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

boom operatortodisc jockey

A boom operator already meets 30% of what the disc jockey role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

From boom operator
30%
Overlap1
To disc jockey
9 Skills carried over
12 Required, not held
73 Difficulty2
Career overlap Distant match

30%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

73/ 100

1 Share of the disc jockey role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the boom operator 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 disc jockey role treats 7 of its required skills as things a boom operator already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • acoustics
  • assess sound quality
  • edit recorded sound
  • maintain sound equipment
  • operate an audio mixing console
  • perform soundchecks

What stands in the way is 12 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 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A disc jockey role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a boom operator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held consult with sound editor communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held maintain sound equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held set up sound equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held assess sound quality constructing
  • already held perform soundchecks working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held operate an audio mixing console working with machinery and specialised equipment

All 9 carried skills, including the 7 the disc jockey role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 30 missing skills fall into 6 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 communication, collaboration and creativity 6 required, 11 supplementary
  • required, not held compose playlist required
  • required, not held connect music fragments required
  • required, not held mix sound in a live situation required
  • required, not held select music required
  • required, not held select music for performance required
  • required, not held interact with an audience required
  • optional, not held select music for training optional
  • optional, not held attend music recording sessions optional
  • optional, not held compose music optional
  • optional, not held design a music show optional
  • optional, not held participate in music studio recordings optional
  • optional, not held perform music solo optional
  • optional, not held play musical instruments optional
  • optional, not held record music optional
  • optional, not held specialise in a musical genre optional
  • optional, not held transpose music optional
  • optional, not held follow a brief optional
02 arts and humanities 3 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held musical instruments required
  • required, not held musical theory required
  • required, not held musical genres required
  • optional, not held multimedia systems optional
  • optional, not held musical notation optional
03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held mix multi-track recordings required
  • required, not held record multi-track sound required
  • optional, not held operate sound live optional
  • optional, not held set up a multi-track recording optional
04 information skills 1 required
  • required, not held study music required
05 management skills 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held ensure the appropriate atmosphere optional
  • optional, not held finish project within budget optional
06 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a disc jockey 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 9 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held acoustics knowledge
  • already held assess sound quality skill
  • already held edit recorded sound skill
  • already held maintain sound equipment skill
  • already held operate an audio mixing console skill
  • already held perform soundchecks skill
  • already held set up sound equipment skill
  • already held consult with sound editor skill
  • already held use audio reproduction software skill
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held ensure the appropriate atmosphere optional
  • optional, not held select music for training optional
  • optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
  • optional, not held attend music recording sessions optional
  • optional, not held compose music optional
  • optional, not held design a music show optional
  • optional, not held operate sound live optional
  • optional, not held participate in music studio recordings optional
  • optional, not held perform music solo optional
  • optional, not held play musical instruments optional
  • optional, not held record music optional
  • optional, not held set up a multi-track recording optional
  • optional, not held specialise in a musical genre optional
  • optional, not held transpose music optional
  • optional, not held finish project within budget optional
  • optional, not held follow a brief optional
  • optional, not held multimedia systems optional
  • optional, not held musical notation optional
18 held skills the disc jockey role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role adapt artistic plan to location skill
  • not needed by the target role adapt to type of media skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse a script skill
  • not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
  • not needed by the target role assess power needs skill
  • not needed by the target role audiovisual equipment knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
  • not needed by the target role follow directions of the artistic director skill
  • not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
  • not needed by the target role health and safety regulations knowledge
  • not needed by the target role manage sound quality skill
  • not needed by the target role program sound cues skill
  • not needed by the target role study media sources skill
  • not needed by the target role supervise sound production skill
  • not needed by the target role technically design a sound system skill
  • not needed by the target role tune up wireless audio systems skill
  • not needed by the target role use technical documentation skill
  • not needed by the target role work ergonomically skill
6 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 musical instruments required
  • required, not held musical theory required
  • required, not held musical genres required
  • optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
  • optional, not held multimedia systems optional
  • optional, not held musical notation optional
Index

Other moves recorded from boom operator

Full index of moves from boom operator

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.