Residential Advisors build social perceptiveness, coordination and time management 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 First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers (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 | First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers | 87% | $48,590 | +15% | None |
| 2 | Social and Community Service Managers | 84% | $80,390 | +90% | Bachelor's degree |
| 3 | Patient Representatives | 83% | $50,290Pay for the broader BLS group “Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 4 | Child, Family, and School Social Workers | 83% | $59,550 | +41% | Bachelor's degree |
| 5 | Social and Human Service Assistants | 82% | $45,930 | +9% | Bachelor's degree |
| 6 | Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | 80% | $54,210 | +28% | None |
| 7 | First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers | 79% | $77,970 | +85% | None |
| 8 | First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services | 78% | $48,560 | +15% | None |
| 9 | Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare | 78% | $59,300 | +40% | Bachelor's degree |
| 10 | Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan | 77% | $45,920 | +9% | None |
Compared with Residential Advisors, median $42,240. 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 residential advisors (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 · $48,590 · +15% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Quality Control Analysis · Instructing
84% skill match · $80,390 · +90% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Systems Analysis · Systems Evaluation
83% skill match · $50,290 (broader BLS group)
Programming · Service Orientation
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers (87% skill match, median $48,590), Social and Community Service Managers (84% skill match, median $80,390) and Patient Representatives (83% skill match, median $50,290), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 21 pay more than residential advisors at the median. The biggest increases: Administrative Services Managers (+170%, $114,130), Social and Community Service Managers (+90%, $80,390) and Funeral Home Managers (+87%, $78,790).
18 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. One usually needs a graduate degree: Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
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.