← Career City
Your binder
One card for every job you have turned up and done. Tap a card to read the back — what a day looks like, what it takes to get there, and the part nobody warns you about.
0 of 100 career cards
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Health Science
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There is a paramedic in this city you have not met.
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Paramedic
- A day
- Check the ambulance before you drive it — oxygen, drugs, the defibrillator. Finding an empty cylinder at 3am is too late. · A call comes in. You know the street, the age and one sentence. Everything else you find out when the door opens.
- Tools
- Defibrillator, Oxygen and mask, Blood pressure cuff, Spinal board
- How you get there
- A paramedic degree, or start as an ambulance care assistant and train on the job. · Three to five years after school, and you can be earning during most of it.
- First job: Emergency care assistant, driving and assisting a qualified paramedic.
- The hardest part
- Deciding who waits. You will treat someone who is quiet and walk past someone who is screaming, and you have to be right.
- Next tier needs
- Reads a chart
- You can pull a number off a table or graph without being talked through it.
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There is a surgical nurse in this city you have not met.
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Surgical Nurse
- A day
- You read the list for the day and lay out a different set of instruments for each operation. · You scrub in — a routine so exact that a single touch of your own face sends you back to the start.
- Tools
- Instrument tray, Sterile gown and gloves, Swab count board, Suction
- How you get there
- Qualify as a nurse first, then specialise in theatre practice on the job. · Three years to qualify, then one to two more to specialise.
- First job: Newly qualified nurse on a ward, before moving into theatres.
- The hardest part
- The count. If the number at the end does not match the number at the start, nobody leaves that room until it does — and it is your name on the board.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a pharmacist in this city you have not met.
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Pharmacist
- A day
- You check prescriptions against the patient's record, looking for the thing the doctor could not have known. · You explain to someone how to actually take the medicine, which is where most treatments fail.
- Tools
- Patient record system, Dispensing labels, Measuring cylinder, Formulary
- How you get there
- A pharmacy degree, then a paid pre-registration year, then a registration exam. · About five years after school.
- First job: Pre-registration pharmacist, working under a qualified one for a year.
- The hardest part
- Saying no, out loud, to a doctor who wrote it and a customer who wants it — while the queue behind them watches you do it.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a diagnostic radiographer in this city you have not met.
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Diagnostic Radiographer
- A day
- You check the request before the patient: who they are, which side, and whether anyone has asked for the wrong limb entirely. · You position a person who is in pain into a shape a machine can see through, and you do it without hurting them more.
- Tools
- X-ray tube and detector, Lead apron and shielding, The imaging request, Positioning sponges
- How you get there
- A three-year degree in diagnostic radiography, with placements in a real department from the first year. · Three years to qualify and register, then a year or two before you are trusted on nights alone.
- First job: Band 5 rotational radiographer — you go wherever the rota needs you, which is how you learn everything.
- The hardest part
- Asking somebody with a broken arm to move it again because your first image was not good enough. They are allowed to be angry with you. A blurred picture is a missed fracture, so you ask anyway.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a sonographer in this city you have not met.
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Sonographer
- A day
- You scan in a dimmed room with the door shut, because the image only reads properly in low light and the conversation needs privacy. · You are looking and deciding at the same time. There is no film to send away — the diagnosis happens under your hand.
- Tools
- Ultrasound probe, Warm gel, The machine's own controls, Measurement callipers
- How you get there
- A postgraduate qualification in medical ultrasound, done while working in a department. · Three years to the first qualification, then eighteen months to two years of ultrasound training on top.
- First job: Trainee sonographer — scanning under supervision with every image double-checked.
- The hardest part
- Knowing before the patient does, and holding your face still. You can see there is no heartbeat, and it is not your job to say it first — but you are the one in the room while they are still hopeful.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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Midwife
- A day
- You take over a labour at handover and spend the first twenty minutes working out for yourself whether you agree with the last person's picture of it. · Most of the hours are watching, timing, listening and writing down — the actual delivery is a small fraction of the shift.
- Tools
- Pinard or doppler, The partogram, Blood pressure cuff, Scales
- How you get there
- A three-year midwifery degree with about half the time spent on placement, then registration. · Three years to qualify; most midwives say two more before they feel genuinely safe alone.
- First job: Newly qualified midwife on a rotation through antenatal, labour ward and community.
- The hardest part
- Being the person who says something is wrong when everyone in the room, including the mother, wants you to be wrong. You would rather be embarrassed than late.
- Next tier needs
- Keeps a record
- You write down what happened while you still remember it exactly.
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There is a mental health nurse in this city you have not met.
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Mental Health Nurse
- A day
- Handover, and you listen for what changed overnight rather than what stayed the same. · You spend an hour with one person because that hour is the treatment, not a break from it.
- Tools
- Risk assessment, Care plan, The ward round, De-escalation training
- How you get there
- A three-year nursing degree in the mental health field, then registration. · Three years to qualify; the de-escalation and risk judgement take several more.
- First job: Band 5 staff nurse on an acute admissions ward.
- The hardest part
- Being the person somebody is furious with, and staying warm anyway. You cannot take it personally, and you also cannot pretend it is not happening.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a district nurse in this city you have not met.
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District Nurse
- A day
- You plan a round of eight or nine visits and it stops matching reality at the second house. · You dress a wound kneeling on somebody's carpet, with the dog watching and the television on.
- Tools
- The nursing bag, Dressings and a sterile field on a tray, Syringe driver, A phone with no signal upstairs
- How you get there
- A specialist practitioner qualification in district nursing, usually part-time while working. · Three years to register, two or three in a ward, then a year of specialist training.
- First job: Community staff nurse on a district nursing team, visiting under supervision.
- The hardest part
- You are a guest. You cannot order anything, you cannot move anyone, and if somebody refuses treatment in their own home they are usually entitled to.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a occupational therapist in this city you have not met.
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Occupational Therapist
- A day
- You watch somebody make a cup of tea, and that tells you more than an hour of questions would. · You measure a doorway, because a wheelchair that does not fit through it is not a solution.
- Tools
- Tape measure, Perching stool and raised seat, Kitchen assessment, Equipment catalogue
- How you get there
- A three-year occupational therapy degree with placements, then registration. · Three years to qualify, then a rotation of a year or two to find your area.
- First job: Band 5 rotational OT — hospital wards, community, mental health in turn.
- The hardest part
- People do not want the equipment. Accepting it means accepting something about themselves, and no amount of being right about the stairs changes that.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a speech & language therapist in this city you have not met.
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Speech & Language Therapist
- A day
- You play on the floor with a three-year-old for forty minutes, and every single game is an assessment. · You watch an adult drink a teaspoon of water and decide whether they are allowed to eat lunch.
- Tools
- Picture cards and toys, Swallow assessment, Communication aids, A mirror
- How you get there
- A three- or four-year degree in speech and language therapy, then registration. · Three to four years to qualify, then a couple of years to specialise in adults or children.
- First job: Newly qualified SLT on a community caseload, usually with children.
- The hardest part
- Telling a parent their child's speech is not just late. They came hoping you would say it was fine, and you have to be honest and still leave them able to cope.
- Next tier needs
- Explains it clearly
- You can tell a worried person what is happening in words they have.
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There is a dietitian in this city you have not met.
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Dietitian
- A day
- You calculate a feed for somebody who cannot eat at all, in millilitres per hour, and get it checked. · You sit with a teenager with diabetes who has been told what to eat by six people and listened to none of them.
- Tools
- Nutritional assessment, Feed charts and pumps, Blood results, Food diaries
- How you get there
- A three- or four-year dietetics degree with hospital placements, then registration. · Three to four years to qualify, then a year or two before you run a caseload alone.
- First job: Band 5 dietitian rotating through wards, outpatients and community.
- The hardest part
- Being the profession everybody thinks they could do. You are competing with a phone full of confident strangers, and you have to be more interesting than they are.
- Next tier needs
- Reads a chart
- You can pull a number off a table or graph without being talked through it.
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There is a physiotherapist in this city you have not met.
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Physiotherapist
- A day
- You assess before you treat, every time, because the pain is often not coming from where it hurts. · You put your hands on a joint and feel what it will and will not do before you ask the person anything.
- Tools
- Plinth, Goniometer, Resistance bands, Ultrasound and taping
- How you get there
- A three-year physiotherapy degree with clinical placements, then registration. · Three years to qualify, then a rotation of two years through wards, outpatients and respiratory.
