0 Industry Links  | updated May 23, 2026

Find Your Path in Skilled, AI-Resistant Trades

Explore practical vocations, compare their automation resistance index (ARI™), and follow their roadmap towards a successful AI resistant career.

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Explore AI Resistant Trades

Explore practical, artificial intelligence resistant trades with clear roadmaps. Not sure of your path? Take our quick 1-min quiz

Energy / Utilities

Solar Installer

Solar installers assemble, install, maintain, and troubleshoot solar photovoltaic systems on rooftops, ground mounts, and commercial sites, combining electrical, construction, safety, and renewable energy skills.
3.7 ARI™ Hybrid Licensing
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Healthcare

Licensed Practical Nurse

Licensed practical nurses provide basic nursing care under the direction of registered nurses, physicians, or other healthcare professionals. LPNs may monitor patients, assist with daily care, administer medications where allowed, document patient status, and support care teams in hospitals, long-term care, clinics, home health, and rehabilitation settings.
4.4 ARI™ State Licensed
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Healthcare

Registered Nurse

Registered nurses provide and coordinate patient care, assess patient conditions, administer treatments, educate patients and families, document care, and work with physicians and healthcare teams in hospitals, clinics, long-term care, home health, and community settings.
4.6 ARI™ State Licensed
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Skilled Trade

Electrician

Electricians install, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair electrical power, lighting, communications, and control systems in homes, commercial buildings.
4.0 ARI™ State Licensed
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Healthcare

Home Health Aide

Home health aides assist older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals recovering from illness by helping with daily living tasks, mobility, companionship, and supportive care within home environments.
4.1 ARI™ State & Employer-Based
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Skilled Trade

Welder

Welders join, repair, and fabricate metal structures, components, and systems using high-heat processes across industries such as construction, manufacturing, shipbuilding.
3.9 ARI™ Employer-Based
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Field Services

Pest Control Technician

Pest control technicians, often called exterminators, inspect homes and businesses, identify pest problems, apply treatments, set traps or bait systems, seal entry points, document service work, and help customers prevent future infestations. The work combines field diagnostics, safety, customer service, chemical handling, and state-regulated training.
4.2 ARI™ State Licensed
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Manufacturing

CNC Machinist

CNC machinists set up, operate, adjust, and inspect computer-controlled machines that cut and shape metal, plastic, and other materials into precise parts used in manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, medical, and industrial equipment.
3.5 ARI™ Employer-Based
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Building Systems

HVAC Technician

HVAC technicians install, maintain, diagnose, and repair heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems in homes, commercial buildings.
4.1 ARI™ State Licensed
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Construction

Heavy Equipment Operator

Heavy equipment operators control machinery such as bulldozers, excavators, loaders, graders, cranes, rollers, and backhoes to move earth, build roads, prepare sites, and support construction, infrastructure, mining, utility, and industrial projects.
4.1 ARI™ Employer-Based
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Mechanical / Technical

Diesel Mechanic

Diesel mechanics inspect, maintain, diagnose, and repair diesel-powered trucks, buses, heavy equipment, generators, agricultural machinery, and more.
4.1 ARI™ Employer-Based
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Skilled Trade

Carpenter

Carpenters build, install, repair, and shape structures and fixtures made from wood, engineered materials, and other construction components across residential, commercial, and industrial projects.
3.9 ARI™ Employer-Based
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Construction

Roofer

Roofers install, repair, and replace roofing systems on residential and commercial buildings, working with materials such as shingles, metal, tile, and flat roofing systems to protect structures from weather and environmental damage.
3.7 ARI™ Employer-Based
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Transportation

Commercial Truck Driver

Commercial truck drivers transport goods across cities, regions, and states using large vehicles such as tractor-trailers. Roles range from long-haul over-the-road driving to local delivery and specialized transport.
3.6 ARI™ State Licensed
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Healthcare

