Material testing technician to geology technician
A material testing technician already meets 24% of what the geology technician role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
78.8/ 100
1 How much of what a geology technician is expected to do is already part of a material testing 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 geology technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A geology technician role treats 7 of its required skills as things a material testing technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply safety procedures in laboratory
- assist scientific research
- collect samples
- collect samples for analysis
- conduct field work
- operate scientific measuring equipment
What stands in the way is 16 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A geology technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a material testing technician background worth leading with.
- already held conduct soil sample tests information skills
- already held collect samples handling and moving
- already held conduct field work information skills
- already held apply safety procedures in laboratory assisting and caring
- already held assist scientific research communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held operate scientific measuring equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
All 11 carried skills, including the 7 the geology technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 47 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 collect geological data required
- still to learn test raw minerals required
- still to learn apply scientific methods required
- still to learn apply statistical analysis techniques required
- still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
- still to learn perform sample testing required
- optional, not held assist with geophysical surveys optional
- optional, not held interpret geophysical data optional
- optional, not held monitor geotechnical structures optional
- optional, not held plan geotechnical investigations in the field optional
- optional, not held archive scientific documentation optional
- optional, not held collect data using GPS optional
- optional, not held create GIS reports optional
- optional, not held investigate soil stability optional
- optional, not held prepare surveying report optional
- optional, not held process data optional
- optional, not held study aerial photos optional
- still to learn geological time scale required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn percolation required
- still to learn statistics required
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held geochemistry optional
- optional, not held geodesy optional
- optional, not held geology optional
- optional, not held geophysics optional
- still to learn prepare scientific reports required
- still to learn write production reports required
- optional, not held advise on geology for mineral extraction optional
- optional, not held liaise with geology professionals optional
- optional, not held negotiate land access optional
- optional, not held prepare geological map sections optional
- optional, not held provide information on geological characteristics optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held troubleshoot optional
- still to learn work ergonomically required
- optional, not held assess environmental impact optional
- still to learn prepare samples for testing required
- optional, not held maintain cores optional
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a geology technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 cartography study this
- 02 collect geological data 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 11 skills that carry over
- already held apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
- already held assist scientific research skill
- already held collect samples skill
- already held collect samples for analysis skill
- already held conduct field work skill
- already held operate scientific measuring equipment skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held conduct soil sample tests skill
- already held perform laboratory tests skill
- already held physics knowledge
- already held provide technical expertise skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn cartography required
- optional, not held develop geological databases optional
- optional, not held use geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held apply digital mapping optional
- optional, not held create thematic maps optional
- optional, not held use spreadsheets software optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
31 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on geology for mineral extraction optional
- optional, not held assist with geophysical surveys optional
- optional, not held develop geological databases optional
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held interpret geophysical data optional
- optional, not held liaise with geology professionals 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 provide information on geological characteristics optional
- optional, not held use geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held apply digital mapping optional
- optional, not held archive scientific documentation optional
- optional, not held assess environmental impact optional
- optional, not held collect data using GPS optional
- optional, not held create GIS reports optional
- optional, not held create thematic maps optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held geochemistry optional
- optional, not held geodesy optional
- optional, not held geology optional
- optional, not held geophysics optional
- optional, not held investigate soil stability optional
- optional, not held prepare surveying report optional
- optional, not held process data optional
- optional, not held study aerial photos optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held troubleshoot optional
- optional, not held use spreadsheets software optional
18 held skills the geology technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advanced materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse stress resistance of materials skill
- not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
- not needed by the target role biology knowledge
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop material testing procedures skill
- not needed by the target role health, safety and hygiene legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role label samples skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role maintain test equipment skill
- not needed by the target role materials engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role report test findings skill
- not needed by the target role rubber technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role use non-destructive testing equipment skill
- not needed by the target role use testing equipment skill
- not needed by the target role wear appropriate protective gear skill
12 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 cartography required
- still to learn geological time scale required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn percolation required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn statistics required
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held geochemistry optional
- optional, not held geodesy optional
- optional, not held geology optional
- optional, not held geophysics optional
Other moves recorded from material testing technician
Common questions about this move
Can a material testing technician become a geology technician?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A material testing technician already covers 24% of what a geology technician is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 7 of which the geology technician role treats as required.
What skills does a material testing technician need to become a geology technician?
16 required skills are missing, plus 31 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is cartography.
How hard is the move from material testing technician to geology technician?
Its learning distance is 78.8 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.