A median salary of $47,410 (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) for just a high school diploma doesn’t sound too bad, but this career is quickly disappearing. With the rise of online searches and bookings, the need for travel agents has been slowly dying out. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the career is projected to grow 3 percent from 2022 to 2032 (and that's thinking positively), which is about average for any career.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that postal workers make a median of about $56,510, which isn’t bad for a job that doesn’t require a college diploma. However, this may not be a very viable career for much longer. The BLS projects an 8% decrease in this career by 2032 thanks to the automated sorters and systems.
Extra, extra! Read all about it! Newspaper reporters usually have to have a bachelor’s degree, and even then, it’s growing harder and harder to actually find reporter jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there will be a 3% decline by 2032. Not to mention, the pay isn’t great, especially for someone with a degree, coming in at about $57,500.
Similar to newspaper reporters, radio and TV announcers aren’t doing so well either. Thanks to the consolidation of stations and the rise in streaming services, TV and radio announcers are seeing shrinking audiences. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts a radio or TV announcer making around $43,555 a year and a bleak projected decrease of about 4% by 2032.
Another career that doesn’t require a college degree. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates you can make about $37,570, which is on the lower end of the spectrum, but even if it’s something you want to do, this job seems to be disappearing fast. The BLS expects many of those remaining textile operator jobs to be gone by 2032. This job is increasingly becoming outsourced overseas or automated by machines.
Okay, here’s a question that’ll take you back several years: when was the last time you went to get a roll of film processed? With the rise of cell phones and digital cameras, it’s becoming easier for people to print pictures from home, leaving the jobs of photo processors to fade into obscurity. Estimates show photo processors only make about $41,900, and many opportunities will be gone by 2032.
Honestly, who would want this job, anyway? Door-to-door salespeople are some of the most despised people ever (right behind telemarketers, probably). Sure, you don’t need a college degree, but you’re barely making $28,797 a year, according to College Board. College Board also projects that this job will shrink by about -4.31% by 2025, thanks to more efficient mass marketing strategies.
All you need is a high school diploma and some on the job training to be a jeweler, and just with that, you’ll make about $47,450, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, most of these jobs are being sent overseas for cheaper labor, and the BLS estimates that jeweler jobs will decline by 3% by 2032.
You probably know these more as mobile home builders, but they were on their way to becoming obsolete. Mobile homes made up an ever-shrinking portion of the U.S. housing market. Since the late '90s, the need for mobile homes has shrunk consistently. However, the demand for those that build them is projected to slightly (2%) increase over the next four years. This is probably partially due to the demand for affordable homes in the inflated housing market. BLS estimates a $39,820 median salary.
Yet another job that only requires a high school diploma, and you make $38,980, according to BLS. However, these jobs have been hit with massive losses. Sources say the number of pharmacy aides in the U.S. will decrease by 15.6% over the next decade. It’s just not really worth it.
This job almost sounds kind of fun—who doesn’t like flowers? But maybe it’s just not worth it, even if it only requires a high school diploma. BLS reports a $34,690 median salary and the number of floral designers will shrink by about 18% by 2032. Guess no one wants to stop and smell the roses anymore.
This job almost sounds fun, right? I mean, what’s more glamorous than working at a casino? However, BLS shows that this job isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. With an average annual salary of $47,070 and a projected job growth rate of -4%, it’s almost not worth it. Most casinos are choosing to cut the cost of employees and invest in machines instead.
You’ve probably heard about Smokey the Bear, right? Too bad he’s going animatronic now. Most jobs that a forest and conservation worker conducts can now be done by new technologies, which cuts the cost for employers. BLS estimates a median salary of $33,940 and numbers will decline by a sharp 9% by 2032.
This one probably doesn’t surprise you all that much. Farmers and ranchers usually make a pretty decent amount of money, with BLS reporting an average of $83,770. However, the expected job decline is up to 5% by 2032, due to landowners replacing human employees with machines that can up production for a fraction of the cost.
A $40,540 paycheck is nothing to turn your nose up at, but according to BLS, data entry workers just aren’t that needed. BLS projects that the jobs for data entry workers will decline by 4%, mostly thanks to the rise of technology. The same source also estimates that by 2032, almost 54,000 of these workers will have lost their jobs.
