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Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

O*NET job zone · preparation tier

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed is one of O*NET's job zones — tiers that group occupations by how much preparation they typically require, combining experience, education, and on-the-job training into a single Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) band. This zone covers 331 occupations employing about 74,777,850 workers, with a median wage of $46,435.

Preparation it takes

O*NET describes the typical path into occupations in this zone. These are descriptions of what the work usually requires — not rules, and many people enter by other routes.

Experience Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Education Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
SVP range (Below 6.0)

What occupations in this zone pay

Median annual wage across the occupations in this zone, from BLS OEWS (national, cross-industry, May 2024). The middle range shows the 25th–75th percentile of occupation medians — it describes the zone, not a guarantee for any one person or job.

Median occupation wage $46,435
Middle range (p25–p75) $38,383 – $52,483
Occupations with wage data 318 of 331

AI exposure in this preparation tier

Two published studies estimate how exposed each occupation is to today's AI. The OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" study rates the share of an occupation's tasks a large language model (with tools) could speed up by half or more; averaged across the occupations in this zone it is 15% — 12th percentile of the job zones. The independent Felten/Raj/Seamans AI Occupational Exposure index averages -0.73 here.

Computed across the 331 of 331 occupations in this zone that carry a published exposure score.

AI exposure tends to rise with preparation — zones that require degrees and considerable experience are the most exposed, hands-on lower-preparation work the least. Exposure measures where AI could assist tasks, not a prediction that these jobs will be automated; high exposure most often means augmentation.

Highest-paying occupations in this zone

Occupations in this preparation tier with the highest median wage. Wage describes the occupation, not an individual.

Occupation Median pay
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $105,980
Biomass Plant Technicians $99,670
Power Plant Operators $99,670
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers $97,540
Postmasters and Mail Superintendents $92,730
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $92,560
Models $89,990
Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation $85,750
Gambling Managers $85,580
Subway and Streetcar Operators $84,830
Gas Plant Operators $83,400
Locomotive Engineers $77,400
Non-Destructive Testing Specialists $77,390
Roof Bolters, Mining $76,640
Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters $74,080
Chemical Plant and System Operators $73,540
Boilermakers $73,340
Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators $71,510
Pile Driver Operators $70,510
Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers $70,500
Wellhead Pumpers $70,010
Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining $68,860
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators $67,370
Flight Attendants $67,130
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $66,260
Rail Car Repairers $65,680
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers $65,670
Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers $65,480
Food Service Managers $65,310
Millwrights $65,170
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas $65,010
Tapers $64,700
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $63,940
Continuous Mining Machine Operators $63,380
Transportation Security Screeners $63,360
Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas $62,740
Structural Iron and Steel Workers $62,700
Athletes and Sports Competitors $62,360
Riggers $62,060
Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic $61,870
Biofuels Processing Technicians $61,710
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers $61,680
Postal Service Clerks $61,630
First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers $61,590
Sheet Metal Workers $60,850
Brickmasons and Blockmasons $60,800
Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers $60,020
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas $59,600
Carpenters $59,310
Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers $59,280
Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters $59,110
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators $58,710
First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers $58,610
Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons $58,540
Bridge and Lock Tenders $58,490
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators $58,260
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers $58,140
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders $58,070
Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers $58,030
Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas $57,980

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 3, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/job-zones/zone-2

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/job-zones/zone-2

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-zone-2,
  title  = {Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/job-zones/zone-2}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.