Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

physicisttopalaeontologist

A physicist already meets 79% of what the palaeontologist role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.

From physicist
79%
Overlap1
To palaeontologist
46 Skills carried over
5 Required, not held
34.6 Difficulty2
Career overlap Very strong match

79%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

34.6/ 100

1 Share of the palaeontologist role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the physicist profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A palaeontologist role treats 33 of its required skills as things a physicist already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • apply for research funding
  • apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities
  • apply scientific methods
  • communicate with a non-scientific audience
  • conduct research across disciplines
  • demonstrate disciplinary expertise

What stands in the way is 5 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 46 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A palaeontologist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a physicist background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held geophysics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
  • already held interpret geophysical data information skills
  • already held analyse experimental laboratory data information skills
  • already held gather experimental data information skills
  • already held develop scientific theories information skills
  • already held operate scientific measuring equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment

All 46 carried skills, including the 33 the palaeontologist role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 20 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 3 required, 4 supplementary
  • required, not held geographic information systems required
  • required, not held geological time scale required
  • required, not held paleontology required
  • optional, not held botany optional
  • optional, not held habitat restoration optional
  • optional, not held chemistry optional
  • optional, not held geography optional
02 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required
  • required, not held scientific modelling required
03 working with computers 1 required
  • required, not held use geographic information systems required
04 information skills 6 supplementary
  • optional, not held conduct geochemical research optional
  • optional, not held identify fossils optional
  • optional, not held examine geochemical samples optional
  • optional, not held conduct field work optional
  • optional, not held oversee excavation optional
  • optional, not held record test data optional
05 handling and moving 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held assemble fossils optional
  • optional, not held excavate fossils optional
06 arts and humanities 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held paleography optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a palaeontologist 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

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 46 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held apply for research funding skill
  • already held apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities skill
  • already held apply scientific methods skill
  • already held communicate with a non-scientific audience skill
  • already held conduct research across disciplines skill
  • already held demonstrate disciplinary expertise skill
  • already held develop professional network with researchers and scientists skill
  • already held disseminate results to the scientific community skill
  • already held draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentation skill
  • already held evaluate research activities skill
  • already held geology knowledge
  • already held increase the impact of science on policy and society skill
  • already held integrate gender dimension in research skill
  • already held interact professionally in research and professional environments skill
  • already held manage findable accessible interoperable and reusable data skill
  • already held manage intellectual property rights skill
  • already held manage open publications skill
  • already held manage personal professional development skill
  • already held manage research data skill
  • already held mentor individuals skill
  • already held operate open source software skill
  • already held perform project management skill
  • already held perform scientific research skill
  • already held promote open innovation in research skill
  • already held promote the participation of citizens in scientific and research activities skill
  • already held promote the transfer of knowledge skill
  • already held publish academic research skill
  • already held scientific literature knowledge
  • already held scientific research methodology knowledge
  • already held speak different languages skill
  • already held synthesise information skill
  • already held think abstractly skill
  • already held write scientific publications skill
  • already held analyse experimental laboratory data skill
  • already held apply blended learning skill
  • already held apply statistical analysis techniques skill
  • already held biology knowledge
  • already held collect samples for analysis skill
  • already held develop scientific theories skill
  • already held gather experimental data skill
  • already held geophysics knowledge
  • already held interpret geophysical data skill
  • already held operate scientific measuring equipment skill
  • already held perform laboratory tests skill
  • already held teach in academic or vocational contexts skill
  • already held write research proposals skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 assisting and caring 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held work ergonomically optional
08 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held locate fossils optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held assemble fossils optional
  • optional, not held conduct geochemical research optional
  • optional, not held excavate fossils optional
  • optional, not held identify fossils optional
  • optional, not held locate fossils optional
  • optional, not held botany optional
  • optional, not held examine geochemical samples optional
  • optional, not held habitat restoration optional
  • optional, not held paleography optional
  • optional, not held chemistry optional
  • optional, not held conduct field work optional
  • optional, not held geography optional
  • optional, not held oversee excavation optional
  • optional, not held record test data optional
  • optional, not held work ergonomically optional
48 held skills the palaeontologist role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role Monte Carlo simulation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role acoustics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role aerodynamics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role analyse telescope images skill
  • not needed by the target role apply teaching strategies skill
  • not needed by the target role assist with geophysical surveys skill
  • not needed by the target role astronomy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role calibrate laboratory equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role communicate mathematical information skill
  • not needed by the target role communicate with external laboratories skill
  • not needed by the target role computational mechanics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role computational physics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role computer simulation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role continuum mechanics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role densiometry knowledge
  • not needed by the target role design scientific equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role economics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
  • not needed by the target role forensic physics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role general medicine knowledge
  • not needed by the target role intellectual property law knowledge
  • not needed by the target role laboratory techniques knowledge
  • not needed by the target role materials engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role mathematical modelling knowledge
  • not needed by the target role mathematical physics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role medical laboratory technology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role multidisciplinary research knowledge
  • not needed by the target role nuclear physics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role observe matter skill
  • not needed by the target role operate remote sensing equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role operate telescopes skill
  • not needed by the target role perform lectures skill
  • not needed by the target role petroleum knowledge
  • not needed by the target role pharmaceutical technology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role physics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role provide information on geological characteristics skill
  • not needed by the target role quantum computing knowledge
  • not needed by the target role quantum mechanics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role quantum technology knowledge

8 further entries not listed here

9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier
  • required, not held geographic information systems required
  • required, not held geological time scale required
  • required, not held paleontology required
  • required, not held scientific modelling required
  • optional, not held botany optional
  • optional, not held habitat restoration optional
  • optional, not held paleography optional
  • optional, not held chemistry optional
  • optional, not held geography optional
Index

Other moves recorded from physicist

Full index of moves from physicist

Note

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.