People with Realistic interests like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They enjoy dealing with plants, animals, and real-world materials, like wood, tools, and machinery. They enjoy outside work. Often people with Realistic interests do not like occupations that mainly involve doing paperwork or working closely with others.

The Realistic occupations listed below are organized into groups that require about the same amount of education, training, and experience. Click on the education level that fits your current needs or future level of training and experience, and then click on the title to see further information on each occupation.

• Little or no preparation needed
• Some preparation
• Medium preparation
• Considerable preparation
• Extensive preparation

Explore the occupations below. Click on the title to see further information on each occupation.

Little or no preparation needed

• Amusement and Recreation Attendants
• Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity
• Cementing and Gluing Machine Operators and Tenders
• Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
• Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
• Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food
• Conveyor Operators and Tenders
• Cooks, Short Order
• Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders
• Couriers and Messengers
• Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Cutters and Trimmers, Hand
• Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
• Dishwashers
• Fabric Menders, Except Garment
• Fallers
• Farmworkers, Farm and Ranch Animals
• Fishers and Related Fishing Workers
• Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
• Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
• Food Preparation Workers
• Forest and Conservation Workers
• Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
• Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
• Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
• Helpers-Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters
• Helpers-Carpenters
• Helpers-Extraction Workers
• Helpers-Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers
• Helpers-Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons
• Highway Maintenance Workers
• Hoist and Winch Operators
• Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
• Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
• Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
• Machine Feeders and Offbearers
• Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
• Maintenance Workers, Machinery
• Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
• Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Nonfarm Animal Caretakers
• Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
• Packers and Packagers, Hand
• Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
• Parking Lot Attendants
• Pourers and Casters, Metal
• Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
• Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons
• Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
• Semiconductor Processors
• Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Service Station Attendants
• Sewers, Hand
• Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders
• Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs
• Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders
• Tire Builders
• Tire Repairers and Changers
• Truck Drivers, Light or Delivery Services

Some preparation needed

• Agricultural Equipment Operators
• Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers
• Bicycle Repairers
• Biological Technicians
• Bridge and Lock Tenders
• Bus Drivers, School
• Chemical Plant and System Operators
• Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers
• Coin, Vending, and Amusement Machine Servicers and Repairers
• Commercial Divers
• Construction Laborers
• Continuous Mining Machine Operators
• Cooks, Fast Food
• Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
• Correctional Officers and Jailers
• Crane and Tower Operators
• Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas
• Dredge Operators
• Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters
• Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers
• Fence Erectors
• Floor Sanders and Finishers
• Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists
• Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Foundry Mold and Coremakers
• Furniture Finishers
• Helpers-Electricians
• Helpers-Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
• Hunters and Trappers
• Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers
• Loading Machine Operators, Underground Mining
• Log Graders and Scalers
• Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers
• Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians
• Medical Appliance Technicians
• Medical Equipment Preparers
• Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders
• Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators
• Motion Picture Projectionists
• Motorboat Operators
• Motorcycle Mechanics
• Painters, Transportation Equipment
• Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Paperhangers
• Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
• Pest Control Workers
• Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
• Photographic Processing Machine Operators
• Pile-Driver Operators
• Pipelayers
• Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers
• Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
• Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians
• Rock Splitters, Quarry
• Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Roof Bolters, Mining
• Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
• Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
• Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
• Shuttle Car Operators
• Slaughterers and Meat Packers
• Subway and Streetcar Operators
• Tapers
• Tile and Marble Setters
• Timing Device Assemblers, Adjusters, and Calibrators
• Tree Trimmers and Pruners
• Water and Liquid Waste Treatment Plant and System Operators

Medium preparation needed

• Animal Breeders
• Automotive Body and Related Repairers
• Barbers
• Brickmasons and Blockmasons
• Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
• Butchers and Meat Cutters
• Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters
• Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
• Chemical Technicians
• Cooks, Restaurant
• Dental Laboratory Technicians
• Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers
• Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment
• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
• Electricians
• Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers
• Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles
• Electronic Home Entertainment Equipment Installers and Repairers
• Engine and Other Machine Assemblers
• Farm Equipment Mechanics
• Farmers and Ranchers
• Fish and Game Wardens
• Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
• Food Batchmakers
• Glaziers
• Industrial Machinery Mechanics
• Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall
• Insulation Workers, Mechanical
• Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Lay-Out Workers, Metal and Plastic
• Locksmiths and Safe Repairers
• Locomotive Firers
• Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
• Mechanical Door Repairers
• Medical Equipment Repairers
• Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
• Motorboat Mechanics
• Numerical Tool and Process Control Programmers
• Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics
• Radio Mechanics
• Radio Operators
• Rail Car Repairers
• Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers
• Riggers
• Roofers
• Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
• Sheet Metal Workers
• Sound Engineering Technicians
• Structural Iron and Steel Workers
• Surgical Technologists
• Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
• Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers
• Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
• Upholsterers
• Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
• Watch Repairers

Considerable preparation needed

• Agricultural Inspectors
• Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
• Avionics Technicians
• Boilermakers
• Bookbinders
• Broadcast Technicians
• Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers
• Carpet Installers
• Civil Engineering Technicians
• Civil Engineers
• Commercial Pilots
• Desktop Publishers
• Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
• Electro-Mechanical Technicians
• Elevator Installers and Repairers
• Embalmers
• Foresters
• Locomotive Engineers
• Machinists
• Mechanical Drafters
• Mechanical Engineering Technicians
• Mechanical Engineers
• Millwrights
• Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
• Model Makers, Metal and Plastic
• Model Makers, Wood
• Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
• Painters, Construction and Maintenance
• Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic
• Patternmakers, Wood
• Plasterers and Stucco Masons
• Power Distributors and Dispatchers
• Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
• Service Unit Operators, Oil, Gas, and Mining
• Signal and Track Switch Repairers
• Stonemasons
• Tool and Die Makers
• Traffic Technicians
• Wellhead Pumpers

Extensive preparation needed

• Aerospace Engineers**
• Agricultural Engineers**
• Animal Scientists**
• Chemical Engineers**
• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay
• Electrical Engineers**
• Electronics Engineers, Except Computer**
• Hydrologists**
• Job Printers
• Landscape Architects**
• Microbiologists**
• Materials Engineers**
• Nuclear Engineers**
• Petroleum Engineers
• Ship Engineers
• Soil Scientists**

** The occupation was assigned to the group based on its second highest interest area.

*** The occupation was assigned to the group based on its third highest interest area.

This interest profiler occupation list is based on the O*net Career Exploration Tools version 3.0. O*net is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.