- First job: Band 5 rotational physiotherapist — you do everything, including chest physio at three in the morning.
- The hardest part
- People want you to fix them and most of the work is theirs. You can be excellent for forty minutes a week and it will not outrun what happens in the other hundred and sixty-seven hours.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a phlebotomist in this city you have not met.
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Phlebotomist
- A day
- You start at half past seven because the ward bloods have to be in the lab before the doctors' round. · You find a vein on somebody who has been told all their life that they have none.
- Tools
- Tourniquet, Butterfly and vacutainer needles, Alcohol wipes, Tube rack in draw order
- How you get there
- On-the-job training and a competency assessment — usually a few weeks, then supervised practice. · Weeks to start, about six months before difficult veins stop frightening you.
- First job: Trainee phlebotomist in an outpatient clinic, working up to wards and children.
- The hardest part
- Missing. You have one go at somebody's arm in front of them, they are frightened, and if it does not work you have to say so and ask to try again.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a dental hygienist in this city you have not met.
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Dental Hygienist
- A day
- You read the medical history before you pick anything up, because half of it changes what you are allowed to do. · You work in a space the size of a matchbox, upside down, in a mirror.
- Tools
- Mirror and probe, Ultrasonic scaler, Hand scalers, Polishing cup
- How you get there
- A two- or three-year diploma or degree in dental hygiene and therapy, then registration. · Two to three years to qualify; most work chairside from the first month of training.
- First job: Hygienist in a general dental practice, usually working across two or three dentists' lists.
- The hardest part
- Telling people the truth about their own habits, weekly, without becoming somebody they dread. Shame makes people stop coming, and the ones who stop coming are the ones who lose teeth.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a audiologist in this city you have not met.
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Audiologist
- A day
- You test a newborn before they leave hospital, because hearing loss found in the first weeks changes a whole childhood. · You sit in a soundproof booth with an eighty-year-old who has been insisting for three years that everyone mumbles.
- Tools
- Otoscope, Soundproof booth and audiometer, Bone conductor, Real-ear measurement probe
- How you get there
- A healthcare science degree in audiology, or a postgraduate route, then registration. · Three to four years to qualify; paediatric and implant work take several years more.
- First job: Trainee or band 5 audiologist doing adult assessment and hearing aid fitting.
- The hardest part
- Hearing loss is invisible and slow, so people arrive three years late, having already been told by their family that they do not listen. You are usually dealing with a relationship before you deal with an ear.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a sterile services technician in this city you have not met.
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Sterile Services Technician
- A day
- Trays come back from theatre still bloody, and you work in the dirty room in full protection. · You inspect every hinge and every serration under a lamp, because one speck left on means the whole cycle achieved nothing.
- Tools
- Washer-disinfector, Inspection lamp and magnifier, Tray lists, Autoclave
- How you get there
- On-the-job training plus a decontamination qualification, often a level 2 or 3 award. · A few months to work a bench, two years to run a section and sign off loads.
- First job: Trainee technician on the washing and inspection bench.
- The hardest part
- Nobody thanks you and nobody sees it. The entire measure of doing this job well is that nothing happens, and the only time anyone learns your department's name is when something has gone wrong.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a healthcare assistant in this city you have not met.
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Healthcare Assistant
- A day
- You wash, feed and move people, and you do it in a way that leaves them their dignity or you do not do it properly. · You take observations on a dozen patients and you are the one who sees the number that does not fit.
- Tools
- Observation machine, Slide sheet and hoist, Food and fluid charts, Washing trolley
- How you get there
- Care Certificate in the first weeks, then on-the-job competencies for observations and moving people. · Weeks to start, and many HCAs go on to a nursing apprenticeship or degree from here.
- First job: Healthcare assistant on a ward — this IS the entry point, and it is a real one.
- The hardest part
- Being treated as the bottom of the pile while doing the most intimate work on the ward. Speaking up about a patient when the person you are speaking to is busy and senior takes real nerve.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a organ donation specialist nurse in this city you have not met.
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Organ Donation Specialist Nurse
- A day
- You are called in overnight, and you read everything about the patient before you meet anybody. · You wait. You do not raise donation until the family has understood and accepted that the person has died.
- Tools
- The donor record, National register check, A quiet room, Time
- How you get there
- Specialist training in organ donation, communication and the law after several years in practice. · Three years to register, five or more in critical care, then specialist training.
- First job: Critical care nurse — this role is never a first job and could not be.
- The hardest part
- Separating the two conversations. A family cannot consider donation while they are still hoping, and rushing that for the sake of a retrieval window is both cruel and the fastest way to get a refusal.
- Next tier needs
- Explains it clearly
- You can tell a worried person what is happening in words they have.
Hospitality & Tourism
0 / 19 collected?
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Chef
- A day
- You read the bookings and work out what tonight actually needs — not what the menu says, what the tables ordered last Friday. · Prep. Hours of it. Stock on, sauces down, everything portioned into the exact spot your hands will reach for at 8pm.
- Tools
- Chef's knife, Sharpening steel, Blast chiller, Probe thermometer
- How you get there
- A catering course, or a commis chef apprenticeship — most chefs learn on the line. · Two to four years to run a section. Longer to run a kitchen.
- First job: Commis chef — prep, plating and being shouted at by the clock.
- The hardest part
- Timing. Anyone can cook one plate well. Cooking eight plates so they are all ready at the same moment is the actual job, and it cannot be rushed at the end.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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Barista
- A day
- You open up, switch the machine on an hour early because it needs to be properly hot, and dial in the grinder. · The morning rush: forty minutes where you are making, taking money and remembering four orders at once.
- Tools
- Espresso machine, Grinder, Tamper, Milk jug
- How you get there
- On the job, plus barista courses once you are serious about it. · Weeks to be useful, a year or two to be genuinely good.
- First job: Café assistant — tills, tables and clearing, before you are let near the machine.
- The hardest part
- Being fast without going quiet. The queue wants speed, but people came to a café instead of a machine because someone spoke to them.
- Next tier needs
- Handles money
- You can give change and check a total without a calculator.
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There is a hotel housekeeper in this city you have not met.
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Hotel Housekeeper
- A day
- You get the sheet: which rooms are leaving, which are staying, and which have someone arriving at two. · You plan the order before you touch a trolley, because walking the corridor twice costs you a room.
- Tools
- Housekeeping trolley, Room list, Colour-coded cloths, Vacuum
- How you get there
- On the job, usually shadowing an experienced housekeeper for a week or two. · Days to start, a few months to reach full speed.
- First job: Room attendant on a fixed floor.
- The hardest part
- The order. Get it wrong and a guest arrives at two to a room that is not ready, and no amount of good cleaning fixes that moment.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a hotel duty manager in this city you have not met.
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Hotel Duty Manager
- A day
- You take handover and read the whole day backwards — who complained, what broke, who is arriving that matters. · You walk the building rather than sit in the office, because problems are visible an hour before anyone reports them.
- Tools
- Property management system, Master key, The night report, A radio
- How you get there
- Mostly on the job; a hospitality management qualification speeds it up but is not required. · Two to four years from the front desk, depending on how much the property lets you decide.
- First job: Receptionist or guest services agent — the desk is where you learn the building.
- The hardest part
- There is nobody above you at night. Every decision that would normally go up the chain stops with you, and you make it with the information you have at the time.
- Next tier needs
- Explains it clearly
- You can tell a worried person what is happening in words they have.
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There is a head housekeeper in this city you have not met.
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Head Housekeeper
- A day
- You build the boards before anyone arrives: who cleans which rooms, in which order, and which ones cannot wait. · The plan survives until the first early arrival rings down at ten past nine.
- Tools
- Room status board, The linen count, A checklist that is actually used, Radio
- How you get there
- On the job, plus supervisory training; chemical safety and manual handling are formal. · Two to five years from room attendant, faster in a small property.
- First job: Room attendant, then floor supervisor checking other people's rooms.
- The hardest part
- The maths never works. You are always short of time or people, so every day you decide which corner gets cut, and you are the one accountable for the corner you chose.
- Next tier needs
- Works to a clock
- You can keep going accurately while something is counting down.
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There is a catering manager in this city you have not met.
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Catering Manager
- A day
- You are in before six because bread and deliveries arrive before anybody else does. · You check the allergen matrix against what the kitchen has actually made, not what the menu says.
