Table 1Transition record

ecologisttoconservation scientist

A ecologist already meets 70% of what the conservation scientist role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

From ecologist

70%

Overlap1

To conservation scientist

45 Skills carried over

12 Required, not held

47.4 Difficulty2

Career overlap Strong match

70%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

47.4/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the conservation scientist role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the ecologist 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 conservation scientist role treats 40 of its required skills as things a ecologist already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

apply for research funding
apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities
biology
business management principles
communicate with a non-scientific audience
conduct research across disciplines

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 45 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A conservation scientist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a ecologist background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held measure trees information skills
already held identify plants characteristics handling and moving
already held educate people about nature communication, collaboration and creativity
already held ecosystem management business, administration and law
already held forest ecology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held develop environmental policy management skills

All 45 carried skills, including the 40 the conservation scientist role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 29 missing skills fall into 7 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 4 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held advise on nature conservation required
required, not held conduct educational activities required
required, not held educate the public about wildlife required
required, not held manage contracts required

optional, not held advise on tree issues optional
optional, not held liaise with cultural partners optional
optional, not held negotiate land access optional
optional, not held present exhibition optional
optional, not held support volunteers optional

02 agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary 2 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held reforestation required
required, not held sustainable forest management required

optional, not held agroforestry optional
optional, not held climate smart agriculture optional
optional, not held conservation agriculture optional
optional, not held forestry regulations optional

03 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held geographic information systems required
required, not held animal species required

optional, not held geography optional

04 management skills 1 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held coordinate educational programmes required

optional, not held conduct sediment control optional
optional, not held direct an artistic team optional
optional, not held manage forests optional
optional, not held supervise forestry workers optional

05 information skills 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held estimate duration of work required

optional, not held manage forest fires optional
optional, not held inspect trees optional

06 assisting and caring 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held respond to enquiries required

optional, not held conduct erosion control optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a conservation scientist 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 45 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held apply for research funding skill
already held apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities skill
already held biology knowledge
already held business management principles knowledge
already held communicate with a non-scientific audience skill
already held conduct research across disciplines skill
already held demonstrate disciplinary expertise skill
already held develop environmental policy skill
already held develop professional network with researchers and scientists skill
already held disseminate results to the scientific community skill
already held draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentation skill
already held ecology knowledge
already held ecosystem management knowledge
already held educate people about nature skill
already held environmental legislation knowledge
already held evaluate research activities skill
already held habitat restoration knowledge
already held identify plants characteristics skill
already held increase the impact of science on policy and society skill
already held integrate gender dimension in research skill
already held interact professionally in research and professional environments skill
already held manage findable accessible interoperable and reusable data skill
already held manage intellectual property rights skill
already held manage open publications skill
already held manage personal professional development skill
already held manage research data skill
already held measure trees skill
already held mentor individuals skill
already held operate open source software skill
already held perform scientific research skill
already held promote open innovation in research skill
already held promote the participation of citizens in scientific and research activities skill
already held promote the transfer of knowledge skill
already held publish academic research skill
already held scientific literature knowledge
already held speak different languages skill
already held synthesise information skill
already held think abstractly skill
already held write scientific publications skill
already held write work-related reports skill
already held apply blended learning skill
already held chemistry knowledge
already held forest ecology knowledge
already held perform project management skill
already held teach in academic or vocational contexts skill

The 1 learning area not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 working with computers 1 required

required, not held use ICT resources to solve work related tasks required

17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held advise on tree issues optional
optional, not held agroforestry optional
optional, not held climate smart agriculture optional
optional, not held conduct erosion control optional
optional, not held conduct sediment control optional
optional, not held conservation agriculture optional
optional, not held direct an artistic team optional
optional, not held forestry regulations optional
optional, not held liaise with cultural partners optional
optional, not held manage forest fires optional
optional, not held manage forests optional
optional, not held negotiate land access optional
optional, not held present exhibition optional
optional, not held supervise forestry workers optional
optional, not held geography optional
optional, not held inspect trees optional
optional, not held support volunteers optional

47 held skills the conservation scientist role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise on environmental risk management systems skill
not needed by the target role agroecology knowledge
not needed by the target role analyse ecological data skill
not needed by the target role analyse environmental data skill
not needed by the target role animal biology knowledge
not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
not needed by the target role aquatic ecology knowledge
not needed by the target role assess contamination skill
not needed by the target role assess environmental impact skill
not needed by the target role assess environmental impact in aquaculture operations skill
not needed by the target role biosecurity knowledge
not needed by the target role botany knowledge
not needed by the target role carry out training in environmental matters skill
not needed by the target role conduct ecological research skill
not needed by the target role conduct ecological surveys skill
not needed by the target role conduct environmental surveys skill
not needed by the target role conduct fish mortality studies skill
not needed by the target role conserve natural resources skill
not needed by the target role control aquatic production environment skill
not needed by the target role create training materials skill
not needed by the target role deliver online training skill
not needed by the target role develop aquaculture strategies skill
not needed by the target role develop management plans to reduce risks in aquaculture skill
not needed by the target role develop outreach training plans skill
not needed by the target role develop strategy to solve problems skill
not needed by the target role employ habitat survey techniques skill
not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
not needed by the target role ensure the safety of endangered species and protected areas skill
not needed by the target role environmental policy knowledge
not needed by the target role fish anatomy knowledge
not needed by the target role fish biology knowledge
not needed by the target role hydrology knowledge
not needed by the target role identify training needs skill
not needed by the target role manage aquatic habitat skill
not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role manage environmental impact of operations skill
not needed by the target role manage environmental management system skill
not needed by the target role manage habitats skill
not needed by the target role manage land resources permits skill
not needed by the target role molecular biology knowledge

7 further entries not listed here

9 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 geographic information systems required
required, not held reforestation required
required, not held sustainable forest management required
required, not held animal species required
optional, not held agroforestry optional
optional, not held climate smart agriculture optional
optional, not held conservation agriculture optional
optional, not held forestry regulations optional
optional, not held geography optional

Index

Other moves recorded from ecologist

Full index of moves from ecologist

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.