Also called: Entertainment and Recreation Managers
Entertainment and Recreation Managers build social perceptiveness, judgment and decision making 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 General and Operations Managers (89%).
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 | General and Operations Managers | 89% | $105,770 | +33% | None |
| 2 | First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | 81% | $87,520 | +10% | None |
| 3 | Human Resources Managers | 80% | $149,280 | +88% | None |
| 4 | Sales Managers | 80% | $148,270 | +86% | None |
| 5 | Financial Managers | 79% | $166,570 | +109% | None |
| 6 | Training and Development Managers | 78% | $133,000 | +67% | None |
| 7 | Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners | 77% | $61,160 | −23% | None |
| 8 | Human Resources Specialists | 77% | $75,940 | −5% | None |
| 9 | Purchasing Managers | 77% | $148,080 | +86% | None |
| 10 | Security Managers | 77% | $106,660Pay for the broader BLS group “Facilities Managers” | Not compared | None |
Compared with Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling, median $79,520. 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 entertainment and recreation managers (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.
89% skill match · $105,770 · +33% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Negotiation · Operations Analysis
81% skill match · $87,520 · +10% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Negotiation · Persuasion
80% skill match · $149,280 · +88% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Systems Evaluation · Negotiation
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are General and Operations Managers (89% skill match, median $105,770), First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers (81% skill match, median $87,520) and Human Resources Managers (80% skill match, median $149,280), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 18 pay more than entertainment and recreation managers at the median. The biggest increases: Marketing Managers (+110%, $166,790), Financial Managers (+109%, $166,570) and Human Resources Managers (+88%, $149,280).
25 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.