- Tools
- Allergen matrix, Temperature probe, Delivery notes, Costed menu cycle
- How you get there
- Food safety level 3 or 4, allergen training, and usually supervisory qualifications on the job. · Three to five years from the kitchen floor to running a unit.
- First job: Catering assistant or commis chef in a school, hospital or contract site.
- The hardest part
- One mistake in the allergen information is not a complaint, it is a child in an ambulance. The paperwork that looks like bureaucracy is the actual safety system.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a outdoor instructor in this city you have not met.
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Outdoor Instructor
- A day
- You check the forecast twice and the river level once, before anybody has had breakfast. · You count them. Then you count them again. You will count them about forty times today.
- Tools
- Helmet and harness, Throw line, Group shelter, A whistle
- How you get there
- National governing body awards per activity — climbing, paddlesport, hill walking — plus outdoor first aid. · A season to assist, two or three years to hold awards that let you lead independently.
- First job: Seasonal assistant instructor at an activity centre, working under somebody qualified.
- The hardest part
- Turning back. Everybody has paid, everybody is excited, the summit is close, and you are the only person whose job is to be unpopular.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a cruise hotel officer in this city you have not met.
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Cruise Hotel Officer
- A day
- You are on a rota that does not stop — there is no closing time and no going home at the end of it. · You solve a problem with whatever is on board, because the next shop is four days away.
- Tools
- Cabin manifest, Muster list, Ship's medical centre contacts, Radio
- How you get there
- Company training plus mandatory STCW basic safety — firefighting, sea survival, first aid. · A contract or two to learn the ship, several years to hold a senior hotel rank.
- First job: Guest services or receptionist on board, on a fixed-length contract.
- The hardest part
- You cannot escalate and you cannot resupply. Ashore you ring somebody; at sea you are the person who was going to be rung, and the answer has to come out of what is already on the ship.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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Not worked yet
Baker
- A day
- You start somewhere between one and four in the morning, because bread has to be ready when the shop opens. · You feel the dough rather than look at the clock — the same recipe behaves differently in a cold week.
- Tools
- Dough scraper, Banneton baskets, Lame for scoring, Deck oven with steam
- How you get there
- Apprenticeship or a bakery qualification, plus a long time watching somebody who is good. · A year to be useful, three or four to run a bakery's production on your own.
- First job: Trainee baker — weighing, shaping and learning to read dough.
- The hardest part
- The hours. You are asleep when your friends are out and awake when they are not, and bread does not care that it is Christmas or that you are tired.
- Next tier needs
- Works to a clock
- You can keep going accurately while something is counting down.
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There is a pastry chef in this city you have not met.
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Pastry Chef
- A day
- You weigh everything. Pastry is the one section where 'about' is not a quantity. · You work ahead — what goes out tonight was started yesterday and what you make today is for tomorrow.
- Tools
- Digital scales to 1g, Thermometer, Palette knife, Blast chiller
- How you get there
- Catering college or an apprenticeship, then years on a pastry section. · Two years to hold the section in service, five or more to run a pastry kitchen.
- First job: Commis pastry chef — weighing, lining tins, and a lot of washing up.
- The hardest part
- Pastry does not forgive. A savoury chef can taste and adjust; you find out whether you were right two hours later when it is set, and by then the only option is to make it again.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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Butcher
- A day
- You sharpen before you start. A butcher who stops to sharpen mid-job has already left it too late. · You work cold — the room, the meat and the bench are all kept down, and you dress for it.
- Tools
- Boning knife, Steel and stone, Bandsaw, Cut-resistant glove
- How you get there
- Apprenticeship on the block, plus food hygiene and knife safety certification. · A year to be useful, three or four to break a carcass on your own.
- First job: Apprentice butcher — trimming, mincing, serving and watching.
- The hardest part
- Yield. The difference between a good butcher and an average one is a few percent of every animal, and that few percent is the entire profit of the shop.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a kitchen porter in this city you have not met.
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Kitchen Porter
- A day
- You set up before service so the machine is hot and the sinks are filled when the first pans arrive. · Everything comes at once, twice — once after prep and once during service.
- Tools
- Pass-through dishwasher, Pot sink and scourers, Sanitiser, Racks
- How you get there
- On the job, plus basic food hygiene; chemical safety training is required. · A shift to learn, and many chefs started here within a year of starting.
- First job: Kitchen porter — and it is a genuine door into the industry rather than a dead end.
- The hardest part
- Being treated as the bottom of the kitchen while being the one thing it cannot run without. The job is invisible when it is done well and blindingly obvious when it is not.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a sommelier in this city you have not met.
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Sommelier
- A day
- You taste in the morning — what is open, what has changed, what is ready. · You work out in about twenty seconds whether a table wants to be advised or left alone.
- Tools
- Waiter's friend, Decanter, Tasting glass, The cellar list
- How you get there
- WSET or Court of Master Sommeliers qualifications alongside years of service. · Two or three years to run a small list, a decade or more for the senior qualifications.
- First job: Waiter, then commis sommelier fetching and opening under somebody senior.
- The hardest part
- Reading people, not wine. Most guests are slightly worried about ordering wine, and the entire skill is making the recommendation feel like their idea rather than your correction.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a restaurant manager in this city you have not met.
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Restaurant Manager
- A day
- You look at the book before anything else — how many, when, and which tables are turning twice. · You brief the team on what is off, what is new and who is in, in about four minutes.
- Tools
- The booking system, Table plan, Rota, Till reports
- How you get there
- On the job, plus licensing and food safety; a hospitality qualification helps for larger groups. · Three to six years from the floor, faster in a small independent.
- First job: Waiter, then section head, then supervisor.
- The hardest part
- You are between the kitchen and the guest, and both of them think you are on the other one's side. Holding that line without lying to either is the job.
- Next tier needs
- Reads a chart
- You can pull a number off a table or graph without being talked through it.
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There is a concierge in this city you have not met.
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Concierge
- A day
- You read the arrivals list and work out which guests are going to need you before they do. · You ring people you know — a restaurant, a theatre, a garage — and they take your call because you have never wasted their time.
- Tools
- The contact book, City knowledge, A phone, Booking systems
- How you get there
- On the job; the Clefs d'Or association is the recognised professional mark. · Two or three years to be useful, a decade to have the contacts that make it easy.
- First job: Receptionist or bell desk — the desk is where you learn who asks for what.
- The hardest part
- Saying no without saying no. Guests ask for things that cannot be done, and the skill is offering something real instead rather than promising and failing.
- Next tier needs
- Keeps a record
- You write down what happened while you still remember it exactly.
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There is a bartender in this city you have not met.
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Bartender
- A day
- You set the bar up so that everything you reach for tonight is where your hand already goes. · You serve in the order people arrived, which sounds obvious until four of them arrive at once.
- Tools
- Jigger and shaker, The till, Ice well, A clean cloth
- How you get there
- On the job, plus licensing law awareness; cocktail training comes from working good bars. · Weeks to serve, a year or two to run a busy bar on your own.
- First job: Bar back or bar staff — glasses, ice and learning the till.
- The hardest part
- Cutting somebody off. It is a legal duty, it is nearly always unpopular, and the later you leave it the worse it goes — so the skill is doing it one drink earlier than feels necessary.
- Next tier needs
- Handles money
- You can give change and check a total without a calculator.
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There is a front of house supervisor in this city you have not met.
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Front of House Supervisor
- A day
- You set your section before service and you know every table's timing in your head. · You are the person your team asks when two things need doing and there is one of them.
- Tools
- The table plan, Docket order, A section timer in your head, Service cloth
- How you get there
- On the job, plus food safety and allergen training; supervisory courses for larger groups. · One to three years from starting on the floor.
- First job: Waiter — and the supervisor's job is mostly the same job plus the sequencing.
- The hardest part
- You are the first promotion from the team you now run, and the day before you were one of them. Holding a standard with people who are your friends is harder than any part of the service.
- Next tier needs
- Works to a clock
- You can keep going accurately while something is counting down.
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There is a events coordinator in this city you have not met.
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Events Coordinator
- A day
- You build a running order to the minute and you know which five minutes are the ones that matter. · You walk the room before anyone arrives, sit in a chair at the back and look at what they will see.
- Tools
- The running order, Floor plan, Supplier contacts, A radio
- How you get there
- Mostly on the job; events or hospitality management qualifications help for larger venues. · Two to four years from assisting to running your own events.
