Table 1Transition record

biology techniciantomarine biologist

A biology technician already meets 40% of what the marine biologist role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

From biology technician

40%

Overlap1

To marine biologist

14 Skills carried over

13 Required, not held

65.9 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

40%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

65.9/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 Share of the marine biologist role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the biology technician 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 marine biologist role treats 12 of its required skills as things a biology technician already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

apply scientific methods
biology
botany
collect biological data
ecology
laboratory techniques

What stands in the way is 13 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A marine biologist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a biology technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held perform field research information skills
already held oceanography natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held collect biological data information skills
already held molecular biology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held botany natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held ecology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics

All 14 carried skills, including the 12 the marine biologist role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 30 missing skills fall into 10 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 5 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held fish anatomy required
required, not held fish biology required
required, not held marine biology required
required, not held organism taxonomy required
required, not held fish identification and classification required

optional, not held coastal management optional
optional, not held habitat restoration optional
optional, not held physics optional

02 information skills 4 required, 7 supplementary

required, not held conduct research on fauna required
required, not held conduct research on flora required
required, not held gather experimental data required
required, not held monitor water quality required

optional, not held analyse fish samples for diagnosis optional
optional, not held conduct ecological surveys optional
optional, not held conduct fish mortality studies optional
optional, not held inspect fish stock optional
optional, not held monitor fish health status optional
optional, not held conduct ecological research optional
optional, not held conduct fish populations studies optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held write work-related reports required

optional, not held advise on nature conservation optional

04 agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary 1 required

required, not held physiology of animals required

05 business, administration and law 1 required

required, not held ecosystem management required

06 working with computers 1 required

required, not held perform data analysis required

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a marine biologist 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 14 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held apply scientific methods skill
already held biology knowledge
already held botany knowledge
already held collect biological data skill
already held ecology knowledge
already held laboratory techniques knowledge
already held microbiology-bacteriology knowledge
already held molecular biology knowledge
already held perform field research skill
already held perform scientific research skill
already held scientific research methodology knowledge
already held write research proposals skill
already held chemistry knowledge
already held oceanography knowledge

The 4 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 handling and moving 3 supplementary

optional, not held control aquatic production environment optional
optional, not held send samples to laboratory optional
optional, not held treat fish diseases optional

08 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary

optional, not held wind energy optional

09 health and welfare 1 supplementary

optional, not held biotechnology optional

10 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held develop aquaculture strategies optional

17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held advise on nature conservation optional
optional, not held analyse fish samples for diagnosis optional
optional, not held coastal management optional
optional, not held conduct ecological surveys optional
optional, not held conduct fish mortality studies optional
optional, not held habitat restoration optional
optional, not held inspect fish stock optional
optional, not held monitor fish health status optional
optional, not held wind energy optional
optional, not held biotechnology optional
optional, not held conduct ecological research optional
optional, not held conduct fish populations studies optional
optional, not held control aquatic production environment optional
optional, not held develop aquaculture strategies optional
optional, not held physics optional
optional, not held send samples to laboratory optional
optional, not held treat fish diseases optional

37 held skills the marine biologist role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role analyse blood samples skill
not needed by the target role analyse cell cultures skill
not needed by the target role analyse experimental laboratory data skill
not needed by the target role animal welfare legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role applied zoology knowledge
not needed by the target role apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
not needed by the target role assist in the production of laboratory documentation skill
not needed by the target role biosecurity knowledge
not needed by the target role calibrate laboratory equipment skill
not needed by the target role collect reproductive cells skill
not needed by the target role collect samples for analysis skill
not needed by the target role computational biology knowledge
not needed by the target role cryopreservation knowledge
not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role evolutionary biology knowledge
not needed by the target role genomics knowledge
not needed by the target role hazardous waste storage knowledge
not needed by the target role keep task records skill
not needed by the target role label samples skill
not needed by the target role laboratory equipment knowledge
not needed by the target role life sciences knowledge
not needed by the target role maintain freelance database skill
not needed by the target role maintain laboratory equipment skill
not needed by the target role manage inventory skill
not needed by the target role monitor the welfare of animals skill
not needed by the target role pathology knowledge
not needed by the target role perform fertility laboratory procedures skill
not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
not needed by the target role perform stem cell transplantation skill
not needed by the target role pharmacology knowledge
not needed by the target role pollution prevention knowledge
not needed by the target role prepare visual data skill
not needed by the target role preserve samples skill
not needed by the target role stem cells knowledge
not needed by the target role use laboratory equipment skill
not needed by the target role virology knowledge
not needed by the target role write technical reports skill

12 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 ecosystem management required
required, not held fish anatomy required
required, not held fish biology required
required, not held marine biology required
required, not held organism taxonomy required
required, not held physiology of animals required
required, not held fish identification and classification required
optional, not held coastal management optional
optional, not held habitat restoration optional
optional, not held wind energy optional
optional, not held biotechnology optional
optional, not held physics optional

Index

Other moves recorded from biology technician

Full index of moves from biology technician

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.