Oh, the irony. You’d think that embalmers would have a steady rate of employment, seeing as hundreds of thousands of people die every day. However, that’s just not the case. BLS reports that median salaries are $60,580, but jobs are expected to grow by only 3%. A lot of this is due to the rise of cremation, a much more affordable option for most people.
According to BLS, this is a fairly niche job that just requires on-the-job experience and will pay you about $48,690 a year. However, the outlook for this job is not great. BLS notes that flooring finisher positions will only increase by 3% over the next decade.
Loggers make a decent amount of money for just needing a high school diploma, making a median of $48,910, according to BLS. However, just like many other production jobs, the need for logging workers is falling, thanks to the rise in cheaper, more efficient technology. BLS projects the need for loggers will fall by 5% over the next decade.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, taxi drivers aren’t guaranteed to make much anyway, about $35,180. Now that automated cars are on the rise, we expect to see the need for taxi drivers shrinking even more. The LA Times estimates that five million jobs will be lost to these autonomous cars in the coming years.
Forgive the pun, but time is running out for this profession. People are turning to more high-tech options or simply using their smartphones, and actual watches are just too expensive. BLS has found that watch repairers wind up making around $56,140, and the number of them is projected to shrink by -320 jobs shed by 2029 according to Recruiter.com. If this is your dream career, you might want to reconsider.
This one isn’t quite as bleak as many of the others on this list, but it’s definitely not the most viable career out there. According to BLS, bookkeepers make a median of $47,440, but the number of jobs is expected to shrink by about 6% over the next decade. It will steadily decrease with the rise of technology, making it easier for everyday consumers to access their own bank information without a bookkeeper.
So for anyone a little confused by this one, middle managers are the people who sit between the senior and junior managers. Typically, they’re the ones who usually handle paperwork and act as a channel of communication within an organization. However, they’re slowly dying out. Sure, you can make an average of $80,107 a year, according to Glassdoor, but software is quickly replacing this job.
After the Great Recession of 2008, jobs for mortgage brokers have just never been able to really recover. The current market doesn't help. Sure, you make an average of about $69,990 (according to BLS), but the job outlook is bleak. The expected outlook for this job is only a 3% increase over the next decade, so it might be wise to look elsewhere.
This one is actually kind of surprising. Technology-based jobs are booming right now, so what’s causing this one to flounder? Simple: robots. Most semiconductor companies now run primarily on automation instead of human hands, and this trend is expected to continue. ZipRecruiter estimates an average salary of $66,040, and according to Truity, this job is projected to decline 8 percent from 2018 to 2028.
Let’s be real here, is anyone really upset to hear about this? Telemarketers are insanely annoying, and thanks to the rise in online marketing (not to mention the now ubiquitous caller ID on your phone), telemarketers will soon be a thing of the past. The BLS estimates a salary of $36,680 and -20.6% employment growth between 2022 and 2032.
Looks like Sherlock Holmes might have to find himself a new career. AmoMedia says that detectives make an average salary of $74,910, which is a pretty impressive amount. However, with the rise of surveillance, spyware, and databanks, this job is projected to grow only 3 percent from 2022 to 2032.
Now, this is a super old-timey job. It seems that fewer and fewer people are going to the movies, especially with the wildly high prices of tickets and food. So those manning the equipment, like projectionists, are quickly finding themselves out of a job. Or so we thought. In a shocking revelation, it's actually projected to grow 9.50 percent over the next few years. How is this possible? We're not sure.
This one is probably the biggest surprise on this list, right? Who doesn’t dream of being a lawyer at one point or another? Especially with an average salary of $145,760, according to BLS. However, the projected growth rate just isn’t great, sitting at a measly 8%.
This is another surprising technology career that seems to be shrinking quickly. BLS says that IT support workers typically make an average salary of $60,810, which is nothing to turn your nose to. However, the projected growth rate is only 5% due to many smaller companies outsourcing to save money.
Yeah, this one was really surprising to us, too. BLS states that PCPs typically make an average of $239,200, the highest salary on this list. The projected growth for this amazing pay is only 3%. According to AmoMedia, more and more people are turning towards smaller doctors and those who can make house calls so that they can save the expensive trip to the hospital.
