Dental Laboratory Technicians build time management, operations monitoring and judgment and decision making 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 Furniture Finishers (77%).
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 | Furniture Finishers | 77% | $44,540 | −10% | None |
| 2 | Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters | 77% | $51,330 | +3% | None |
| 3 | Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 75% | $47,920 | −3% | None |
| 4 | Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators | 74% | $46,880 | −6% | None |
| 5 | Endoscopy Technicians | 74% | $48,430Pay for the broader BLS group “Healthcare Support Workers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 6 | Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers | 72% | $48,220 | −3% | None |
| 7 | Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 71% | $43,960 | −11% | None |
| 8 | Non-Destructive Testing Specialists | 70% | $78,350Pay for the broader BLS group “Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 9 | Foundry Mold and Coremakers | 70% | $48,110 | −3% | None |
| 10 | Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers | 70% | $46,350 | −7% | None |
Compared with Dental Laboratory Technicians, median $49,610. 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 dental laboratory technicians (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.
77% skill match · $44,540 · −10% pay
Service Orientation · Operations Analysis · Troubleshooting
77% skill match · $51,330 · +3% pay
75% skill match · $47,920 · −3% pay
Operation and Control · Operations Monitoring
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Furniture Finishers (77% skill match, median $44,540), Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters (77% skill match, median $51,330) and Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (75% skill match, median $47,920), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 10 pay more than dental laboratory technicians at the median. The biggest increases: Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers (+32%, $65,380), Surgical Technologists (+30%, $64,650) and Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic (+29%, $63,870).
23 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.