- First job: Events assistant — building rooms, chasing suppliers and learning the running order.
- The hardest part
- There is no second attempt. A restaurant can fix a bad night tomorrow; a wedding has one Saturday, and whatever happens is what happened.
- Next tier needs
- Works to a clock
- You can keep going accurately while something is counting down.
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There is a tour guide in this city you have not met.
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Tour Guide
- A day
- You check the route yourself before the group arrives, because something is always closed. · You pitch the first five minutes at the whole group and then adjust once you know who you have got.
- Tools
- A raised umbrella or a numbered sign, Radio guide headsets, The route, walked in advance, Water
- How you get there
- Regional guiding qualifications where they exist; site-specific training and first aid otherwise. · Months for a single walking tour, a year or more for formal regional badges.
- First job: Guiding a fixed walking route for a tour company, learning by repetition.
- The hardest part
- Holding forty people's attention in the street while also knowing where every one of them is. Either half is manageable; the two together are the job.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
Law & Public Safety
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There is a firefighter in this city you have not met.
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Firefighter
- A day
- Most of the shift is checks and drills. The kit gets tested whether or not anything happened yesterday. · A call. You are dressed and moving in under two minutes, knowing almost nothing about what you are driving to.
- Tools
- Breathing apparatus, Thermal imaging camera, Hose and branch, Ladder
- How you get there
- Apply to a fire service, then an intensive residential training course. · Around 4 months of initial training, then two to three years to be fully competent.
- First job: Trainee firefighter, on probation with a watch.
- The hardest part
- Saying 'not yet'. There will be something a person is begging you to go in for, and you will have to be the one who says no and be right about it.
- Next tier needs
- Works to a clock
- You can keep going accurately while something is counting down.
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There is a emergency dispatcher in this city you have not met.
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Emergency Dispatcher
- A day
- You take a call every few minutes for hours. Some are terrifying and some are somebody's cat. · You keep typing while you talk, because the crew reads your screen as you fill it in.
- Tools
- Headset, Dispatch system, Address and mapping tools, Call scripts
- How you get there
- Employer training on the call system, scripts and the law, then closely supervised live calls. · A few months of training, and about a year before you feel genuinely confident.
- First job: Trainee call handler, taking live calls with a mentor listening in.
- The hardest part
- You almost never find out what happened. You do the most important sixty seconds of someone's life and then the line goes dead and you take the next one.
- Next tier needs
- Explains it clearly
- You can tell a worried person what is happening in words they have.
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There is a forensic technician in this city you have not met.
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Forensic Technician
- A day
- You sign into a scene before you touch anything, and your name stays on that log forever. · You photograph everything before a single object moves — wide, then closer, then close enough to see a scratch.
- Tools
- Camera and scale, Evidence markers, Sealed evidence bags, Fingerprint powder
- How you get there
- A forensic science or applied science degree, or entry as an assistant and train up. · Three to four years of study, plus supervised scene work.
- First job: Forensic assistant in a lab, or trainee scenes of crime officer.
- The hardest part
- Slowness, on purpose, while everyone else wants it finished. Rushing a scene does not lose you time — it loses the case, permanently.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
Agriculture & Nature
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There is a veterinary surgeon in this city you have not met.
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Veterinary Surgeon
- A day
- Consults all morning, ten minutes each, and in that ten minutes you take a history from a human and an examination from an animal. · You operate in the afternoon on a list you set yourself that morning.
- Tools
- Stethoscope, Thermometer, Ultrasound, Microscope
- How you get there
- A five- or six-year veterinary degree with extensive clinical placement, then registration. · Five to six years to qualify, then several more before surgery feels routine.
- First job: New graduate vet in a mixed or small animal practice, with a mentor.
- The hardest part
- Euthanasia, and how often. It is the right answer more than people expect, it is a kindness, and it never becomes routine — vets carry it, and the profession's mental health record is the reason that matters.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a farm manager in this city you have not met.
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Farm Manager
- A day
- You walk stock or crop first thing, every day, because a problem found on foot is cheap and a problem found from the road is not. · You check the forecast more seriously than anyone else in the country.
- Tools
- The forecast, Movement book, Quad bike, Soil and yield data
- How you get there
- Agricultural college or apprenticeship; sprayer, telehandler and livestock tickets on top. · Several years as a stockperson or tractor driver before running a unit.
- First job: Farm worker or stockperson — learning the ground before you decide anything about it.
- The hardest part
- You cannot control the one input that decides the year. You do everything right and a wet August takes it, and you have to be the sort of person who can carry that and plan the next one anyway.
- Next tier needs
- Reads a chart
- You can pull a number off a table or graph without being talked through it.
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There is a shepherd in this city you have not met.
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Shepherd
- A day
- You walk the flock and count, and you are looking for the one that is not doing what the others are doing. · In lambing you work in shifts around the clock and sleep in a caravan in the yard.
- Tools
- A dog, Crook and race, Lambing ropes and lubricant, Marker spray
- How you get there
- On the job; agricultural college and specific lambing courses help. · A season to be useful, several years to run a flock and its breeding decisions.
- First job: Lambing assistant — seasonal, intense, and the standard way in.
- The hardest part
- Sheep are prey animals and hide being ill until they are nearly gone. By the time one looks poorly to an untrained eye it has been poorly for days, so the whole skill is noticing at a distance.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a animal welfare inspector in this city you have not met.
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Animal Welfare Inspector
- A day
- You read the complaint and then deliberately put it aside, because complaints are often from neighbours in a dispute. · You knock on a door where you are not welcome, on your own, and you stay polite.
- Tools
- Camera and notebook, Body-worn video, Scales and a body condition chart, Scanner for microchips
- How you get there
- Employer training in welfare law, evidence gathering and animal handling — it is an investigative role. · Months of training and supervised casework before working alone.
- First job: Animal welfare officer or centre assistant, then inspector training.
- The hardest part
- Most cases are not cruelty, they are somebody who is ill, poor or overwhelmed and whose animals are suffering anyway. Helping them is usually better for the animal than prosecuting them, and working out which is which is the entire judgement.
- Next tier needs
- Keeps a record
- You write down what happened while you still remember it exactly.
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There is a water bailiff in this city you have not met.
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Water Bailiff
- A day
- You are out at the hours people think nobody is watching — dawn, dusk and the middle of the night. · You check licences, and most of the people you speak to are entirely legitimate and glad to see you.
- Tools
- Sample bottles, Dissolved oxygen meter, Camera with a timestamp, Waders
- How you get there
- Employer training in fisheries law, evidence and sampling; enforcement powers are formally conferred. · Months to patrol alone, a few years to run investigations.
- First job: Assistant bailiff or fisheries assistant on a river or trust.
- The hardest part
- Pollution washes away. You have hours, sometimes less, to find the source and take a sample that will stand up, and after that the river has cleaned the evidence for whoever did it.
- Next tier needs
- Keeps a record
- You write down what happened while you still remember it exactly.
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There is a fisheries officer in this city you have not met.
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Fisheries Officer
- A day
- You go out in weather that would keep everything else in port, because that is when there is least oversight. · You climb from a moving boat onto another moving boat, which is the part of the job that is genuinely dangerous.
- Tools
- Measuring board, Logbook and landing declarations, Vessel monitoring data, Camera
- How you get there
- Enforcement, boarding and sea survival training; species identification is examined. · A year of training and supervised patrols before boarding as lead officer.
- First job: Fisheries officer on patrol vessel or shore-based inspection.
- The hardest part
- The people you are regulating are not villains — they are working in one of the most dangerous jobs there is on margins that are already thin, and the rules you enforce are the reason there will be fish in twenty years. Holding both of those at once is the job.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a ecologist in this city you have not met.
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Ecologist
- A day
- You are out at dusk with a bat detector, or at four in the morning for breeding birds, because that is when the survey is valid. · You walk a site slowly, looking for droppings, runs, roosts and the plants that tell you what the ground is.
- Tools
- Bat detector, Survey licence, Quadrat and hand lens, Trail camera
- How you get there
- Protected species survey licences, each earned separately with logged experience. · Three years for the degree, then two or three to hold your own licences.
- First job: Graduate ecologist — carrying kit, doing surveys, writing sections of somebody else's report.
- The hardest part
- The person paying you wants a particular answer. Your name and your licence are on the report, and the whole value of an ecologist is that the answer does not depend on who is paying.
