Training and Development Specialists build instructing, social perceptiveness 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 Training and Development Managers (92%).
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 | Training and Development Managers | 92% | $133,000 | +92% | None |
| 2 | Instructional Coordinators | 89% | $77,440 | +12% | Graduate degree |
| 3 | Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | 85% | $64,330 | −7% | Graduate degree |
| 4 | Education Teachers, Postsecondary | 85% | $75,350 | +9% | Graduate degree |
| 5 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School | 84% | $66,270 | −4% | None |
| 6 | Health Education Specialists | 84% | $64,070 | −8% | None |
| 7 | Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | 84% | $193,950 | +180% | Graduate degree |
| 8 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School | 84% | $65,030 | −6% | None |
| 9 | Fitness and Wellness Coordinators | 80% | $69,770Pay for the broader BLS group “Personal Service Managers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 10 | Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare | 79% | $59,300 | −14% | None |
Compared with Training and Development Specialists, median $69,280. 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 training and development specialists (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.
92% skill match · $133,000 · +92% pay
Management of Financial Resources · Management of Material Resources · Persuasion
89% skill match · $77,440 · +12% pay
Complex Problem Solving · Troubleshooting · Management of Material Resources
85% skill match · $64,330 · −7% pay
Complex Problem Solving · Persuasion · Service Orientation
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Training and Development Managers (92% skill match, median $133,000), Instructional Coordinators (89% skill match, median $77,440) and Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (85% skill match, median $64,330), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 16 pay more than training and development specialists at the median. The biggest increases: Industrial-Organizational Psychologists (+180%, $193,950), Human Resources Managers (+115%, $149,280) and Training and Development Managers (+92%, $133,000).
13 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. 12 usually need a graduate degree: Instructional Coordinators, Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors and Education Teachers, Postsecondary.
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.