduct fish populations studies skill
- already held ecology knowledge
- already held fish anatomy knowledge
- already held fish biology knowledge
- already held fish identification and classification knowledge
- already held habitat restoration knowledge
- already held inspect fish stock skill
- already held marine biology knowledge
- already held monitor fish health status skill
- already held oceanography knowledge
- already held perform field research skill
- already held write research proposals skill
- already held write work-related reports skill
The 6 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn manage open publications required
- optional, not held collect fish samples for diagnosis optional
- optional, not held identify poisons optional
- optional, not held screen live fish deformities optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- optional, not held reforestation optional
- optional, not held biotechnology in aquaculture optional
- optional, not held animal welfare legislation optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
- optional, not held conserve natural resources optional
- optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional
44 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create natural science taxonomies optional
- optional, not held entomology optional
- optional, not held herpetology optional
- optional, not held lepidoptery optional
- optional, not held mammalogy optional
- optional, not held mycology optional
- optional, not held ornithology optional
- optional, not held analyse blood samples optional
- optional, not held analyse cell cultures optional
- optional, not held applied zoology optional
- optional, not held assess environmental impact in aquaculture operations optional
- optional, not held biological chemistry optional
- optional, not held collect fish samples for diagnosis optional
- optional, not held computational biology optional
- optional, not held conduct genome research optional
- optional, not held conserve natural resources optional
- optional, not held cryopreservation optional
- optional, not held develop aquaculture breeding strategies optional
- optional, not held genomics optional
- optional, not held identify poisons optional
- optional, not held medical parasitology optional
- optional, not held proteomics optional
- optional, not held provide on-site training in aquaculture facilities optional
- optional, not held reforestation optional
- optional, not held screen live fish deformities optional
- optional, not held stem cells optional
- optional, not held synthetic biology optional
- optional, not held animal welfare legislation optional
- optional, not held aquatic species optional
- optional, not held archive scientific documentation optional
- optional, not held biosecurity optional
- optional, not held biotechnology in aquaculture optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- optional, not held communicate by telephone optional
- optional, not held develop scientific research protocols optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional
- optional, not held pharmacology optional
- optional, not held provide technical expertise optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
4 further entries not listed here
14 held skills the biologist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on nature conservation skill
- not needed by the target role analyse fish samples for diagnosis skill
- not needed by the target role biotechnology knowledge
- not needed by the target role coastal management knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct ecological surveys skill
- not needed by the target role control aquatic production environment skill
- not needed by the target role develop aquaculture strategies skill
- not needed by the target role monitor water quality skill
- not needed by the target role organism taxonomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform data analysis skill
- not needed by the target role physics knowledge
- not needed by the target role physiology of animals knowledge
- not needed by the target role treat fish diseases skill
- not needed by the target role wind energy knowledge
27 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 life sciences required
- still to learn scientific literature required
- still to learn virology required
- optional, not held entomology optional
- optional, not held herpetology optional
- optional, not held lepidoptery optional
- optional, not held mammalogy optional
- optional, not held mycology optional
- optional, not held ornithology optional
- optional, not held applied zoology optional
- optional, not held biological chemistry optional
- optional, not held computational biology optional
- optional, not held cryopreservation optional
- optional, not held genomics optional
- optional, not held medical parasitology optional
- optional, not held proteomics optional
- optional, not held reforestation optional
- optional, not held stem cells optional
- optional, not held synthetic biology optional
- optional, not held animal welfare legislation optional
- optional, not held aquatic species optional
- optional, not held biosecurity optional
- optional, not held biotechnology in aquaculture optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- optional, not held pharmacology optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
- optional, not held toxicology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a marine biologist become a biologist?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A marine biologist already covers 33% of what a biologist is expected to do: 30 skills carry over, 14 of which the biologist role treats as required.
What skills does a marine biologist need to become a biologist?
24 required skills are missing, plus 44 optional ones. They fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is apply for research funding.
How hard is the move from marine biologist to biologist?
Its learning distance is 77.1 out of 100, which is the career change 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.