- Next tier needs
- Works to a clock
- You can keep going accurately while something is counting down.
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There is a agronomist in this city you have not met.
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Agronomist
- A day
- Six or seven farms in a day, and in each one you walk into the middle of the field rather than looking from the gate. · You count. Aphids per plant, weeds per square metre, tillers per row — the decision is a number, not an impression.
- Tools
- Hand lens, Sweep net, Spade, Spray thresholds
- How you get there
- A professional crop adviser qualification, which is required to give statutory advice in many countries. · Three years for the degree, one or two more for the certification.
- First job: Trainee agronomist walking fields alongside somebody experienced.
- The hardest part
- In many arrangements you are paid on what you sell. The recommendation that is right for the crop and the one that is good for your commission are not always the same, and the farmer cannot easily tell them apart.
- Next tier needs
- Reads a chart
- You can pull a number off a table or graph without being talked through it.
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There is a soil scientist in this city you have not met.
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Soil Scientist
- A day
- You dig a pit rather than take a core, because you need to see the layers in place. · You feel the soil between your fingers and name its texture before any instrument confirms it.
- Tools
- Spade and auger, Munsell colour chart, pH meter, Sample bags
- How you get there
- Fieldwork under supervision, plus specific training for contaminated land work. · Three or four years for the degree, then a couple of years of field seasons.
- First job: Field technician or graduate soil scientist, digging and logging.
- The hardest part
- Soil takes a thousand years to make and one wet winter of the wrong machinery to ruin. You are usually explaining a timescale nobody making the decision is thinking in.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a marine biologist in this city you have not met.
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Marine Biologist
- A day
- You get one weather window a fortnight and you have to be ready for it. · You design a survey where the sampling decides the answer — where, how often, and what you compare it to.
- Tools
- Quadrats and transect lines, CTD probe, Dive kit or ROV, Reference collection
- How you get there
- A master's or PhD for research roles; survey and dive tickets for fieldwork. · Three years for a degree, and typically several more before you design your own studies.
- First job: Research assistant or survey technician, often seasonal and often short contracts.
- The hardest part
- The sea does not hold still for you. You get very little data at enormous cost, so a badly designed survey does not give you a worse answer — it gives you no answer, and the window has gone.
- Next tier needs
- Works to a clock
- You can keep going accurately while something is counting down.
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There is a countryside ranger in this city you have not met.
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Countryside Ranger
- A day
- You fix a stile, clear a blocked path and empty a bin before nine, because none of that does itself. · You talk to twenty people, most of whom are lovely and some of whom are doing something that will cause a problem.
- Tools
- Strimmer and hand tools, Species survey sheets, A radio, Interpretation signs
- How you get there
- Practical tickets: chainsaw, brushcutter, first aid, pesticide handling. · Often a year or more of volunteering or seasonal work before a permanent post.
- First job: Seasonal ranger or assistant warden.
- The hardest part
- You have responsibility and almost no power. You cannot make anybody do anything — you persuade, and the person with the dog off the lead near the ground-nesting birds does not have to listen.
- Next tier needs
- Explains it clearly
- You can tell a worried person what is happening in words they have.
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There is a veterinary nurse in this city you have not met.
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Veterinary Nurse
- A day
- You prep the theatre and check every piece of equipment before a single animal is touched. · You weigh, calculate and draw up drugs to the tenth of a millilitre, for a patient that might be two kilos or forty.
- Tools
- Anaesthetic machine and monitor, Endotracheal tubes in every size, Syringe drivers, Warming blanket
- How you get there
- A diploma or degree in veterinary nursing with clinical placement, then registration. · Two to four years to qualify and register.
- First job: Student veterinary nurse in a training practice.
- The hardest part
- It is an hour of watching nothing happen, and the one time something does you have seconds. Sustained attention on a screen when everything is normal is far harder than it sounds and it is the entire skill.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a forestry worker in this city you have not met.
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Forestry Worker
- A day
- You look up before you touch anything, because what is above you is what kills people in this job. · You clear two escape routes behind every tree before you start it.
- Tools
- Chainsaw and chaps, Felling wedges and axe, Helmet with visor and ear defenders, A whistle
- How you get there
- Chainsaw tickets by level — cross-cutting, small trees, large trees, windblow — each assessed separately. · Weeks for basic tickets, years before felling large or compromised trees.
- First job: Forest operative — brashing, stacking and cross-cutting before you fell anything standing.
- The hardest part
- The tree decides in the last second. Everything you do is to narrow down what it can do, and you never get to be certain — which is why the escape route matters more than the cut.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a arborist in this city you have not met.
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Arborist
- A day
- You survey from the ground first — targets below, the state of the tree, where the pieces can go. · You climb tied in to two things, because one anchor is one failure away from the ground.
- Tools
- Climbing harness and rope, Top-handled saw, Rigging line and pulleys, Helmet and eye protection
- How you get there
- Aerial tree work and aerial rescue certificates; arboriculture qualifications for survey work. · A year or two on the ground before climbing, several more before technical dismantles.
- First job: Groundworker — feeding the chipper, roping down, learning to read the climber.
- The hardest part
- You are the load. Every decision about what to cut is also a decision about what is still holding you, and the piece you are standing on is part of the structure you are dismantling.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a beekeeper in this city you have not met.
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Beekeeper
- A day
- You pick the weather — warm, still and in the middle of the day, when most of the flying bees are out. · You light the smoker properly before you go anywhere near a hive, because relighting it mid-inspection is a disaster.
- Tools
- Smoker, Hive tool, Veil and suit, Queen excluder and spare frames
- How you get there
- Association courses and assessments; bee farming is a distinct commercial step up. · A season to keep a hive alive, several years to manage disease and swarming reliably.
- First job: Hobbyist with one or two hives, or seasonal assistant to a bee farmer.
- The hardest part
- Everything you do makes them more defensive, so the entire craft is doing what you need with the fewest movements. A clumsy inspection costs the colony days of work and can cost the queen her life.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a dairy technician in this city you have not met.
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Dairy Technician
- A day
- You start before five and you do it again in the afternoon, and neither is optional on Christmas Day. · You handle every cow twice a day, which makes you the person who notices when one is not herself.
- Tools
- Cluster and liners, Pre- and post-dip, Paper towels, one per cow, The parlour's wash cycle
- How you get there
- On the job, plus milking hygiene and medicines training; agricultural college for herd management. · Weeks to milk competently, years to manage a herd's health and breeding.
- First job: Relief milker or dairy assistant.
- The hardest part
- It is twice a day forever. The routine only works if it is identical every single time, and the discipline to do the ninth cow exactly like the first — at half past five in the morning — is the whole job.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a horticulturist in this city you have not met.
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Horticulturist
- A day
- You take cuttings in the morning while the parent plants are full of water. · You work clean — tools wiped between plants, because you are the main way disease travels around a nursery.
- Tools
- Secateurs and a clean blade, Rooting hormone, Propagator and mist bench, Hand lens
- How you get there
- Horticulture qualifications — RHS levels or an apprenticeship; plant pathology for growing roles. · A season to be useful, two or three years to run a propagation house.
- First job: Nursery assistant — potting, watering, moving trays.
- The hardest part
- Overwatering kills far more plants than drought, and it looks exactly like caring. Learning to leave things alone is harder than learning to tend them.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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Farrier
- A day
- You work under a horse that can move at any moment, and reading its mood is as much of the job as the foot. · You trim to balance rather than to a measurement, judging it by eye against how that horse moves.
- Tools
- Hoof knife and nippers, Rasp, Forge and anvil, Nails and clinchers
- How you get there
- A formal apprenticeship of several years plus examinations; registration is a legal requirement in some places. · Four years or more of apprenticeship before working unsupervised.
- First job: Apprentice farrier, holding feet and making shoes before shoeing anything.
- The hardest part
- There is no margin. The sensitive tissue is a few millimetres inside the wall, so a nail placed slightly wrong lames the horse, and you are placing it by feel under an animal that may decide to move.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
Architecture & Construction
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Plumber
- A day
- You find the stop tap before you find the problem, because the first thing a leak needs is for it to stop. · You trace water backwards — it runs along joists and comes out in a room nowhere near the pipe.
- Tools
- Pipe slice and press tool, Blow torch and solder, Pressure gauge, Inspection camera
- How you get there
- Level 2 and 3 plumbing, then gas registration separately if you want to touch gas at all. · Three to four years to qualify; gas and heat pump tickets after that.
