Occupational Therapists build service orientation, instructing 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 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary (79%).
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 | Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 79% | $107,310 | +7% | None |
| 2 | Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary | 78% | $80,250 | −20% | None |
| 3 | Genetic Counselors | 75% | $100,040 | 0% | None |
| 4 | Occupational Therapy Assistants | 73% | $72,300 | −28% | None |
| 5 | Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary | 72% | $80,340 | −20% | None |
| 6 | Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 71% | $77,270 | −23% | None |
| 7 | Adapted Physical Education Specialists | 69% | $76,580Pay for the broader BLS group “Special Education Teachers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 8 | Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary | 68% | $77,570 | −23% | None |
| 9 | Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 67% | $103,170 | +3% | None |
| 10 | Midwives | 67% | $65,790Pay for the broader BLS group “Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
Compared with Occupational Therapists, median $100,330. 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 occupational therapists (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.
79% skill match · $107,310 · +7% pay
Equipment Maintenance · Repairing · Complex Problem Solving
78% skill match · $80,250 · −20% pay
Complex Problem Solving · Instructing
75% skill match · $100,040 · 0% pay
Complex Problem Solving
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary (79% skill match, median $107,310), Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary (78% skill match, median $80,250) and Genetic Counselors (75% skill match, median $100,040), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 3 pay more than occupational therapists at the median. The biggest increases: Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary (+7%, $107,310), Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary (+3%, $103,170) and Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary (+1%, $101,420).
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.