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Career Change Finder

Low Emotional Stability

You tend to feel stress and worry more strongly than most. Settings with steady demands can suit you. This is a personality trait, not a diagnosis.

Emotional Stability is one of the Big Five personality traits. It describes how calm and steady you tend to feel under pressure. Everyone falls somewhere on the scale; neither end is better.

Typical strengths

  • Noticing risks early
  • Taking problems seriously
  • Empathy for others’ stress
  • Careful preparation

Careers that need training but have lower stress demands

Ranked by how much these jobs rely on the O*NET 31.0 Work Styles linked to Emotional Stability: Stress Tolerance and Self-Control. Only careers that usually need training or a degree are listed.

  1. 1Poets, Lyricists and Creative WritersBachelor's degree—
  2. 2Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and IllustratorsCertificate or associate$55,490
  3. 3Patternmakers, WoodCertificate or associate$49,630
  4. 4Prepress Technicians and WorkersCertificate or associate$48,690
  5. 5Craft ArtistsCertificate or associate$46,080
  6. 6Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic TechniciansBachelor's degree$53,350
  7. 7Fabric and Apparel PatternmakersCertificate or associate$62,750
  8. 8Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping CleanersCertificate or associate$36,840
  9. 9Mechanical DraftersCertificate or associate$71,550
  10. 10Model Makers, WoodCertificate or associate$56,550
  11. 11Desktop PublishersCertificate or associate$55,290
  12. 12Statistical AssistantsBachelor's degree$50,330
  13. 13Potters, ManufacturingCertificate or associate—
  14. 14HistoriansGraduate degree$76,750
  15. 15Cartographers and PhotogrammetristsBachelor's degree$81,390

Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median (— when only a broader group figure exists).

College majors that lead to these careers

  • Cabinetmaking and Millwork
  • Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking
  • Machine Shop Technology/Assistant
  • Machine Tool Technology/Machinist
  • Carpet, Floor, and Tile Worker
  • Applied Engineering
  • Nanotechnology
  • Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician

From the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Major pages open in a later stage.

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Sources. Trait descriptions: Career Change Finder, based on the IPIP Big-Five Factor Markers (public domain). Careers: O*NET 31.0 Work Styles (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025. Majors: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Data Sources & Licenses