- First job: Apprentice plumber — carrying, clipping pipe and watching someone diagnose.
- The hardest part
- Water travels. The stain on the ceiling tells you almost nothing about where the pipe failed, so the job is diagnosis before it is anything else — and the customer wants you to start cutting immediately.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a site manager in this city you have not met.
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Site Manager
- A day
- You walk the site at seven before anybody starts, and you see what last night actually left behind. · You sequence the day — who is where, and which two trades you have to keep apart.
- Tools
- The programme, Site diary, Permits to work, A radio
- How you get there
- Site safety certification, first aid and management training; often a degree or HNC alongside. · Several years as a trades supervisor, or a degree plus two or three years as an assistant.
- First job: Assistant site manager or trades foreman.
- The hardest part
- You are accountable for people who do not work for you. Subcontractors have their own bosses and their own bonuses, and you have to stop them anyway.
- Next tier needs
- Works to a clock
- You can keep going accurately while something is counting down.
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There is a groundworker in this city you have not met.
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Groundworker
- A day
- You scan and hand-dig before a machine bucket goes anywhere near a marked service. · You put the trench support in as you go down, not once you are at the bottom.
- Tools
- Cable avoidance tool, Trench boxes, Laser level, Whacker plate
- How you get there
- CSCS card, plus tickets for excavators, dumpers and confined spaces as you go. · Weeks to be useful, a few years to set out and run a drainage gang.
- First job: Groundworker labourer.
- The hardest part
- A trench collapse gives no warning and a cubic metre of soil weighs well over a tonne. The ground looks completely stable right up until it is not, and the temptation to drop in unsupported for two minutes never stops being there.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a building control inspector in this city you have not met.
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Building Control Inspector
- A day
- Six or seven sites in a day, each at a different stage, and each one hoping you will say yes. · You look at what is about to be covered up, because after today nobody can.
- Tools
- The regulations, Tape and levels, Camera, Notice pad
- How you get there
- Building control qualifications and registration; continuing competence is now formally assessed. · Several years of site or surveying experience, then two or three to be registered.
- First job: Trainee building control surveyor, shadowing inspections.
- The hardest part
- Everybody on site wants the same answer and you are the only person who does not owe them anything. You will be liked less for doing the job properly, every time.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
?
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There is a structural engineer in this city you have not met.
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Structural Engineer
- A day
- You work out loads — the building's own weight, people, snow, and wind trying to push it over. · You size a beam, then check deflection, because strong enough and stiff enough are two different questions.
- Tools
- Analysis software, Codes and standards, Hand calculations, always checked, Site survey kit
- How you get there
- Degree plus a master's, then several years of monitored experience to chartership. · Four to five years of study, then three or four to chartered status.
- First job: Graduate engineer doing calculations that somebody senior checks line by line.
- The hardest part
- Nobody ever thanks you for the building that stayed up. The only way this job becomes visible is if you get it wrong, and the consequences of that are not recoverable.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a demolition supervisor in this city you have not met.
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Demolition Supervisor
- A day
- You read the asbestos survey before anybody touches anything, and you read it properly. · You work out what is holding what up, because buildings are not designed to be taken apart.
- Tools
- Asbestos survey, Structural survey, Exclusion barriers, Water suppression
- How you get there
- CCDO cards by level, asbestos awareness, and demolition-specific supervisory training. · Several years as an operative before supervising.
- First job: Demolition labourer on soft strip.
- The hardest part
- You are working on a structure nobody designed to be dismantled, using drawings that may be decades out of date, and the load paths reveal themselves as you go.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a fire safety engineer in this city you have not met.
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Fire Safety Engineer
- A day
- You work in time — how many minutes to travel to a protected stair, and how many minutes that stair will stay usable. · You check the compartment lines, which are the walls and floors that are supposed to stop fire spreading.
- Tools
- Fire strategy drawings, Evacuation modelling, Test evidence for products, The building regulations
- How you get there
- Fire engineering master's is common; chartership through the engineering institutions. · Four or five years of study plus several years to chartership.
- First job: Graduate fire engineer working on strategies under supervision.
- The hardest part
- Everything you design is for a day that will probably never come, competing against things people want every day — an open stair, a nicer lobby, a cheaper cladding. Post-Grenfell everybody agrees it matters and the pressure has not actually gone.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a retrofit insulation installer in this city you have not met.
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Retrofit Insulation Installer
- A day
- You look at what the wall is actually made of before you decide anything, because solid and cavity are different problems. · You check whether the house can dry out, and in which direction.
- Tools
- Borescope, Moisture meter, Wall build-up guide, Insulation boards and fixings
- How you get there
- Installer certification per system, plus retrofit standards; a real career route now exists. · Weeks per system, a year or two to judge moisture risk confidently.
- First job: Insulation installer's labourer or trainee fitter.
- The hardest part
- The wrong insulation on the wrong wall does not fail immediately. It fails in two winters, as mould behind a board or rot in a joist end, and by then the installer has gone and the householder is told it is their fault for drying washing indoors.
- Next tier needs
- Reads a chart
- You can pull a number off a table or graph without being talked through it.
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There is a architect in this city you have not met.
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Architect
- A day
- You draw the same corner four times, because the first three did not solve it. · You sit with a client who wants two things that cannot both happen and help them choose.
- Tools
- Sketchbook, CAD and BIM models, Physical models, The planning policy
- How you get there
- Three-year degree, a year in practice, two-year master's, a year in practice, then final exams. · Seven years minimum to registration, which is among the longest of any profession.
- First job: Part 1 architectural assistant — drawing details and doing the unglamorous parts.
- The hardest part
- You are legally and professionally responsible for a building assembled by dozens of people you do not employ, from drawings that can always be read more than one way.
- Next tier needs
- Explains it clearly
- You can tell a worried person what is happening in words they have.
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There is a quantity surveyor in this city you have not met.
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Quantity Surveyor
- A day
- You measure quantities off drawings — actual square metres and linear metres, not estimates. · You value the work done this month, which decides what the contractor gets paid.
- Tools
- Measurement software, The bill of quantities, The contract, Cost databases
- How you get there
- Accredited degree then structured experience to chartered status. · Three or four years of study plus two or three to chartership.
- First job: Assistant QS measuring quantities and helping with valuations.
- The hardest part
- You are the bearer of bad news by profession. Nobody wants the honest number, everybody wants it later than you can give it, and being right early is not rewarded.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a crane operator in this city you have not met.
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Crane Operator
- A day
- You climb the tower before anybody arrives and you stay up there, including for lunch. · You work from the slinger's signals, because for a lot of lifts you cannot see the load or the landing.
- Tools
- The lift plan, Load chart, Anemometer, Radio
- How you get there
- CPCS or equivalent crane tickets by machine type; medicals including eyesight. · Weeks of training and testing, a year or two before big blind lifts.
- First job: Slinger or signaller on the ground, learning the lift from the other end.
- The hardest part
- You are trusting somebody else's eyes. Blind lifts mean the person on the radio is your only information, and if their picture is wrong yours is too.
- Next tier needs
- Reads a chart
- You can pull a number off a table or graph without being talked through it.
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There is a heat pump engineer in this city you have not met.
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Heat Pump Engineer
- A day
- You do a room-by-room heat loss calculation, which is the whole job and the step most people skip. · You measure every existing radiator, because most of them are too small to work at a lower flow temperature.
- Tools
- Heat loss software, Flow and return thermometers, Refrigerant gauges, Clamp meter
- How you get there
- Heat pump installation qualifications plus F-gas for refrigerant work; MCS certification to access grants. · Qualify as a plumber first, then months of specific training.
- First job: Heating engineer's mate on installations, learning the design side.
- The hardest part
- A heat pump installed like a boiler swap will cost somebody more to run than the boiler did, and they will tell everybody heat pumps do not work. The reputation of the whole technology rests on installers doing the unglamorous calculation.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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Glazier
- A day
- You measure the opening twice, because glass cannot be trimmed on site. · You lift panes with somebody else and with suction cups, because a dropped pane is a serious injury.
- Tools
- Suction lifters, Laser measure, Glazing shovels and packers, Silicone gun
- How you get there
- Glazing apprenticeship or on-the-job training, plus competent person scheme registration for windows. · Months to fit, a couple of years for structural and specialist glazing.
