Work Context Index
Jobs where mistakes have the least serious consequences without a bachelor's degree
Jobs where mistakes have the least serious consequences, restricted to occupations with a BLS typical entry-level education below a bachelor's degree (no formal credential, high school, some college, a postsecondary award or an associate's degree). Every value is O*NET's own mean rating; the percentile is where that value sits among all 894 occupations, not among the restricted set.
In which jobs is the consequence of an error least serious whose typical entry education is below a bachelor's degree?
Only 516 of the 894 occupations O*NET 30.3 rates have a BLS typical entry-level education below a bachelor's degree (no formal credential, high school, some college, a postsecondary award or an associate's degree). Ranked by Consequence of Error, lowest first, 25 are listed: 15 also appear in the unrestricted ranking and 10 enter only under this restriction, led by Craft Artists (1.78 of 5), Dishwashers (1.81 of 5), Shampooers (1.82 of 5). The strongest overall are Tutors (1.38 of 5), Bartenders (1.42 of 5), Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers (1.46 of 5). Their median BLS wage is $36,300 (2025, 25 of 25 with a BLS line item), and 25 of the 25 with BLS education data typically need less than a bachelor's degree.
- Occupations compared
- 516 of 894 O*NET occupations qualify (a BLS typical entry-level education below a bachelor's degree (no formal credential, high school, some college, a postsecondary award or an associate's degree)); percentiles are still taken over all 894
- What O*NET asks incumbents
- Consequence of Error: "How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not easily correctable?"
- Scale
- 1 = Not serious at all; 3 = Serious; 5 = Extremely serious. Values are mean incumbent ratings.
- Wage and outlook source
- BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, Table 1.2 Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025 (Employment in thousands). 6 of the 25 occupations listed have a dedicated RoleSprint page.
Source and method
O*NET 30.3 Database (Work Context), U.S. Department of Labor, and BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2. Verified 2026-09-05. Ratings are reproduced from O*NET as published mean incumbent responses on each question's own 1-to-5 scale. Percentile ranks, composite averages and the resulting order are RoleSprint's computation and are described on the methodology page. Wage, education and outlook fields are reproduced from BLS for the matching SOC code and left blank where BLS publishes no line item.
The 25 occupations
Ordered by mean rating for Consequence of Error, lowest first. Scale: 1 = Not serious at all; 5 = Extremely serious.
| # | Occupation | O*NET value | Rank | BLS wage and education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tutors O*NET-SOC 25-3041.00 | 1.38 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $43,350 median (2025) Some college, no degree · -0.2% 2025-35 |
| 2 | Bartenders O*NET-SOC 35-3011.00 | 1.42 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $34,340 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +5% 2025-35 |
| 3 | Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers O*NET-SOC 41-9091.00 | 1.46 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $41,380 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -10.4% 2025-35 |
| 4 | Gem and Diamond Workers O*NET-SOC 51-9071.06 | 1.49 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $52,540 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -3.2% 2025-35 |
| 5 | Library Assistants, Clerical O*NET-SOC 43-4121.00 | 1.55 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $36,910 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -6.4% 2025-35 |
| 6 | Baristas O*NET-SOC 35-3023.01 | 1.60 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $31,200 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +5.8% 2025-35 |
| 7 | Order Clerks O*NET-SOC 43-4151.00 | 1.61 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $46,170 median (2025) Some college, no degree · -17.5% 2025-35 |
| 8 | First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers O*NET-SOC 41-1011.00 | 1.67 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $48,520 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -3.7% 2025-35 |
| 9 | Manicurists and Pedicurists O*NET-SOC 39-5092.00 | 1.69 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $35,760 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +9.2% 2025-35 |
| 10 | Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants O*NET-SOC 39-3093.00 | 1.69 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $36,300 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +6.4% 2025-35 |
| 11 | Waiters and Waitresses O*NET-SOC 35-3031.00 | 1.72 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $35,230 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +2% 2025-35 |
