FlightWay / Careers / Hydrologic Technicians

Engineering & Science

Hydrologic Technicians

Collect and organize data concerning the distribution and circulation of ground and surface water, and data on its physical, chemical, and biological properties.

Sector: Engineering & Science
Preparation: Zone 3 — medium preparation needed
O*NET code: 19-4044.00

What you'll actually do

The activities O*NET rates highest for this occupation, most important first. Numbers are out of 100.

Processing Information

part of the mix — rated 50/100 for importance.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

part of the mix — rated 50/100 for importance.
Analyzing Data or Information

part of the mix — rated 50/100 for importance.
Getting Information

part of the mix — rated 50/100 for importance.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

part of the mix — rated 50/100 for importance.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems

part of the mix — rated 50/100 for importance.

Collect and organize data concerning the distribution and circulation of ground and surface water, and data on its physical, chemical, and biological properties. Measure and report on flow rates and ground water levels, maintain field equipment, collect water samples, install and collect sampling equipment, and process samples for shipment to testing laboratories. May collect data on behalf of hydrologists, engineers, developers, government agencies, or agriculture.

What it takes

Two numbers per line: the level the work expects, and how important it is to doing the job well. Both are O*NET ratings, already on a 0–100 scale.

Skills

Reading Comprehension

Needed at a high level (68/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.
Critical Thinking

Needed at a high level (61/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.
Writing

Needed at a high level (61/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.
Active Listening

Needed at a solid working level (59/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.
Speaking

Needed at a solid working level (59/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.

Knowledge

English Language

Needed at a high level (65/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.
Mathematics

Needed at a high level (63/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.
Education and Training

Needed at a high level (61/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.
Computers and Electronics

Needed at a high level (60/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.

Abilities

Oral Comprehension

Needed at a high level (68/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.
Oral Expression

Needed at a high level (68/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.
Written Comprehension

Needed at a high level (68/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.
Written Expression

Needed at a high level (66/100), and rated 50/100 for importance.

How people get in

O*NET places this occupation in Zone 3 — medium preparation needed. That is a statement about what employers typically require, not a rule about you.

Education

Vocational training, an associate degree, or equivalent on-the-job experience.

Experience

One to two years of related experience is typical.

Training

Employers expect you to arrive with the core skill already.

What it pays

These are typical science compensation bands by employer tier — sector-level figures, not a measured salary for Hydrologic Technicians specifically. Treat them as the shape of the market, then check a real posting for the number.

Pfizer · Nat"l Labs · MIT

$110k – $200k

Biotech & Pharma Mid

$90k – $160k

Startups & Academia

$65k – $110k

How the work tends to run

Each line below is read off a single O*NET activity rating for this occupation — named, so you can disagree with it.

The day is built around processing information more than anything else (50/100).From “Processing Information”

How FlightWay scores your fit against this

No black box. Here is the whole method, factor by factor.

1. You answer a short quiz: Your answers build a profile across the same 161 O*NET dimensions this page is describing — skills, knowledge, abilities and work activities. Same axes, so the comparison is like-for-like.
2. We correlate the two profiles: Fit is a mean-centered cosine — a correlation between the SHAPE of your profile and the shape of Hydrologic Technicians. Centering matters: raw similarity between any two occupations sits at 0.70–0.85 because all work shares a common profile, so without it every career would look like a match.
3. The number you see is personality fit only: "Would I want this work" and "am I ready for this work" are different questions, and averaging them answers neither. So readiness — what your résumé, coursework and projects prove — is scored separately and shown next to fit, never blended into it.
4. Every factor is visible: You can open any match and see which dimensions pushed it up and which pulled it down. If you disagree with the number, you can see exactly where it came from.

More in Engineering & Science

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See your fit for Hydrologic Technicians

Ten questions, about 90 seconds. You get your match against Hydrologic Technicians and 782+ other real careers — with the reasoning shown.

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Occupational data on this page comes from the O*NET 30.3 Database, published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). O*NET is a registered trademark of USDOL/ETA. FlightWay is not endorsed by, and USDOL/ETA is not responsible for, anything built on that data — see our terms. What is ours is the comparison, the score and the plan.