Pharmacy Technicians build complex problem solving, judgment and decision making and social perceptiveness 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 Medical Assistants (87%).
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 | Medical Assistants | 87% | $45,690 | 0% | None |
| 2 | Phlebotomists | 84% | $45,230 | −1% | None |
| 3 | Pharmacy Aides | 83% | $37,680 | −18% | None |
| 4 | Dental Assistants | 79% | $48,070 | +5% | None |
| 5 | Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 78% | $45,930 | 0% | None |
| 6 | Nursing Assistants | 76% | $42,260 | −8% | None |
| 7 | File Clerks | 75% | $43,600 | −5% | None |
| 8 | Police Identification and Records Officers | 75% | $93,790Pay for the broader BLS group “Detectives and Criminal Investigators” | Not compared | None |
| 9 | Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 74% | $50,670 | +11% | None |
| 10 | Postal Service Clerks | 74% | $62,130 | +36% | None |
Compared with Pharmacy Technicians, median $45,750. 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 pharmacy 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.
87% skill match · $45,690 · 0% pay
Social Perceptiveness · Instructing · Equipment Selection
84% skill match · $45,230 · −1% pay
Equipment Maintenance · Instructing · Equipment Selection
83% skill match · $37,680 · −18% pay
Equipment Maintenance · Equipment Selection · Service Orientation
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Medical Assistants (87% skill match, median $45,690), Phlebotomists (84% skill match, median $45,230) and Pharmacy Aides (83% skill match, median $37,680), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 12 pay more than pharmacy technicians at the median. The biggest increases: Surgical Assistants (+46%, $66,800), Postal Service Clerks (+36%, $62,130) and Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents (+36%, $62,370).
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.