- First job: Glazier's mate — carrying, cleaning and learning to read openings.
- The hardest part
- Glass does not forgive a mistake in either direction. Measure it wrong and it is scrap; fit the wrong type low down in a door and somebody's child goes through it.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a damp & timber surveyor in this city you have not met.
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Damp & Timber Surveyor
- A day
- You look outside first — gutters, ground levels, pointing — because most damp comes from something you can see from the garden. · You measure with a meter that does not actually measure damp in masonry, and you know that.
- Tools
- Moisture meter, Carbide or calcium carbide test, Borescope, Thermal camera
- How you get there
- CSRT (remedial treatment) and building pathology qualifications. · A couple of years of building experience, then specialist certification.
- First job: Surveyor's assistant or technician with a remedial contractor.
- The hardest part
- Most of this industry is paid commission on treatments. The honest answer is usually 'clear your gutters and lower that flower bed', and it earns nobody anything.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a electrician in this city you have not met.
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Electrician
- A day
- You identify the circuit, isolate it, lock it off and then prove it dead — in that order, every time. · You run cables where somebody will later drill, so you put them in the safe zones.
- Tools
- Voltage indicator and proving unit, Lock-off kit, Multifunction tester, Cable rods
- How you get there
- Level 3 electrical installation, AM2 practical assessment, then the wiring regulations and inspection and testing. · Four years to qualify; competent person scheme registration after that.
- First job: Apprentice electrician, pulling cable and watching tests.
- The hardest part
- Everything you do is invisible within a week. A bad joint behind plaster looks exactly like a good one for about two years, and then it becomes a fire — so the standard is entirely self-enforced.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a carpenter in this city you have not met.
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Carpenter
- A day
- You check what is actually there before you believe the drawing, because nothing on site is exactly the dimension it says. · You mark the face side, so that every subsequent measurement is from the same reference.
- Tools
- Combination square and marking knife, Circular saw and chisels, Level and plumb bob, Nail gun
- How you get there
- Level 2 and 3 carpentry and joinery; site carpentry and bench joinery are different routes. · Two to four years to qualify, and a long time after that to be quick.
- First job: Apprentice carpenter — cutting noggins and carrying timber.
- The hardest part
- Buildings are out of square, out of plumb and out of level, and the timber has to look right rather than measure right. Working to a building's actual geometry instead of its intended one is the craft.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a bricklayer in this city you have not met.
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Bricklayer
- A day
- You set the profiles and gauge rods first, because everything after that is measured from them. · You run a line for every course, and you lay to the line rather than to the brick below.
- Tools
- Trowel, Line and pins, Gauge rod, Spirit level
- How you get there
- Level 2 and 3 bricklaying; CSCS card for site work. · Two to three years to qualify, and a few more to be fast enough to earn well.
- First job: Apprentice bricklayer or hod carrier.
- The hardest part
- Speed and accuracy pull against each other all day. You are paid by the metre or the thousand, and every shortcut that makes you faster makes the wall worse in a way nobody will see until it is rendered.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a scaffolder in this city you have not met.
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Scaffolder
- A day
- You check the ground first, because everything above depends on what the base is standing on. · You work up in lifts, tying in to the building as you go rather than at the end.
- Tools
- Tube and fittings or system scaffold, Spanner and level, Sole boards and base plates, Ties and anchors
- How you get there
- CISRS scaffolder card: labourer, Part 1, Part 2 and advanced, each with training and site time. · Two to three years through the card stages.
- First job: Scaffolding labourer, passing tube and learning the sequence.
- The hardest part
- Your own workplace is half-finished by definition. You are always working at the top of something that is not yet complete, and the temptation to skip the guard rail on the lift you are standing on is constant.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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Roofer
- A day
- You strip back far enough to see what the problem actually is, which is usually further than the customer expects. · You lay felt and battens to a gauge, because the tiles cannot be spaced by eye.
- Tools
- Slate ripper and hammer, Batten gauge, Lead dresser, Roofing felt
- How you get there
- Roofing apprenticeship or NVQ; separate routes for slate and tile, flat roofing and heritage leadwork. · Two to three years to qualify; heritage and leadwork take longer.
- First job: Roofer's labourer, loading tiles and stripping.
- The hardest part
- Roofs almost never leak in the middle. They leak at the junctions — around chimneys, into valleys, at the verge — and those are the slowest, fiddliest parts that nobody can see from the ground.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a plasterer in this city you have not met.
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Plasterer
- A day
- You look at what you are plastering onto first, because the background decides everything. · You mix to a consistency by eye and by feel, and you mix the same every time.
- Tools
- Hawk and trowel, Mixing paddle, Straight edge and rule, Scratcher
- How you get there
- Level 2 and 3 plastering; separate skills for solid plaster, plasterboard finishing and external render. · Two years to qualify, several more to be fast and flat.
- First job: Plasterer's labourer — mixing, carrying and cleaning up.
- The hardest part
- The material is your boss. Plaster goes off on its own schedule, so if you are slow you lose the batch, and if you trowel too early you drag it and too late you polish nothing.
- Next tier needs
- Reads a chart
- You can pull a number off a table or graph without being talked through it.
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There is a steel erector in this city you have not met.
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Steel Erector
- A day
- You read the lift plan and the erection sequence before anything comes off the lorry. · You work from a MEWP or a harness clipped to a life line, because you are above everything.
- Tools
- Podger spanner and drift, Impact wrench and torque wrench, Harness and fall arrest, Tag lines
- How you get there
- CISRS or CSCS plus specific steel erection, MEWP and harness training. · A year or two on the ground and in the air before leading a gang.
- First job: Steel erector's labourer or trainee, on the ground and slinging.
- The hardest part
- A partly erected frame is not the structure the engineer designed. It only becomes stable in the order the sequence says, and until then it is relying on temporary bracing and on nobody improvising.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a land surveyor in this city you have not met.
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Land Surveyor
- A day
- You set up over a known point and level the instrument, and you do it properly because everything inherits it. · You take a backsight to a second known point, which is what orientates the whole survey.
- Tools
- Total station, GNSS receiver, Tripod and tribrach, Levelling staff
- How you get there
- Instrument training on the job; chartership through the surveying institutions. · Two to four years of study or apprenticeship, then experience to chartership.
- First job: Assistant site engineer holding the staff and learning the instrument.
- The hardest part
- Nobody checks your work. A whole building can be built twenty millimetres off, correctly, from a wrong mark — and it will not be discovered until something has to fit against something else.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
Arts & Media
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There is a journalist in this city you have not met.
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Journalist
- A day
- You make calls to people who do not want to speak to you, and you keep being polite. · You get a document, and then you try to find a second source for what it says.
- Tools
- Contacts book, Recorder with consent, Freedom of information requests, A notebook that is legally disclosable
- How you get there
- Journalism qualification covering law, public affairs and reporting; then years of practice. · One to three years of training, then a long apprenticeship in the job itself.
- First job: Trainee reporter on local news — courts, councils and calls.
- The hardest part
- Being first is rewarded and being right is only noticed when you are not. The pressure runs entirely one way, and the only thing pushing back is your own standard for what counts as knowing something.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a fact checker in this city you have not met.
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Fact Checker
- A day
- You work backwards from a claim to its origin, which is usually three re-posts away from anything real. · You reverse-search an image and find it is six years old and from a different country.
- Tools
- Reverse image search, Primary datasets, Archive tools, Geolocation and shadow analysis
- How you get there
- Verification and OSINT training; several organisations now certify it formally. · Months to be useful, a year or two to be trusted on contested claims.
- First job: Research assistant or junior verification researcher.
- The hardest part
- A correction never travels as far as the claim. You are always arriving after the thing has been seen by more people than will ever see your check, and doing it anyway is the job.
- Next tier needs
- Reads a chart
- You can pull a number off a table or graph without being talked through it.
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There is a photojournalist in this city you have not met.
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Photojournalist
- A day
- You get there. Most of the job is access, and access is relationships and patience. · You wait, for hours, for about four seconds.
- Tools
- Two bodies and fast primes, Press card, Consent and a notebook, Laptop for filing from a car
- How you get there
- Photojournalism course or self-taught portfolio; media law and ethics matter as much as technique. · A year or two to build a portfolio, and it is a competitive field.
- First job: Freelance stringer for local press and agencies.