| 12 | Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers O*NET-SOC 39-3031.00 | 1.72 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $32,910 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +0.9% 2025-35 |
| 13 | Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders O*NET-SOC 51-6042.00 | 1.72 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $35,650 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -6.9% 2025-35 |
| 14 | Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters O*NET-SOC 51-2061.00 | 1.75 of 5 between "Not serious at all" and "Fairly serious" | Lower than 97% of 894 occupations | $62,620 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -6.1% 2025-35 |
| 15 | Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners O*NET-SOC 37-2012.00 | 1.76 of 5 Fairly serious | Lower than 97% of 894 occupations | $35,510 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +0.6% 2025-35 |
| 16 | Craft Artists O*NET-SOC 27-1012.00 | 1.78 of 5 Fairly serious | Lower than 97% of 894 occupations | $46,080 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +2% 2025-35 |
| 17 | Dishwashers O*NET-SOC 35-9021.00 | 1.81 of 5 Fairly serious | Lower than 97% of 894 occupations | $34,810 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -1% 2025-35 |
| 18 | Shampooers O*NET-SOC 39-5093.00 | 1.82 of 5 Fairly serious | Lower than 97% of 894 occupations | $32,600 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +5.6% 2025-35 |
| 19 | Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers O*NET-SOC 51-9123.00 | 1.83 of 5 Fairly serious | Lower than 96% of 894 occupations | $41,600 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +1.3% 2025-35 |
| 20 | Self-Enrichment Teachers O*NET-SOC 25-3021.00 | 1.84 of 5 Fairly serious | Lower than 96% of 894 occupations | $46,800 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3.5% 2025-35 |
| 21 | Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers O*NET-SOC 27-1026.00 | 1.85 of 5 Fairly serious | Lower than 96% of 894 occupations | $39,390 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +2.7% 2025-35 |
| 22 | Cooks, Short Order O*NET-SOC 35-2015.00 | 1.86 of 5 Fairly serious | Lower than 96% of 894 occupations | $35,880 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -5.2% 2025-35 |
| 23 | Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products O*NET-SOC 41-4012.00 | 1.88 of 5 Fairly serious | Lower than 95% of 894 occupations | $72,080 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -0.9% 2025-35 |
| 24 | Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers O*NET-SOC 35-9011.00 | 1.88 of 5 Fairly serious | Lower than 95% of 894 occupations | $33,980 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +5.3% 2025-35 |
| 25 | Telemarketers O*NET-SOC 41-9041.00 | 1.88 of 5 Fairly serious | Lower than 95% of 894 occupations | $35,450 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -21.4% 2025-35 |
Values are mean ratings from O*NET 30.3; most come from surveys of people in the occupation, some from occupational experts, and some for newer occupations from O*NET analysts. Wage, education and outlook are from BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 for the matching SOC code and are blank where BLS publishes no line item.
How this was measured
Consequence of Error (O*NET element 4.C.3.a.1). The question put to incumbents: “How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not easily correctable?”
- 1
Not serious at all
- 2
Fairly serious
- 3
Serious
- 4
Very serious
- 5
Extremely serious
894 of 894 occupations have a published, unsuppressed value for this element. The percentile beside each occupation is its position among them.
The full method, including how ties are broken and what the data cannot tell you, is on the methodology page.
The restriction applied
Only occupations with a BLS typical entry-level education below a bachelor's degree (no formal credential, high school, some college, a postsecondary award or an associate's degree) are listed: 516 of 894 qualify.
The unrestricted ranking is at Jobs where mistakes have the least serious consequences.
Combine this with other conditions
The explorer ranks all occupations on any set of measures you choose, with the same values and the same arithmetic as this page.
Open the explorer with this selectionThis page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. RoleSprint has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Wage, education and outlook figures are reproduced from BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What to do next
These rankings describe occupations in general. The next question is whether a specific opening in one of them actually matches what you can show, and that is answered by comparing the posting with your resume.