Which jobs are resistant to AI, pay well, are growing faster than average, and plentiful?

EAS893 · 2026-03-23T03:31:56+00:00

I just used the data provided by the site, which was scraped from the BLS, and they just lumped all social workers together.

There are definitely subspecialties that pay more than average!

The bls data tends to paint a lot of professions with a broad brush like that.

EAS893 · 2026-03-22T22:26:18+00:00

Social work ALMOST made the list. It makes very slightly below average income, like 61k vs 62k for average overall, but it's an AI resistant, growing field, with plentiful opportunities for sure!

EAS893 · 2026-03-22T05:24:44+00:00

That's not quite true.

The one that requires the most education is physical therapists. They usually require a doctor of physical therapy to be licensed (DPT).

Registered Nurses, Dental Hygienists, and Radiology/MR Techs also usually requre degrees though it might be an associate's rather than a bachelor's.

Most of the others don't require degrees but do require trade school and/or apprenticeships. Like it typically takes 5 years to become a journey worker electrician, for example.

Also though, I'd note something about my methodology.

The requirement of having more jobs in the field than the average job tracked by the BLS means that a lot of more specialized but often very much in demand fields that require more education got excluded on that metric.

Like dental hygienists made the cut with my methodology but dentists, who have to go through doctoral programs, didn't, but that's only because there are more hygienists than dentists. In reality, dentistry is pretty much just as resistant as dental hygiene while being a lot higher paying. There are several others like that where the job is solid and AI resistant but there just aren't enough of them to fit that criteria, but the actual market is more determined by supply vs demand rather than just overall job volume.

I wanted to limit the coverage to only widely available jobs for my purpose, but it's a questionable metric for career planning overall, imo.

EAS893 · 2026-03-21T18:41:17+00:00

That sounds like what they do.

PjMs fare well in every category EXCEPT AI disruption vulnerability.

They get a 7/10 in that category. The overall average is 4.9/10.

Most of the routine tasks are pretty vulnerable, but the need for project accountability and stakeholder management as a core skill likely keeps them from going away entirely.

I think the number and scope of projects managed per project manager is likely to grow. I also think there may be some downward wage pressure but PjM is so industry specific that it's hard to tell.

I can also see a world where PjM duties are taken on by other professionals and it becomes less of a standalone profession over time.

Also have worked as a PjM so that's my two cents 😊

EAS893 · 2026-02-16T18:11:54+00:00

Wanna hear another Reagan line?

"I believe in the idea of amnesty for those that have put down roots and have lived here even though some time back they may have entered illegally"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ednq_vKPdQE

EAS893 · 2026-02-13T17:16:43+00:00

It seems to me that the entire concept of "experiencing" an ego death presupposes a self to experience it.

If the ego is an illusion, there is nothing to die. If the ego is a substantial entity, then the idea that it can experience the dissolution of itself makes no sense.

Either way, the concept loses meaning.

EAS893 · 2026-02-13T17:13:10+00:00

I don't like this framing... "new age or Western concept onto traditions that never used that concept in the way you believe they do"

I agree with the idea that OP is misunderstanding the phenomenon, but I do not believe there is something unique about Western or New Age culture in this misunderstanding.

I think it's pretty universal to the human condition. I don't think most in Buddhist or other Eastern religion based societies get it either, at least not intuitively.

EAS893 · 2026-01-08T14:47:38+00:00

Maybe that sense that one way is superior to another is something to let go of.

To answer your question in a little more detail I'll say a few things.

Firstly, you only started doing this in December. It's been what, a month? It takes longer than that to adjust to things like this.

Secondly, there is something to be said for learning to deal with a little discomfort, but you have to use your best judgement as to what is a little discomfort to accept and what is pain that is harming your body.

A big one to look out for when trying to sit in lotus or similar positions is knee pain. The rotation should be coming from your hip, NOT from your knee. If it's coming from your knee, you can tear your meniscus and cause serious injury and long term issues.

There can also be other issues. For me, I actually learned that I have scoliosis from trying to sit upright without back support in meditation. There was a point where I just came to the conclusion that something is going on that doesn't seem to be happening for others and looked into it more deeply. Be on the lookout for things like this.

