Meteorology technician to physics technician
A meteorology technician already meets 31% of what the physics technician role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.6/ 100
1 How much of what a physics technician 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 physics technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A physics technician role treats 4 of its required skills as things a meteorology technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply statistical analysis techniques
- assist scientific research
- execute analytical mathematical calculations
- scientific research methodology
What stands in the way is 9 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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A physics technician 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 operate remote sensing equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held analyse scientific data information skills
- already held assist scientific research communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held apply statistical analysis techniques information skills
- already held apply scientific methods information skills
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations information skills
All 10 carried skills, including the 4 the physics technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 8 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 analyse experimental laboratory data required
- still to learn gather experimental data required
- still to learn report analysis results required
- optional, not held interpret geophysical data optional
- optional, not held observe matter optional
- still to learn maintain laboratory equipment required
- still to learn perform laboratory tests required
- still to learn use measurement instruments required
- optional, not held calibrate laboratory equipment optional
- optional, not held operate telescopes optional
- still to learn laboratory techniques required
- still to learn physics required
- optional, not held quantum mechanics optional
- optional, not held acoustics optional
- optional, not held astronomy optional
- optional, not held geology optional
- optional, not held geophysics optional
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
- still to learn apply safety procedures in laboratory required
- optional, not held communicate with external laboratories optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a physics technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 analyse experimental laboratory data practise this
- 02 apply safety procedures in laboratory practise this
- 03 gather experimental data 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held apply statistical analysis techniques skill
- already held assist scientific research skill
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held scientific research methodology knowledge
- already held analyse scientific data skill
- already held apply scientific methods skill
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held operate remote sensing equipment skill
- already held statistics knowledge
- already held write scientific publications skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held densiometry optional
- optional, not held quantum computing optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held densiometry optional
- optional, not held interpret geophysical data optional
- optional, not held quantum computing optional
- optional, not held quantum mechanics optional
- optional, not held acoustics optional
- optional, not held astronomy optional
- optional, not held calibrate laboratory equipment optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- optional, not held communicate with external laboratories optional
- optional, not held geology optional
- optional, not held geophysics optional
- optional, not held observe matter optional
- optional, not held operate telescopes optional
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
25 held skills the physics technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on weather-related issues skill
- not needed by the target role analyse weather forecast skill
- not needed by the target role calibrate optical instruments skill
- not needed by the target role carry out meteorological research skill
- not needed by the target role climatology knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect weather-related data skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research on climate processes 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 maintain equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage meteorological database skill
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role meteorology knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate meteorological instruments skill
- not needed by the target role operate precision measuring equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform scientific research 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 study aerial photos skill
- not needed by the target role use communication devices skill
- not needed by the target role use geographic information systems skill
- not needed by the target role use meteorological tools to forecast meteorological conditions skill
- not needed by the target role use specialised computer models for weather forecasting skill
- not needed by the target role write technical reports skill
- not needed by the target role write weather briefing skill
10 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 laboratory techniques required
- still to learn physics required
- optional, not held densiometry optional
- optional, not held quantum computing optional
- optional, not held quantum mechanics optional
- optional, not held acoustics optional
- optional, not held astronomy optional
- optional, not held geology optional
- optional, not held geophysics optional
- optional, not held thermodynamics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a meteorology technician become a physics technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A meteorology technician already covers 31% of what a physics technician is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 4 of which the physics technician role treats as required.
What skills does a meteorology technician need to become a physics technician?
9 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is analyse experimental laboratory data.
How hard is the move from meteorology technician to physics technician?
Its learning distance is 65.6 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.