Soil surveying technician to soil scientist
A soil surveying technician already meets 61% of what the soil scientist role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
46.3/ 100
1 How much of what a soil scientist 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 soil scientist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A soil scientist role treats 11 of its required skills as things a soil surveying technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on nature conservation
- apply safety procedures in laboratory
- conduct soil sample tests
- ecology
- gather experimental data
- geology
What stands in the way is 3 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 28 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A soil scientist 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.
- already held soil mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held adjust surveying equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held conduct soil sample tests information skills
- already held prepare surveying report information skills
- already held advise on nature conservation communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held soil science natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 28 carried skills, including the 11 the soil scientist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 missing skills fall into 10 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 crop production principles required
- optional, not held agricultural equipment optional
- optional, not held conservation agriculture optional
- optional, not held irrigation systems optional
- optional, not held plant harvest methods optional
- optional, not held plant propagation optional
- optional, not held sustainable agricultural production principles optional
- optional, not held agronomical production principles optional
- optional, not held fertilisation principles optional
- still to learn European pesticide legislation required
- still to learn scientific literature required
- optional, not held advise on fertiliser and herbicide optional
- optional, not held advise on soil and water protection optional
- optional, not held implement biodiversity action plans optional
- optional, not held liaise with crop growers optional
- optional, not held advise on pollution prevention optional
- optional, not held habitat restoration optional
- optional, not held hydrology optional
- optional, not held climate change impact optional
- optional, not held apply sustainable tillage techniques optional
- optional, not held ensure soil fertility optional
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a soil scientist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 European pesticide legislation study this
- 02 crop production principles study this
- 03 scientific literature study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 28 skills that carry over
- already held advise on nature conservation skill
- already held apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
- already held conduct soil sample tests skill
- already held ecology knowledge
- already held gather experimental data skill
- already held geology knowledge
- already held perform laboratory tests skill
- already held soil mechanics knowledge
- already held soil science knowledge
- already held soil structure knowledge
- already held write work-related reports skill
- already held adjust surveying equipment skill
- already held agroforestry knowledge
- already held agronomy knowledge
- already held biology knowledge
- already held collect samples skill
- already held collect samples for analysis skill
- already held conduct field work skill
- already held conduct land surveys skill
- already held environmental legislation knowledge
- already held laboratory techniques knowledge
- already held operate surveying instruments skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held pollution prevention knowledge
- already held prepare surveying report skill
- already held record survey data skill
- already held surveying knowledge
- already held surveying methods knowledge
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held inspect agricultural fields optional
- optional, not held develop scientific research protocols optional
- optional, not held environmental engineering optional
- optional, not held develop irrigation strategies optional
- optional, not held government policy optional
23 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on fertiliser and herbicide optional
- optional, not held advise on soil and water protection optional
- optional, not held agricultural equipment optional
- optional, not held apply sustainable tillage techniques optional
- optional, not held conservation agriculture optional
- optional, not held develop irrigation strategies optional
- optional, not held ensure soil fertility optional
- optional, not held habitat restoration optional
- optional, not held hydrology optional
- optional, not held implement biodiversity action plans optional
- optional, not held inspect agricultural fields optional
- optional, not held irrigation systems optional
- optional, not held liaise with crop growers optional
- optional, not held plant harvest methods optional
- optional, not held plant propagation optional
- optional, not held sustainable agricultural production principles optional
- optional, not held advise on pollution prevention optional
- optional, not held agronomical production principles optional
- optional, not held climate change impact optional
- optional, not held develop scientific research protocols optional
- optional, not held environmental engineering optional
- optional, not held fertilisation principles optional
- optional, not held government policy optional
9 held skills the soil scientist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role cartography knowledge
- not needed by the target role civil engineering 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 geography knowledge
- not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor geotechnical structures skill
- not needed by the target role topography knowledge
16 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 European pesticide legislation required
- still to learn crop production principles required
- still to learn scientific literature required
- optional, not held agricultural equipment optional
- optional, not held conservation agriculture optional
- optional, not held habitat restoration optional
- optional, not held hydrology optional
- optional, not held irrigation systems optional
- optional, not held plant harvest methods optional
- optional, not held plant propagation optional
- optional, not held sustainable agricultural production principles optional
- optional, not held agronomical production principles optional
- optional, not held climate change impact optional
- optional, not held environmental engineering optional
- optional, not held fertilisation principles optional
- optional, not held government policy optional
Common questions about this move
Can a soil surveying technician become a soil scientist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A soil surveying technician already covers 61% of what a soil scientist is expected to do: 28 skills carry over, 11 of which the soil scientist role treats as required.
What skills does a soil surveying technician need to become a soil scientist?
3 required skills are missing, plus 23 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary. The single most important is European pesticide legislation.
How hard is the move from soil surveying technician to soil scientist?
Its learning distance is 46.3 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.