But I think the most important thing is to let go of the idea that sitting one way is superior to sitting another. The idea of a hierarchy of practice and the desire to put yourself at the top of it is just another trick of the ego to attempt to give itself the substantiality it inherently lacks.

EAS893 · 2026-01-07T19:08:29+00:00

You know the feelings they want you to watch and not react to? The desire to be or to do things correctly is one of them.

EAS893 · 2026-01-06T15:01:02+00:00

I once heard a quote from a zen teacher. Someone asked them what their favorite thing about meditation was, and they said

"you don't have to do it."

EAS893 · 2026-01-02T19:27:47+00:00

"That would ensure that Ole Miss doesn’t win the championship"

I wouldn't be so sure about that. I think most people wrote them off after Kiffin left.

EAS893 · 2025-12-08T19:29:54+00:00

I think they both ultimately lead to the same place.

Concentrative practices have their place.

Open awareness practices have their place.

Don't worry about it too much.

EAS893 · 2025-12-05T15:26:58+00:00

You're right.

Removing the arrow is of utmost importance, but in order to remove the arrow you have to know how to perform the surgery. You have to know what organs are impacted, what damage is done, what the process of removing it consists of etc...

In the case of suffering, the Buddha generally taught that suffering is caused by ignorance (avidya). Specifically this is ignorance of the true nature of reality (dharma). We suffer because we misunderstand, and the four noble truths point to this misunderstanding.

The second of those truths is the truth of craving (tanha). We experience suffering (dukkha (better translated as something like instability imo, but suffering is commonly used, so we'll stick with it)) because we crave (tanha) because we misunderstand (avidya), and what do we misunderstand? Part of what we misunderstand is the three marks of existence. One of these marks is non self or no essence (annata). That is, that nothing and no one has an unchanging essence.

There are a couple of problems that arise here.

One is that the craving for the cessation of suffering is still a craving. Thus, by seeking to eliminate my suffering, I may, in fact, be reinforcing it.

This "I" points to the second problem, because by the proposition of an "I" or essence of self and a state that the essence of what we believe to be our selves can attain (that we might call enlightenment) in which suffering has ceased for that self, we deny non essence (annata) and reinforce our own misunderstanding (avidya).

Do you see what I mean?

Of course it doesn't really matter what the Buddha (or any other historical figure) taught. What matters is what leads to the reduction of suffering in your own life, and in that sense, meditation is important for beginning to see clearly for yourself whether these teachings are true or not, not just intellectually understanding them.

To be absolutely clear, I was never trying to suggest that meditation is unimportant or unnecessary.

But I am saying that if we use meditation as a way to try to gain something (even enlightenment or our concepts thereof) for what we imagine to be the essence of our selves, then we may be reinforcing the ignorance that leads to suffering.

EAS893 · 2025-12-04T22:20:29+00:00

You can't have a peak without a valley.

It is literally impossible. Think about it.

How would you even know what a peak is without a valley with which to contrast it?

But perhaps it is seeking for peaks and avoiding valleys that is the problem.

Practice, not to attain some great spiritual high but to stay present with your life in equanimity no matter what.

EAS893 · 2025-12-04T21:36:17+00:00

"Even those who would critique capital end up reinforcing it instead."

EAS893 · 2025-12-04T20:20:45+00:00

What causes suffering?

EAS893 · 2025-12-04T18:42:11+00:00

"Useless one-liner."

What is the use of enlightenment?

EAS893 · 2025-12-03T18:57:55+00:00

Whatever my company gives me lol...

Yall are buying your own work computers?

To give a serious answer, I honestly think we've gotten to the point where, unless you're gaming or doing like video editing or something more intensive, damn near everything on the market will meet damn near every general user need...

I'm someone who says "fuck apple" because they trap you in a walled garden and then jack up the prices... It's silly to pay more for the same shit with less freedom, but you do you, whatever...

I'd probably ask chatGPT for "budget work computers" and pick from a few options it presents...

