Meteorologist to meteorology technician
A meteorologist already meets 73% of what the meteorology technician role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
29.4/ 100
1 How much of what a meteorology technician is expected to do is already part of a meteorologist’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 meteorology technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A meteorology technician role treats 16 of its required skills as things a meteorologist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply scientific methods
- apply statistical analysis techniques
- assist scientific research
- carry out meteorological research
- climatology
- collect weather-related data
What stands in the way is 6 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 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A meteorology technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a meteorologist background worth leading with.
- already held create weather maps communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held write weather briefing communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage meteorological database information skills
- already held carry out meteorological research information skills
- already held operate meteorological instruments working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held use meteorological tools to forecast meteorological conditions information skills
All 26 carried skills, including the 16 the meteorology technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 9 missing skills fall into 6 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 operate precision measuring equipment required
- still to learn use communication devices required
- optional, not held maintain equipment optional
- still to learn write technical reports required
- optional, not held advise on weather-related issues optional
- still to learn precision measuring instruments required
- still to learn calibrate optical instruments required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- optional, not held analyse scientific data optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a meteorology technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 calibrate optical instruments practise this
- 02 meet deadlines practise this
- 03 operate precision measuring equipment 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 26 skills that carry over
- already held apply scientific methods skill
- already held apply statistical analysis techniques skill
- already held assist scientific research skill
- already held carry out meteorological research skill
- already held climatology knowledge
- already held collect weather-related data skill
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held meteorology knowledge
- already held operate meteorological instruments skill
- already held operate remote sensing equipment skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held review meteorological forecast data skill
- already held use geographic information systems skill
- already held use meteorological tools to forecast meteorological conditions skill
- already held use specialised computer models for weather forecasting skill
- already held analyse weather forecast skill
- already held conduct research on climate processes skill
- already held create weather maps skill
- already held design scientific equipment skill
- already held manage meteorological database skill
- already held scientific research methodology knowledge
- already held statistics knowledge
- already held study aerial photos skill
- already held write scientific publications skill
- already held write weather briefing skill
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on weather-related issues optional
- optional, not held analyse scientific data optional
- optional, not held maintain equipment optional
39 held skills the meteorology technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply blended learning skill
- not needed by the target role apply for research funding skill
- not needed by the target role apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities skill
- not needed by the target role calibrate electronic instruments skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with a non-scientific audience skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research across disciplines skill
- not needed by the target role demonstrate disciplinary expertise skill
- not needed by the target role design graphics skill
- not needed by the target role develop models for weather forecast skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network with researchers and scientists skill
- not needed by the target role disseminate results to the scientific community skill
- not needed by the target role draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentation skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate research activities skill
- not needed by the target role geographic information systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role geography knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydrology knowledge
- not needed by the target role increase the impact of science on policy and society skill
- not needed by the target role integrate gender dimension in research skill
- not needed by the target role interact professionally in research and professional environments skill
- not needed by the target role manage findable accessible interoperable and reusable data skill
- not needed by the target role manage intellectual property rights skill
- not needed by the target role manage open publications skill
- not needed by the target role manage personal professional development skill
- not needed by the target role manage research data skill
- not needed by the target role mathematical modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role mentor individuals skill
- not needed by the target role oceanography knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate open source software skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role present during live broadcasts skill
- not needed by the target role promote open innovation in research skill
- not needed by the target role promote the participation of citizens in scientific and research activities skill
- not needed by the target role promote the transfer of knowledge skill
- not needed by the target role publish academic research skill
- not needed by the target role quantitative analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
- not needed by the target role synthesise information skill
- not needed by the target role teach in academic or vocational contexts skill
- not needed by the target role think abstractly skill
1 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 precision measuring instruments required
Common questions about this move
Can a meteorologist become a meteorology technician?
Yes, and it is an adjacent move. A meteorologist already covers 73% of what a meteorology technician is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 16 of which the meteorology technician role treats as required.
What skills does a meteorologist need to become a meteorology technician?
6 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is calibrate optical instruments.
How hard is the move from meteorologist to meteorology technician?
Its learning distance is 29.4 out of 100, which is the adjacent 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.