RecordMove

Soil surveying technician to hydrographic surveyor

A soil surveying technician already meets 34% of what the hydrographic surveyor role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From soil surveying technician

Distant match

To hydrographic surveyor

11 You already bring

11 Still to learn

44 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

68.8/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a hydrographic surveyor is expected to do is already part of a soil surveying 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 hydrographic surveyor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A hydrographic surveyor role treats 9 of its required skills as things a soil surveying technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

adjust surveying equipment
cartography
mathematics
operate surveying instruments
prepare surveying report
record survey data

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A hydrographic surveyor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a soil surveying technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held adjust surveying equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held prepare surveying report information skills
already held surveying methods engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held operate surveying instruments working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held record survey data information skills
already held surveying engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 11 carried skills, including the 9 the hydrographic surveyor role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 33 missing skills fall into 5 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 information skills 5 required, 8 supplementary

still to learn compare survey computations required
still to learn conduct underwater surveys required
still to learn document survey operations required
still to learn collect mapping data required
still to learn perform surveying calculations required

optional, not held collect geological data optional
optional, not held interpret geophysical data optional
optional, not held collect data using GPS optional
optional, not held compile GIS-data optional
optional, not held conduct research before survey optional
optional, not held create GIS reports optional
optional, not held process collected survey data optional
optional, not held study aerial photos optional

02 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 5 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn bathymetry required
still to learn hydrography required
still to learn hydrology required
still to learn geodesy required
still to learn geomatics required

optional, not held geographic information systems optional
optional, not held oceanography optional

03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn calibrate electronic instruments required

optional, not held assist hydrographic surveys optional
optional, not held steer vessels optional

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 5 supplementary

optional, not held prepare geological map sections optional
optional, not held provide information on geological characteristics optional
optional, not held advise architects optional
optional, not held assist scientific research optional
optional, not held design scientific equipment optional

05 working with computers 5 supplementary

optional, not held develop geological databases optional
optional, not held use geographic information systems optional
optional, not held apply digital mapping optional
optional, not held create thematic maps optional
optional, not held use CAD software optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a hydrographic surveyor 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 11 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust surveying equipment skill
already held cartography knowledge
already held mathematics knowledge
already held operate surveying instruments skill
already held prepare surveying report skill
already held record survey data skill
already held surveying knowledge
already held surveying methods knowledge
already held topography knowledge
already held geography knowledge
already held geology knowledge

22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held assist hydrographic surveys optional
optional, not held collect geological data optional
optional, not held develop geological databases optional
optional, not held geographic information systems optional
optional, not held interpret geophysical data optional
optional, not held prepare geological map sections optional
optional, not held provide information on geological characteristics optional
optional, not held steer vessels optional
optional, not held use geographic information systems optional
optional, not held advise architects optional
optional, not held apply digital mapping optional
optional, not held assist scientific research optional
optional, not held collect data using GPS optional
optional, not held compile GIS-data optional
optional, not held conduct research before survey optional
optional, not held create GIS reports optional
optional, not held create thematic maps optional
optional, not held design scientific equipment optional
optional, not held oceanography optional
optional, not held process collected survey data optional
optional, not held study aerial photos optional
optional, not held use CAD software optional

26 held skills the hydrographic surveyor role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise on nature conservation skill
not needed by the target role agroforestry knowledge
not needed by the target role agronomy knowledge
not needed by the target role apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
not needed by the target role biology knowledge
not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role collect samples skill
not needed by the target role collect samples for analysis skill
not needed by the target role conduct field work skill
not needed by the target role conduct land surveys skill
not needed by the target role conduct soil sample tests skill
not needed by the target role ecology knowledge
not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
not needed by the target role ensure compliance with safety legislation skill
not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role gather experimental data skill
not needed by the target role laboratory techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role monitor geotechnical structures skill
not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
not needed by the target role perform scientific research skill
not needed by the target role pollution prevention knowledge
not needed by the target role soil mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role soil science knowledge
not needed by the target role soil structure knowledge
not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill

7 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 pick up Tier

still to learn bathymetry required
still to learn hydrography required
still to learn hydrology required
still to learn geodesy required
still to learn geomatics required
optional, not held geographic information systems optional
optional, not held oceanography optional

Index

Other moves recorded from soil surveying technician

Full index of moves from soil surveying technician

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a soil surveying technician become a hydrographic surveyor?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A soil surveying technician already covers 34% of what a hydrographic surveyor is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 9 of which the hydrographic surveyor role treats as required.

What skills does a soil surveying technician need to become a hydrographic surveyor?

11 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is bathymetry.

How hard is the move from soil surveying technician to hydrographic surveyor?

Its learning distance is 68.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

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.