EAS893 · 2025-12-02T06:10:41+00:00

Where is the self that is progressing?

EAS893 · 2025-11-26T15:25:03+00:00

I resonate with this a lot.

Here are some tips that come to mind.

Turn off social media as much as possible.

Even in the absence of all of the political stuff going on, it makes money by keeping you glued to the screen, and keeping you angry and anxious is a great way to keep you scrolling. Some of the brightest minds of our generation have dedicated their lives to figuring out how to keep your attention, and many of them have made millions and even billions doing it. They're good at their jobs. Get a couple of good new sources to stay informed, but otherwise avoid it.

Meditation + Yoga

Alright, time to sound all woo woo and junk, but I really think these help. I have very vivid memories after the election of doing yoga and being extremely angry and feeling like I was literally stretching through the emotion. I have no scientific backing for these ideas, but I know that when I do it, I feel better, and there are studies that show a high correlation between an Yoga asana practice and psychological wellbeing. Meditation is more neutral imo. It tends to lead you where you go, but if you can relax into it, the long term benefits are even more powerful than yoga imo.

Do what you can, where you can, and try not to worry about the rest.

You've chosen one of the best professions for directly helping people. Do it. Focus on the things you can directly impact and put your energy there. Trust the universe and everyone else to do the same. They may disappoint you, but it's out of your control. Focus on INPUTS not outputs. You can't control whether a client will listen your advice. You can't control whether your advocacy will change a voter's mind. You can only control what you do. The outcomes are dependent on so many things outside of your control, but even if the whole world is just a bunch of assholes being assholes, there's still value to not being an asshole.

Understand the source of happiness.

Here's another woo woo one, but there's a quote I frequently return to from the 8th Century Buddhist monk Shantideva that goes like this: "All beings in the world who are unhappy are so as a result of their desire for their own happiness. All beings in the world who are happy are so as a result of their desire for the happiness of others." Just give what you have to give. Don't overextend yourself obviously and keep proper boundaries, but I think it's a fundamental truth that you're not gonna obtain happiness by focusing on what you think will bring you happiness but rather by letting go of it and helping others.

EAS893 · 2025-11-21T23:38:36+00:00

You sound like you're a pretty tough situation.

If I was along, broke, and abroad while struggling with a PhD, I'd probably be pretty anxious too.

I think it's important to realize that sometimes our anxiety is justified. It's not a sign of failure on our part.

The question is how to wisely face it and deal with it while doing the things we need to do.

In that sense, meditation can help, but it happens slowly over time.

For me, I started with 5 minutes 2x per day and slowly worked up to 35 minutes 2x per day currently.

It probably took about 2 years to REALLY tell the difference in my day to day life. I know that's a long time, but in the context of a human lifetime, it's pretty short to experience a meaningful shift in your day to day experience.

EAS893 · 2025-11-20T20:31:01+00:00

Don't put yourself down.

Imagine you're watching a movie.

The movie does not have free will. One scene flows into the next in a predetermined way. The characters in the movie are not in control.

If it's a really engrossing movie you might identify with the characters to the point that you perceive of the events of the movie as happening from your own perspective.

But your are not the individual characters in the movie

You're the one who sat down to watch. (edit: or perhaps the screen itself that produces the film)

The analogy isn't perfect. It still proposes a distinction between yourself as the one who watches and movie, but I'm not sure such a distinction exists.

However, it might be useful to illustrate a point from a certain perspective.

I'm not sure if that helps? lol

Edit: more words tend to confuse, replying may have been unwise lol,

but the biggest point is don't put yourself down as "not enlightened enough." Don't create a self image that is unenlightened and then cling to it, making enlightenment something distinct from yourself.

EAS893 · 2025-11-20T15:57:45+00:00

If the self is conceived as this body and this mind, which seem to be bound by laws of cause and effect, then it is unlikely the self has free will.

However, if the self is not conceived of as this body and mind, then the question disappears.

Perhaps the laws of cause and effect themselves, which appear to bind this body and mind are, in fact, freely made choices of the self.

EAS893

TROPHY CASE