Table 1Transition record

chemical engineering techniciantophysics technician

A chemical engineering technician already meets 33% of what the physics technician role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

From chemical engineering technician

33%

Overlap1

To physics technician

8 Skills carried over

7 Required, not held

62.3 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

33%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

62.3/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the physics technician role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the chemical engineering 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 physics technician role treats 6 of its required skills as things a chemical engineering technician already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

analyse experimental laboratory data
apply safety procedures in laboratory
execute analytical mathematical calculations
laboratory techniques
maintain laboratory equipment
perform laboratory tests

What stands in the way is 7 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A physics technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a chemical engineering technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held communicate with external laboratories communication, collaboration and creativity
already held analyse experimental laboratory data information skills
already held maintain laboratory equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held calibrate laboratory equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held apply safety procedures in laboratory assisting and caring
already held laboratory techniques natural sciences, mathematics and statistics

All 8 carried skills, including the 6 the physics technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 25 missing skills fall into 8 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 information skills 3 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held apply statistical analysis techniques required
required, not held gather experimental data required
required, not held report analysis results required

optional, not held interpret geophysical data optional
optional, not held analyse scientific data optional
optional, not held apply scientific methods optional
optional, not held observe matter optional

02 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required, 8 supplementary

required, not held physics required

optional, not held quantum mechanics optional
optional, not held acoustics optional
optional, not held astronomy optional
optional, not held geology optional
optional, not held geophysics optional
optional, not held mathematics optional
optional, not held statistics optional
optional, not held thermodynamics optional

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

required, not held use measurement instruments required

optional, not held operate remote sensing equipment optional
optional, not held operate telescopes optional

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held assist scientific research required

optional, not held write scientific publications optional

05 education 1 required

required, not held scientific research methodology required

06 handling and moving 1 supplementary

optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a physics technician 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 8 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held analyse experimental laboratory data skill
already held apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
already held laboratory techniques knowledge
already held maintain laboratory equipment skill
already held perform laboratory tests skill
already held calibrate laboratory equipment skill
already held communicate with external laboratories skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 health and welfare 1 supplementary

optional, not held densiometry optional

08 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held quantum computing optional

18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held densiometry optional
optional, not held interpret geophysical data optional
optional, not held quantum computing optional
optional, not held quantum mechanics optional
optional, not held acoustics optional
optional, not held analyse scientific data optional
optional, not held apply scientific methods optional
optional, not held astronomy optional
optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
optional, not held geology optional
optional, not held geophysics optional
optional, not held mathematics optional
optional, not held observe matter optional
optional, not held operate remote sensing equipment optional
optional, not held operate telescopes optional
optional, not held statistics optional
optional, not held thermodynamics optional
optional, not held write scientific publications optional

47 held skills the physics technician role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
not needed by the target role analytical chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role archive scientific documentation skill
not needed by the target role assess hydrogen production technologies skill
not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
not needed by the target role computational chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role control production skill
not needed by the target role corrosion types knowledge
not needed by the target role determine production feasibility skill
not needed by the target role develop components separation processes skill
not needed by the target role dispose of hazardous waste skill
not needed by the target role energy efficiency 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 environmental legislation skill
not needed by the target role execute feasibility study on hydrogen skill
not needed by the target role green chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role hazardous waste storage knowledge
not needed by the target role hazardous waste types knowledge
not needed by the target role identify hazards in the workplace skill
not needed by the target role inorganic chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role keep records of work progress skill
not needed by the target role maintain chromotography machinery skill
not needed by the target role maintain nuclear reactors skill
not needed by the target role manage health and safety standards skill
not needed by the target role nuclear energy knowledge
not needed by the target role nuclear reprocessing knowledge
not needed by the target role oxidation knowledge
not needed by the target role perform product testing skill
not needed by the target role prepare chemical samples skill
not needed by the target role production processes knowledge
not needed by the target role quality assurance methodologies knowledge
not needed by the target role radiation protection knowledge
not needed by the target role recognise signs of corrosion skill
not needed by the target role recommend product improvements skill
not needed by the target role risk management knowledge
not needed by the target role run laboratory simulations skill
not needed by the target role schedule production skill
not needed by the target role set production facilities standards skill

7 further entries not listed here

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 physics required
required, not held scientific research methodology required
optional, not held densiometry optional
optional, not held quantum computing optional
optional, not held quantum mechanics optional
optional, not held acoustics optional
optional, not held astronomy optional
optional, not held geology optional
optional, not held geophysics optional
optional, not held mathematics optional
optional, not held statistics optional
optional, not held thermodynamics optional

Index

Other moves recorded from chemical engineering technician

Full index of moves from chemical engineering 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.