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses who assess patients, diagnose conditions, order and interpret tests, prescribe medications where authorized, manage treatment plans, educate patients, and provide primary or specialty care in clinics, hospitals, urgent care, telehealth, and community health settings.
4.4 ARI™ Advanced State Licensed
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Building Systems

Facilities Maintenance Technician

Facilities maintenance technicians maintain and repair commercial, residential, industrial, healthcare, educational, and public buildings by handling a wide variety of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, and preventative maintenance tasks.
4.1 ARI™ Employer & Trade-Based
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Outdoor / Environmental

Landscape Technician

Landscape technicians design, install, and maintain outdoor spaces including lawns, gardens, hardscapes, irrigation systems, and property features for residential, commercial, and public environments.
4.3 ARI™ Contractor-Based
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Aviation Technical

Aircraft Maintenance Technician

Aircraft maintenance technicians inspect, maintain, troubleshoot, repair, and document work on aircraft structures, engines, mechanical systems, electrical systems, and components. The work is safety-critical, highly regulated, hands-on, and centered around precision, diagnostics, and FAA certification pathways.
4.8 ARI™ Federal Certification
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Skilled Trade

Plumber

Plumbers install, maintain, diagnose, and repair water, drainage, gas, fixture, and piping systems in homes, commercial buildings.
4.1 ARI™ State Licensed
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Public Safety

Law Enforcement Officer

Law enforcement officers protect lives and property, respond to emergency and nonemergency calls, patrol communities, investigate incidents, enforce laws, write reports, and work with the public in highly variable real-world situations.
4.6 ARI™ Agency / Academy-Based
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Construction

Mason

Masons build, repair, and restore structures using brick, block, stone, concrete, and other masonry materials for buildings, walls, chimneys, foundations, walkways, and architectural features.
3.9 ARI™ Contractor-Based
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Mechanical / Technical

Auto Technician

Auto technicians inspect, diagnose, maintain, and repair cars and light trucks, working with engines, brakes, electrical systems, drivetrains, sensors, software, and increasingly hybrid or electric vehicle systems.
4.1 ARI™ Employer-Based
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Building Systems

Elevator Mechanic / Installer

Elevator mechanics and installers install, maintain, troubleshoot, modernize, and repair elevators, escalators, moving walkways, lifts, and related control systems. The work combines mechanical systems, electrical controls, safety codes, physical fieldwork, and high-responsibility troubleshooting.
4.8 ARI™ State / Local Licensed
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Personal Services

Hair Stylist / Cosmetologist

Hair stylists and cosmetologists provide hands-on personal care services including hair cutting, styling, coloring, chemical treatments, shampooing, client consultation, and salon services. The work combines technical skill, creativity, customer service, and state licensing.
4.6 ARI™ State Licensed
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Energy / Utilities

Power Lineworker

Power lineworkers install, maintain, inspect, and repair overhead and underground electrical power lines, utility equipment, poles, transformers, and distribution systems that keep communities connected to the electrical grid.
4.1 ARI™ Employer-Based
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What is ARI™?

ARI™ — the Automation Resistance Index — estimates how resistant a vocation is to artificial intelligence based on physical presence, manual skill, human judgment, licensing barriers, and automation feasibility.

The goal is not to predict the future perfectly. The goal is to help people understand which careers still depend heavily on real-world human skill.

*ARI™ is a directional score, not a guarantee. It is designed to compare how much a career still depends on physical skill, judgment, licensing, and real-world variability.

High Physical Skill 5/5

Human Judgment 4/5

Automation Resistance Very High

Every state is different

Licensing rules can change dramatically by state. Some states license individual tradespeople, some license contractors, and some leave much of the process to local cities or counties.

Pick a Trade to See State Requirements

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Training Program Insights

Based on publicly listed training programs aggregated by TakeAVocation.

Top States for Training Programs

  • AL 771
  • AZ 695
  • CA 651
  • GA 562
  • IA 553

Most Common Training Categories