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Federal data × LLM scoring

AI Career Stats

Alternative careers for Software Developers

People searching for career moves out of Software Developers 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 57/100 for Software Developers.

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 Industrial Machinery Mechanics (3% shared activities, AI risk 27, median pay $64,520). 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.

How to use this matrix

  1. Prefer matches with positive DWA overlap — those reuse skills you already practice.
  2. Check whether median pay and BLS growth are acceptable tradeoffs for lower AI exposure.
  3. Open the destination occupation’s task page to see which duties remain human-led.
  4. 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 Software Developers?

The strongest overlap in this set is Industrial Machinery Mechanics (3% shared activities, AI risk 27, median pay $64,520). Compare wage and growth before switching — a lower AI score is not automatically a raise.

How do you match alternative careers to Software Developers?

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.

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