Work Context Index
Jobs with the most freedom to make decisions without a bachelor's degree
Jobs with the most freedom to make decisions, 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.
Which jobs give the most decision-making freedom without supervision 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 Freedom to Make Decisions, highest first, 25 are listed: 4 also appear in the unrestricted ranking and 21 enter only under this restriction, led by Fallers (4.82 of 5), Commercial Pilots (4.81 of 5), Coin, Vending, and Amusement Machine Servicers and Repairers (4.81 of 5). The strongest overall are Motorboat Operators (4.96 of 5), Animal Breeders (4.94 of 5), Real Estate Brokers (4.89 of 5). Their median BLS wage is $51,130 (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
- Freedom to Make Decisions: "How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?"
- Scale
- 1 = No freedom; 3 = Limited freedom; 5 = A lot of freedom. 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 Freedom to Make Decisions, highest first. Scale: 1 = No freedom; 5 = A lot of freedom.
| # | Occupation | O*NET value | Rank | BLS wage and education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motorboat Operators O*NET-SOC 53-5022.00 | 4.96 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $47,520 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +4.9% 2025-35 |
| 2 | Animal Breeders O*NET-SOC 45-2021.00 | 4.94 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $51,130 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3% 2025-35 |
| 3 | Real Estate Brokers O*NET-SOC 41-9021.00 | 4.89 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $73,220 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +0.8% 2025-35 |
| 4 | Carpet Installers O*NET-SOC 47-2041.00 | 4.87 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $50,340 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -16.4% 2025-35 |
| 5 | Fallers O*NET-SOC 45-4021.00 | 4.82 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 96% of 894 occupations | $52,100 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -9.9% 2025-35 |
| 6 | Commercial Pilots O*NET-SOC 53-2012.00 | 4.81 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 96% of 894 occupations | $123,220 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +5.2% 2025-35 |
| 7 | Coin, Vending, and Amusement Machine Servicers and Repairers O*NET-SOC 49-9091.00 | 4.81 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 96% of 894 occupations | $47,450 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -3.4% 2025-35 |
| 8 | Farm Labor Contractors O*NET-SOC 13-1074.00 | 4.81 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 96% of 894 occupations | $58,460 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +7.4% 2025-35 |
| 9 | Self-Enrichment Teachers O*NET-SOC 25-3021.00 | 4.79 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 95% of 894 occupations | $46,800 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3.5% 2025-35 |
| 10 | Couriers and Messengers O*NET-SOC 43-5021.00 | 4.79 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 95% of 894 occupations | $39,200 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +8% 2025-35 |
| 11 | Barbers O*NET-SOC 39-5011.00 | 4.79 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 95% of 894 occupations | $38,210 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +3.3% 2025-35 |
| 12 | Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers O*NET-SOC 41-9091.00 | 4.79 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 95% of 894 occupations | $41,380 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -10.4% 2025-35 |
| 13 | Airfield Operations Specialists O*NET-SOC 53-2022.00 | 4.79 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 95% of 894 occupations | $56,850 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +7.8% 2025-35 |
| 14 | Animal Trainers O*NET-SOC 39-2011.00 | 4.78 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 94% of 894 occupations | $39,990 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +4.2% 2025-35 |
| 15 | Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists O*NET-SOC 39-5012.00 | 4.76 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 94% of 894 occupations | $35,790 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +7.7% 2025-35 |
| 16 | Tool and Die Makers O*NET-SOC 51-4111.00 | 4.76 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 94% of 894 occupations | $64,050 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · -9.2% 2025-35 |
| 17 | Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners O*NET-SOC 49-9063.00 | 4.73 of 5 between "Some freedom" and "A lot of freedom" | Higher than 92% of 894 occupations | $46,420 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +1.9% 2025-35 |
| 18 | Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians O*NET-SOC 47-2152.04 | 4.71 of 5 between "Some freedom" and "A lot of freedom" | Higher than 92% of 894 occupations | $63,800 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +6.8% 2025-35 |
| 19 | Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers O*NET-SOC 51-9071.00 | 4.71 of 5 between "Some freedom" and "A lot of freedom" | Higher than 92% of 894 occupations | $52,540 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -3.2% 2025-35 |
| 20 | Hoist and Winch Operators O*NET-SOC 53-7041.00 | 4.71 of 5 between "Some freedom" and "A lot of freedom" | Higher than 92% of 894 occupations | $56,450 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +0.2% 2025-35 |
| 21 | Construction and Building Inspectors O*NET-SOC 47-4011.00 | 4.68 of 5 between "Some freedom" and "A lot of freedom" | Higher than 90% of 894 occupations | $74,690 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · 0% 2025-35 |
| 22 | Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers O*NET-SOC 23-2093.00 | 4.64 of 5 between "Some freedom" and "A lot of freedom" | Higher than 89% of 894 occupations | $58,650 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +2.1% 2025-35 |
| 23 | First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers O*NET-SOC 33-1091.00 | 4.63 of 5 between "Some freedom" and "A lot of freedom" | Higher than 89% of 894 occupations | $55,940 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3.7% 2025-35 |
| 24 | Bicycle Repairers O*NET-SOC 49-3091.00 | 4.63 of 5 between "Some freedom" and "A lot of freedom" | Higher than 89% of 894 occupations | $42,780 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -5.7% 2025-35 |
| 25 | Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors O*NET-SOC 39-9031.00 | 4.62 of 5 between "Some freedom" and "A lot of freedom" | Higher than 88% of 894 occupations | $47,160 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +7.3% 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
Freedom to Make Decisions (O*NET element 4.C.3.a.4). The question put to incumbents: “How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?”
- 1
No freedom
- 2
Very little freedom
- 3
Limited freedom
- 4
Some freedom
- 5
A lot of freedom
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 with the most freedom to make decisions.
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.