Ontario career library
Jobs, described honestly
Every page says what the work is really like, who tends to hate it, what Job Bank says it pays in Ontario, and exactly how people get in. Then it gives you something to go and test, because reading about a job tells you almost nothing.
16 jobs so far
Grouped by the kind of work, not by salary
These are the same six groups Future Finder scores you into, so your snapshot points straight at the ones worth your time.
Building & Making
hands-on work — making, fixing, building, tools, machines
- WelderJoining metal so it holds, usually to a drawing, usually to a tolerance somebody will inspect.$28.00/hr median in Ontario
- Agricultural equipment technicianKeeping combines, tractors and sprayers running — increasingly with a laptop in one hand — usually against a weather deadline.$35.00/hr median in Ontario
- CarpenterBuilding the structure of things out of wood and steel, to a drawing, outdoors, in whatever the weather is doing.$32.00/hr median in Ontario
- Truck driverMoving freight long distances alone, to a schedule, under rules about how long you are allowed to drive.$26.00/hr median in Ontario
Analyzing & Problem-solving
figuring things out — research, numbers, technical problems
- Software developerWriting and fixing the instructions behind an app or a system, mostly by reading other people's code and working out why it is wrong.$56.73/hr median in Ontario
- Civil engineerDesigning the things everybody uses and nobody thinks about — roads, bridges, water, foundations — and being legally responsible when they fail.$48.08/hr median in Ontario
Creating & Designing
visual and creative work — design, video, writing, spaces
- Graphic designerMaking things people need to understand look clear and feel right, usually to somebody else's brief and somebody else's deadline.$32.69/hr median in Ontario
- Marketing specialistGetting the right people to notice something and act on it, then proving with numbers whether it worked.$37.02/hr median in Ontario
Helping & Teaching
people-first work — teaching, caring, coaching, support
- Registered nurseAssessing and caring for patients, catching the thing that is going wrong before it becomes an emergency, on your feet for twelve hours.$42.00/hr median in Ontario
- TeacherGetting thirty people who did not choose to be there to learn something, five times a day, and marking it afterwards.$48.08/hr median in Ontario
- Police officerGoing to the calls nobody else will go to, mostly talking people down, and writing up every bit of it afterwards.$50.55/hr median in Ontario
- Personal support workerDoing the daily, intimate, physical work of caring for people who cannot manage alone — and often being the person they talk to most.$22.00/hr median in Ontario
Leading & Selling
persuading and driving — pitching, selling, leading, starting things
- Business ownerFinding people with a problem, solving it for money, and being the last person responsible when anything goes wrong.No wage figure — and the page says why
- Real estate salespersonFinding people who are about to move, earning their trust, and being paid only when a deal actually closes.$62,400 a year median in Ontario
Organizing & Managing
keeping things running — plans, details, schedules, systems
- AccountantMaking sure a business's numbers are true, explaining what they mean, and being the person who notices the thing that does not add up.$40.87/hr median in Ontario
- Logistics coordinatorBeing the person who knows where everything is, what is late, and what happens next — and fixing it before anyone else notices.$29.74/hr median in Ontario
How these are written
Three rules, so you can trust the pages
Every wage is Job Bank's own Ontario figure, quoted exactly, with the period it describes and the date it was last updated — and a link so you can check us. Where there is no reliable figure, the page says so instead of guessing.
Every page has a list of the people who should not do this job. A careers page with no downside is an advert, and you can tell, which is why nobody believes them.
Each page ends in an experiment you can finish in an evening, alone, for nothing. A result is not a decision. Get close to the work and find out.
Also worth reading
The guides behind the choice
University, college or apprenticeship How to become an electrician What to do after high school Careers that match your strengths All careers guides
This library is being written one job at a time rather than generated, because the honest half cannot be generated. If a job you want is missing, tell us which one and it moves up the list.