Meteorology technician to climatologist
A meteorology technician already meets 60% of what the climatologist role asks for. The move turns on 2 required skills not yet in the profile.
39.7/ 100
1 How much of what a climatologist is expected to do is already part of a meteorology 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 climatologist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A climatologist role treats 9 of its required skills as things a meteorology technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on weather-related issues
- analyse weather forecast
- carry out meteorological research
- climatology
- collect weather-related data
- conduct research on climate processes
What stands in the way is 2 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A climatologist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a meteorology technician background worth leading with.
- already held advise on weather-related issues 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
- already held climatology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 14 carried skills, including the 9 the climatologist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 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 conduct research across disciplines required
- optional, not held determine historic climate changes optional
- optional, not held analyse environmental data optional
- optional, not held conduct ecological research optional
- optional, not held develop models for weather forecast optional
- optional, not held manage air quality optional
- still to learn climate change impact required
- optional, not held palaeoclimatology optional
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held environmental policy optional
- optional, not held geology optional
- optional, not held oceanography optional
- optional, not held urban pollution implications optional
- optional, not held green space strategies optional
- optional, not held agronomy optional
- optional, not held assess environmental impact optional
- optional, not held develop environmental policy optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 2 entries a climatologist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held advise on weather-related issues skill
- already held analyse weather forecast skill
- already held carry out meteorological research skill
- already held climatology knowledge
- already held collect weather-related data skill
- already held conduct research on climate processes skill
- already held meteorology knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held statistics knowledge
- already held manage meteorological database skill
- already held operate meteorological instruments 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
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held determine historic climate changes optional
- optional, not held palaeoclimatology optional
- optional, not held analyse environmental data optional
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held urban pollution implications optional
- optional, not held agronomy optional
- optional, not held assess environmental impact optional
- optional, not held conduct ecological research optional
- optional, not held develop environmental policy optional
- optional, not held develop models for weather forecast optional
- optional, not held environmental policy optional
- optional, not held geology optional
- optional, not held green space strategies optional
- optional, not held manage air quality optional
- optional, not held oceanography optional
21 held skills the climatologist 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 apply statistical analysis techniques skill
- not needed by the target role assist scientific research skill
- not needed by the target role calibrate optical instruments skill
- not needed by the target role create weather maps skill
- not needed by the target role design scientific equipment skill
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- not needed by the target role maintain equipment skill
- not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role operate precision measuring equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate remote sensing equipment skill
- not needed by the target role precision measuring instruments knowledge
- not needed by the target role review meteorological forecast data skill
- not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
- not needed by the target role study aerial photos skill
- not needed by the target role use communication devices skill
- not needed by the target role write scientific publications skill
- not needed by the target role write technical reports skill
- not needed by the target role write weather briefing skill
9 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 climate change impact required
- optional, not held palaeoclimatology optional
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held urban pollution implications optional
- optional, not held agronomy optional
- optional, not held environmental policy optional
- optional, not held geology optional
- optional, not held green space strategies optional
- optional, not held oceanography optional
Common questions about this move
Can a meteorology technician become a climatologist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A meteorology technician already covers 60% of what a climatologist is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 9 of which the climatologist role treats as required.
What skills does a meteorology technician need to become a climatologist?
2 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is climate change impact.
How hard is the move from meteorology technician to climatologist?
Its learning distance is 39.7 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.