This graph appeared in the July 27, 2017 New York Times Upshot article “Old Skills, New Careers: Workers in Fading Jobs Often Already Have What it Takes to Succeed in Growing Ones.” The article’s focus was on how workers who lost their jobs to automation leveraged their skills with some specialized training to go into complete different fields. Often this training involved computer skills, sometimes paid for by new employers. With money, effort and the political will, a transition can be made to 21st century jobs.

It is important to know which jobs are least likely to be eliminated as robots and automation replace workers. If the job you are interested in is likely to be automatable, then find other jobs on the graph that have similar characteristics. An interactive table toward the end of the article allows you to specify a job and click to get two lists: jobs that have the most and least overlap in skills with your selected job. Also, use the O*NET tools (see below) to inform you about career choices.

You may want to think critically about these additional questions.

• Notice the location on the graph of “green” jobs and of “purple” jobs. What is the story about where on the graph the “green” and the “purple” jobs are? What labor market story does this tell?

• An alternative to a long, written story about a topic is a graph that incorporates large datasets. It can clearly and quickly reveal a story. Let’s see how large this graph’s dataset is.

There are about 550 jobs shown on this graph. Each job has three variables in this scatterplot. What are they? Each job also has three characteristics listed when you click on the job. What are they? Each characteristic is based on 161 different skills. With all of these jobs and their variables, characteristics and skills, about how many data items does this dataset incorporate into this graph?

• So you want to be a (you fill your job of choice). Go to the middle of the article and see a table where you enter your preferred job and see which other jobs have the most and least skills that overlap with your preferred job. Then, note for these jobs which are most (or least) likely to be automatable. O*NET database shows how much overlap there is between many seemingly dissimilar occupations. To find out how your interests relate to occupations, go to the O*NET Interest Profiler. By responding to 60 very brief questions, the site will generate a list of careers that may meet your interests. Then use the website to learn more about the training you will need.

• There are many other resources on the O*NET website. For example, we searched for graphic designer and found lists of needed skills, education, work styles, wages and job openings. Peruse the website to research a career that interests you. Other interesting sections of the site include apprenticeships and “hot technologies.”