Baristas build service orientation, social perceptiveness and coordination skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers (88%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | 88% | $33,980 | — | None |
| 2 | Cooks, Fast Food | 84% | $30,890 | — | None |
| 3 | Food Preparation Workers | 83% | $35,320 | — | None |
| 4 | Butchers and Meat Cutters | 82% | $40,140 | — | None |
| 5 | Cooks, Short Order | 78% | $35,880 | — | None |
| 6 | Cooks, Restaurant | 77% | $37,390 | — | None |
| 7 | Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | 77% | $31,200 | — | None |
| 8 | Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria | 74% | $37,450 | — | None |
| 9 | Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 74% | $35,510 | — | None |
| 10 | Cooks, Private Household | 72% | $47,940 | — | Certificate or associate |
Compared with Baristas, median —. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as baristas (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
88% skill match · $33,980
Judgment and Decision Making · Management of Financial Resources · Management of Material Resources
84% skill match · $30,890
Judgment and Decision Making · Technology Design
83% skill match · $35,320
Time Management · Judgment and Decision Making
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers (88% skill match, median $33,980), Cooks, Fast Food (84% skill match, median $30,890) and Food Preparation Workers (83% skill match, median $35,320), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
None of the 25 closest matches pays more than baristas at the national median (BLS May 2025). Higher-paying moves usually need more training.
24 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.