Alternative careers for Cooks, Restaurant
People searching for career moves out of Cooks, Restaurant usually want two things at once: work that still uses familiar skills, and work that is less exposed to Generative AI. This matrix ranks other occupations by shared O*NET Detailed Work Activities, then filters toward lower AI vulnerability scores than the current 7/100 for Cooks, Restaurant.
Overlap is Jaccard similarity on Detailed Work Activities (DWAs) — a shared federal taxonomy of work verbs, not fuzzy title matching. Preferred matches need AI risk under 30 and DWA overlap of at least 50%. In the pilot catalog, when those strict matches are scarce, we expand the filter and disclose the fallback.
The strongest overlap in this set is Cooks, Fast Food (36% shared activities, AI risk 15, median pay $30,890). Compare wage and growth before switching — a lower AI score is not automatically a raise.
Fallback results are labeled on this page. Prefer matches with positive overlap percentages when choosing a transition path. Pilot fallback: fewer than three matches met the strict threshold (risk < 30 and ≥ 50% DWA overlap), so we expanded the filter and labeled results accordingly.
- Cooks, Fast Food
35-2011.00
15
AI risk
🛡️ Moderate Hybrid Moat (62/100) +2 pts higher moat P90 Ceiling: $36,510 Pay Delta: -$6,500 vs current- Overlap
- 36%
- Median pay
- $30,890
- Growth
- +0.6%
9 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (15 vs 7 for Cooks, Restaurant), pay ($30,890, -$6,500 vs current), and growth (+0.6%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 62/100 (Moderate Hybrid Moat).
- Chefs and Head Cooks
35-1011.00
29
AI risk
🛡️ High Physical/Social Insulation (73/100) +13 pts higher moat P90 Ceiling: $93,900 Pay Delta: +$25,080 vs current- Overlap
- 31%
- Median pay
- $62,470
- Growth
- +6.6%
9 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (29 vs 7 for Cooks, Restaurant), pay ($62,470, +$25,080 vs current), and growth (+6.6%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 73/100 (High Physical/Social Insulation).
- Bartenders
35-3011.00
17
AI risk
🛡️ High Physical/Social Insulation (67/100) +7 pts higher moat P90 Ceiling: $61,210 Pay Delta: -$3,050 vs current- Overlap
- 23%
- Median pay
- $34,340
- Growth
- +5.0%
7 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (17 vs 7 for Cooks, Restaurant), pay ($34,340, -$3,050 vs current), and growth (+5.0%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 67/100 (High Physical/Social Insulation).
- Waiters and Waitresses
35-3031.00
26
AI risk
🛡️ High Physical/Social Insulation (66/100) +6 pts higher moat P90 Ceiling: $60,100 Pay Delta: -$2,160 vs current- Overlap
- 11%
- Median pay
- $35,230
- Growth
- +2.0%
4 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (26 vs 7 for Cooks, Restaurant), pay ($35,230, -$2,160 vs current), and growth (+2.0%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 66/100 (High Physical/Social Insulation).
- Butchers and Meat Cutters
51-3021.00
20
AI risk
🛡️ High Physical/Social Insulation (66/100) +6 pts higher moat P90 Ceiling: $54,600 Pay Delta: +$2,750 vs current- Overlap
- 7%
- Median pay
- $40,140
- Growth
- +2.4%
2 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (20 vs 7 for Cooks, Restaurant), pay ($40,140, +$2,750 vs current), and growth (+2.4%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 66/100 (High Physical/Social Insulation).
- Bakers
51-3011.00
18
AI risk
🛡️ Moderate Hybrid Moat (59/100) P90 Ceiling: $46,980 Pay Delta: -$230 vs current- Overlap
- 6%
- Median pay
- $37,160
- Growth
- +5.5%
2 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (18 vs 7 for Cooks, Restaurant), pay ($37,160, -$230 vs current), and growth (+5.5%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 59/100 (Moderate Hybrid Moat).
- Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity
53-3052.00
31
AI risk
🛡️ Moderate Hybrid Moat (65/100) +5 pts higher moat P90 Ceiling: $82,660 Pay Delta: +$21,660 vs current- Overlap
- 3%
- Median pay
- $59,050
- Growth
- +4.1%
1 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (31 vs 7 for Cooks, Restaurant), pay ($59,050, +$21,660 vs current), and growth (+4.1%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 65/100 (Moderate Hybrid Moat).
- Biological Technicians
19-4021.00
36
AI risk
🛡️ Moderate Hybrid Moat (61/100) +1 pts higher moat P90 Ceiling: $80,330 Pay Delta: +$20,120 vs current- Overlap
- 3%
- Median pay
- $57,510
- Growth
- +7.4%
1 shared detailed work activities · fallback match
Compare AI risk (36 vs 7 for Cooks, Restaurant), pay ($57,510, +$20,120 vs current), and growth (+7.4%) before switching. Structural insulation against automation is 61/100 (Moderate Hybrid Moat).
How to use this matrix
- Prefer matches with positive DWA overlap — those reuse skills you already practice.
- Check whether median pay and BLS growth are acceptable tradeoffs for lower AI exposure.
- Open the destination occupation’s task page to see which duties remain human-led.
- Treat fallback matches (thin overlap) as directional, not as guaranteed skill transfers.
Fallback results are labeled on this page. Prefer matches with positive overlap percentages when choosing a transition path.
FAQ
What are good alternative careers for Cooks, Restaurant?
The strongest overlap in this set is Cooks, Fast Food (36% shared activities, AI risk 15, median pay $30,890). Compare wage and growth before switching — a lower AI score is not automatically a raise.
How do you match alternative careers to Cooks, Restaurant?
Overlap is Jaccard similarity on Detailed Work Activities (DWAs) — a shared federal taxonomy of work verbs, not fuzzy title matching. Preferred matches need AI risk under 30 and DWA overlap of at least 50%. In the pilot catalog, when those strict matches are scarce, we expand the filter and disclose the fallback.
Should I switch careers because of AI risk?
Fallback results are labeled on this page. Prefer matches with positive overlap percentages when choosing a transition path. Wage, growth, credentials, and personal preference matter as much as the AI score.