Work Context Index
Jobs with the most independent work that are growing faster than average
Jobs with the most independent work, restricted to occupations with projected employment growth above 3.5% over 2025-35, the BLS projection for all occupations. 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 offer the most independent work: freedom to decide, setting your own tasks, and less dependence on a team that BLS projects to grow faster than average?
Only 405 of the 894 occupations O*NET 30.3 rates have projected employment growth above 3.5% over 2025-35, the BLS projection for all occupations. Ranked by the mean percentile across freedom to make decisions, setting your own tasks, working in a team, 25 are listed: 11 also appear in the unrestricted ranking and 14 enter only under this restriction, led by Chiropractors (90th percentile), Naturopathic Physicians (90th percentile), Animal Trainers (90th percentile). The strongest overall are Acupuncturists (96th percentile), Environmental Economists (95th percentile), Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators (95th percentile). Their median BLS wage is $79,200 (2025, 25 of 25 with a BLS line item), and 8 of the 25 with BLS education data typically need less than a bachelor's degree.
- Occupations compared
- 405 of 894 O*NET occupations qualify (projected employment growth above 3.5% over 2025-35, the BLS projection for all occupations); percentiles are still taken over all 894
- Measures combined
- Freedom to Make Decisions (higher is preferred); Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals (higher is preferred); Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team (lower is preferred)
- How they are combined
- Each measure becomes a percentile rank among all occupations, flipped where lower is preferred, then the percentiles are averaged with equal weight. The figure is a rank average, not a suitability score.
- Wage and outlook source
- BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, Table 1.2 Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025 (Employment in thousands). 9 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.
What this page does and does not claim
People search this as “jobs for people who like to work alone”. This page answers that with the measurement behind it: 3 Work Context questions — Freedom to Make Decisions, Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals, Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team — each rated on a fixed 1-to-5 scale by people who do each job.
It does not say which jobs suit a personality, a temperament or a health condition. It reports a measured condition of the work and lets you decide whether that condition is the one you meant.
The 25 occupations
Ordered by mean percentile across freedom to make decisions, setting your own tasks, working in a team.
| # | Occupation | Component values | Rank | BLS wage and education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acupuncturists O*NET-SOC 29-1291.00 |
| 96th percentile mean of 3 measures | $76,040 median (2025) Master's degree · +8.6% 2025-35 |
| 2 | Environmental Economists O*NET-SOC 19-3011.01 |
| 95th percentile mean of 3 measures | $124,720 median (2025) Master's degree · +4.7% 2025-35 |
| 3 | Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators O*NET-SOC 23-1022.00 |
| 95th percentile mean of 3 measures | $75,530 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +4.7% 2025-35 |
| 4 | Farm Labor Contractors O*NET-SOC 13-1074.00 |
| 94th percentile mean of 3 measures | $58,460 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +7.4% 2025-35 |
| 5 | Clinical and Counseling Psychologists O*NET-SOC 19-3033.00 |
| 94th percentile mean of 3 measures | $100,580 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +11.7% 2025-35 |
| 6 | Business Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1011.00 |
| 93rd percentile mean of 3 measures | $99,080 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +5.9% 2025-35 |
| 7 | Mental Health Counselors O*NET-SOC 21-1014.00 |
| 93rd percentile mean of 3 measures | $59,350 median (2025) Master's degree · +18.4% 2025-35 |
| 8 | Lawyers O*NET-SOC 23-1011.00 |
| 92nd percentile mean of 3 measures | $159,670 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +4.7% 2025-35 |
| 9 | Sociologists O*NET-SOC 19-3041.00 |
| 92nd percentile mean of 3 measures | $106,030 median (2025) Master's degree · +3.8% 2025-35 |
| 10 | Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists O*NET-SOC 29-1122.01 |
| 91st percentile mean of 3 measures | $100,330 median (2025) Master's degree · +14.8% 2025-35 |
| 11 | Massage Therapists O*NET-SOC 31-9011.00 |
| 91st percentile mean of 3 measures | $58,450 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +15.3% 2025-35 |
| 12 | Chiropractors O*NET-SOC 29-1011.00 |
| 90th percentile mean of 3 measures | $79,200 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +8.7% 2025-35 |
| 13 | Naturopathic Physicians O*NET-SOC 29-1299.01 |
| 90th percentile mean of 3 measures | $115,210 median (2025) Master's degree · +5.5% 2025-35 |
| 14 | Animal Trainers O*NET-SOC 39-2011.00 |
| 90th percentile mean of 3 measures | $39,990 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +4.2% 2025-35 |
| 15 | Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1066.00 |
| 90th percentile mean of 3 measures | $80,340 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +4% 2025-35 |
| 16 | Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists O*NET-SOC 39-5012.00 |
| 88th percentile mean of 3 measures | $35,790 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +7.7% 2025-35 |
| 17 | Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1032.00 |
| 88th percentile mean of 3 measures | $109,270 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +7.8% 2025-35 |
| 18 | Astronomers O*NET-SOC 19-2011.00 |
| 88th percentile mean of 3 measures | $128,820 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +7.8% 2025-35 |
| 19 | Private Detectives and Investigators O*NET-SOC 33-9021.00 |
| 87th percentile mean of 3 measures | $51,220 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +5.5% 2025-35 |
| 20 | Motorboat Operators O*NET-SOC 53-5022.00 |
| 86th percentile mean of 3 measures | $47,520 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +4.9% 2025-35 |
| 21 | Potters, Manufacturing O*NET-SOC 51-9195.05 |
| 86th percentile mean of 3 measures | $46,170 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +5.8% 2025-35 |
| 22 | Anthropologists and Archeologists O*NET-SOC 19-3091.00 |
| 85th percentile mean of 3 measures | $70,770 median (2025) Master's degree · +6% 2025-35 |
| 23 | Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers O*NET-SOC 13-1041.03 |
| 84th percentile mean of 3 measures | $80,730 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +3.8% 2025-35 |
| 24 | Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors O*NET-SOC 39-9031.00 |
| 84th percentile mean of 3 measures | $47,160 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +7.3% 2025-35 |
| 25 | General Internal Medicine Physicians O*NET-SOC 29-1216.00 |
| 84th percentile mean of 3 measures | $256,560 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +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
Freedom to Make Decisions (higher is preferred)
“How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?” Scale 1 = No freedom; 5 = A lot of freedom.
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals (higher is preferred)
“How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?” Scale 1 = No freedom; 5 = A lot of freedom.
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team (lower is preferred)
“How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?” Scale 1 = Not important at all; 5 = Extremely important.
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 projected employment growth above 3.5% over 2025-35, the BLS projection for all occupations are listed: 405 of 894 qualify.
The unrestricted ranking is at Jobs with the most independent work.
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.