Jobs differ a lot in the daily work. Firefighters often work shifts of 24 hours at the fire station. They sleep, eat and do other duties between emergencies. Police and sheriff's patrol officers often work around the clock in shifts. Wind turbine service technicians work outdoors, in confined spaces and often at great heights. Kindergarten and elementary school teachers use nights and weekends to prepare lessons and grade papers. Most of them do not work during the summer. Most veterinarians work in private clinics and hospitals. Others travel to farms or work in laboratories, classrooms or zoos.
Some jobs need more preparation than others. O*NET groups jobs into Job Zones, from very little to extensive preparation. Most electricians need a high school diploma. Most learn their work through an apprenticeship. In a Registered Apprenticeship, the worker has a paid job. The worker gets learning on the job from an experienced mentor. The worker also takes classroom instruction and earns a nationally recognized credential. The US Department of Labor or a State Apprenticeship Agency approves the program. Its length depends on the job, the employer and the type of program.
Heavy truck drivers usually have a high school diploma too. They usually go to a truck driving school. They must hold a commercial driver's license. Firefighters typically need a high school diploma. They also need training in emergency medical services. Most train at a fire academy. Police and detectives must graduate from their agency's training academy. Then they do on-the-job training. Most police candidates must be at least 21 years old. Some people learn a job by working next to an expert who teaches them. People can change jobs. Many people work at a lot of different jobs in their lives, as of November 2026.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook has more than 300 career profiles. They cover about 4 out of 5 jobs in the economy, as of November 2026. A profile tells what workers do, the work environment, the education needed and pay. BLS counts jobs by putting every worker into one of 867 kinds of jobs, as of November 2026. The median wage in a profile is the wage at which half of the workers in a job earned more. The other half earned less. A fast-growing job does not always add many jobs. A job with 2,000 workers growing 20 percent adds only 400 jobs. A job with a million workers growing 5 percent adds 50,000.
Words to know
- median: middle value
- credential: proof of skill
- mentor: experienced guide
- diploma: school certificate
- profiles: short job summaries
