Roughneck to desalination technician
A roughneck already meets 20% of what the desalination technician role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
71.1/ 100
1 How much of what a desalination technician is expected to do is already part of a roughneck’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 desalination technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A desalination technician role treats 2 of its required skills as things a roughneck already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- collect samples
- troubleshoot
What stands in the way is 11 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 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A desalination technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a roughneck background worth leading with.
- already held collect samples handling and moving
- already held chemistry natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held train employees communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held troubleshoot communication, collaboration and creativity
All 5 carried skills, including the 2 the desalination technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 7 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 maintain desalination control system required
- still to learn manage desalination control system required
- still to learn perform water treatment procedures required
- optional, not held perform minor repairs to equipment optional
- still to learn present reports required
- still to learn write work-related reports required
- optional, not held conduct inter-shift communication optional
- still to learn apply health and safety standards required
- still to learn work ergonomically required
- still to learn maintain records of mining operations required
- still to learn perform water testing procedures required
- still to learn environmental legislation required
- still to learn health and safety in the workplace required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a desalination technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 maintain desalination control system practise this
- 02 maintain records of mining operations practise this
- 03 manage desalination control system 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 5 skills that carry over
- already held collect samples skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held chemistry knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held train employees skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held biofilter systems optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held biofilter systems optional
- optional, not held conduct inter-shift communication optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held perform minor repairs to equipment optional
12 held skills the desalination technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assemble metal parts skill
- not needed by the target role connect equipment to wellheads skill
- not needed by the target role connect oil well heads skill
- not needed by the target role cooperate with colleagues skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role ensure health and safety in manufacturing skill
- not needed by the target role guide drill pipes skill
- not needed by the target role maintain drilling equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain oil field machinery skill
- not needed by the target role make time-critical decisions skill
- not needed by the target role monitor drilling fluid skill
- not needed by the target role react to events in time-critical environments skill
4 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 environmental legislation required
- still to learn health and safety in the workplace required
- optional, not held biofilter systems optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
Common questions about this move
Can a roughneck become a desalination technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A roughneck already covers 20% of what a desalination technician is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 2 of which the desalination technician role treats as required.
What skills does a roughneck need to become a desalination technician?
11 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is maintain desalination control system.
How hard is the move from roughneck to desalination technician?
Its learning distance is 71.1 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.