- The hardest part
- The strongest picture and the decent thing are not always the same, and you have about a second to decide. Nobody else makes that call for you and the photograph exists forever.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a broadcast engineer in this city you have not met.
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Broadcast Engineer
- A day
- You check the redundant path before the programme, because the point of a backup is that it was tested. · You watch meters and confidence monitors that show nothing interesting for hours.
- Tools
- Vision and audio monitoring, Patch panels, Redundant playout chain, Logging recorder
- How you get there
- Broadcast engineering qualifications plus manufacturer training; IP video is now central. · Two to four years of study, then a couple of years before running transmission alone.
- First job: Trainee broadcast or studio engineer on shifts.
- The hardest part
- Off air is the one outcome that cannot be explained away, and every decision under fault conditions is made in seconds with an audience watching the result.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a conservator in this city you have not met.
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Conservator
- A day
- You examine and document before you touch anything, because the record is part of the treatment. · You test a solvent on a millimetre in a corner nobody will ever see.
- Tools
- Magnification and raking light, Solvent test kit, Reversible adhesives only, Data loggers
- How you get there
- A master's in conservation with a specialism, then accreditation. · Four to six years of study plus supervised practice to accreditation.
- First job: Conservation intern or assistant, doing documentation and condition checks.
- The hardest part
- Everything you do should be reversible, and some of the most tempting improvements are not. The ethical default is minimum intervention, and it is constantly in tension with making something look better.
- Next tier needs
- Keeps a record
- You write down what happened while you still remember it exactly.
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There is a audio describer in this city you have not met.
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Audio Describer
- A day
- You watch something six times and write about ninety words for a two-minute scene. · You measure the gap, in seconds, and cut the description to fit it rather than talking over the drama.
- Tools
- Timecoded script, Stopwatch, A voice, Style guide
- How you get there
- Audio description training courses; broadcasters and theatres run their own standards. · Months of training, and a long time to get good at compression.
- First job: Freelance describer on short-form or theatre work.
- The hardest part
- You cannot say everything and the gap will not get longer. Choosing the one detail that lets somebody follow the story, in three seconds, is the entire craft — and the temptation is always to explain rather than describe.
- Next tier needs
- Works to a clock
- You can keep going accurately while something is counting down.
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There is a stage manager in this city you have not met.
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Stage Manager
- A day
- You write the book in rehearsal, and it becomes the only complete record of how the show works. · You give standbys before every cue, so nobody is ever surprised.
- Tools
- The prompt book, Cans and talkback, Cue lights, A running order to the second
- How you get there
- Stage management course or straight experience; both routes are normal. · Two or three years of assisting before calling a show alone.
- First job: Assistant stage manager — props, running, and learning the book.
- The hardest part
- You are the only person who can stop the show and the only person who can hold it together, and both decisions are made in about two seconds in front of an audience.
- Next tier needs
- Works to a clock
- You can keep going accurately while something is counting down.
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There is a live sound engineer in this city you have not met.
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Live Sound Engineer
- A day
- You get in early, rig, and line-check every input before anybody sings a note. · You soundcheck an empty room and then re-tune the whole thing once four hundred bodies have absorbed the top end.
- Tools
- Digital console, Measurement mic and analyser, In-ear monitor rig, Spare cables, always
- How you get there
- Live sound courses plus a great deal of practical experience; ear training is the real qualification. · A year or two as crew, several more to mix headline shows.
- First job: PA crew or monitor engineer's assistant.
- The hardest part
- The room is different every night and different again once it is full, so a mix that was perfect at five o'clock is wrong at eight — and everybody hears it happen.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
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There is a sign language interpreter in this city you have not met.
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Sign Language Interpreter
- A day
- You prepare — names, jargon, the agenda — because you cannot look anything up while you are working. · You interpret meaning rather than words, because sign languages are their own languages with their own grammar.
- Tools
- Preparation materials, A co-interpreter, Clear sightlines and lighting, A professional code of conduct
- How you get there
- Language qualifications to the highest level, then an interpreting qualification and registration. · Five to eight years from starting the language to registered interpreting.
- First job: Trainee or associate interpreter working under supervision.
- The hardest part
- You are invisible when you succeed and blamed when you do not, and the pressure to help — to soften, explain or answer on somebody's behalf — is constant and always wrong.
- Next tier needs
- Explains it clearly
- You can tell a worried person what is happening in words they have.
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There is a documentary director in this city you have not met.
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Documentary Director
- A day
- You spend far more time building trust than filming, because the filming only works afterwards. · You explain, honestly, what the film is and where it will go, before anybody agrees to anything.
- Tools
- Consent forms that people actually understood, A small crew, Transcripts, The edit
- How you get there
- Mostly experience; film school helps and is not required. Compliance and duty-of-care training matter. · Five or more years from runner to directing your own films.
- First job: Researcher or assistant producer on factual programmes.
- The hardest part
- The most compelling material is usually the material somebody gave you when they had stopped thinking about the camera, and using it is a decision about them rather than about the film.
- Next tier needs
- Explains it clearly
- You can tell a worried person what is happening in words they have.
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There is a art director in this city you have not met.
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Art Director
- A day
- You look at twelve versions of something and articulate exactly which one works and why. · You give a designer feedback that is specific enough to act on and not a list of your own preferences.
- Tools
- Mood boards and references, Type specimens, A grid, Accessibility contrast checker
- How you get there
- A design degree or portfolio route, then years of doing the work before leading it. · Five or more years as a designer before art directing.
- First job: Junior designer, executing other people's direction.
- The hardest part
- Taste is not an argument. You have to convert an instinct into a reason somebody else can evaluate, and separate 'this is wrong' from 'this is not what I would have done'.
- Next tier needs
- Explains it clearly
- You can tell a worried person what is happening in words they have.
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There is a lighting technician in this city you have not met.
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Lighting Technician
- A day
- You rig from a plan, and every lantern gets a safety bond as well as its hook clamp. · You dress cables so nobody trips and nothing pulls on a connector.
- Tools
- Hook clamps and safety bonds, Gel frames and gobos, Spanner on a lanyard, Lighting desk
- How you get there
- Technical theatre course or on-the-job; working-at-height and electrical safety are formal. · A year to rig confidently, several to design.
- First job: Casual crew on fit-ups and get-outs.
- The hardest part
- Everything is above people. A lantern weighs several kilos, it is on a bar over a stage where performers will stand, and the only thing making that acceptable is that every single one was bonded.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a camera operator in this city you have not met.
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Camera Operator
- A day
- You white balance to the actual light in the room before you shoot anything. · You compose — where the eyeline sits, what is behind the head, how much room to lead a movement.
- Tools
- Camera and fast primes, Matte box and filters, Follow focus, Monitor with focus peaking
- How you get there
- Film or broadcast courses; most of it is practice plus specific camera training. · Two or three years as an assistant before operating.
- First job: Camera trainee or second assistant — batteries, cards and marking focus.
- The hardest part
- Focus. A shot can be perfectly composed, perfectly timed and perfectly performed and be unusable because the plane of focus was six inches behind the eye — and you often cannot be certain on a small monitor.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a film editor in this city you have not met.
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Film Editor
- A day
- You log and watch everything before you cut anything, because you cannot use material you have not seen. · You build an assembly that is far too long and does not work, on purpose, because it shows you the shape.
- Tools
- Edit software and a fast disk, Two independent backups, A notebook of timecodes, Good speakers
- How you get there
- Film courses help; most editors learn assisting and then cutting. · Three to five years assisting before cutting long-form.
- First job: Assistant editor — media management, syncing and backups.
- The hardest part
- You have to be willing to lose the shot everybody loves, including you, because the film is better without it. Cutting your own favourite material is the entire discipline.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
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There is a costume maker in this city you have not met.
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Costume Maker
- A day
- You measure a performer properly, which takes twenty minutes and about thirty measurements. · You draft a pattern and then make it up in cheap cloth first, to find out where it is wrong.
- Tools
- Tape measure and pattern paper, Calico for toiles, Shears kept only for cloth, Industrial machine
- How you get there
- Costume construction courses or an apprenticeship in a wardrobe department. · Two or three years to make confidently; cutting takes longer.
- First job: Wardrobe assistant or maker's assistant.
- The hardest part
- It has to fit one body, move the way a performance needs, survive being worn hard eight times a week, and come off in seconds. Any three of those are straightforward.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a scenic carpenter in this city you have not met.
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Scenic Carpenter
- A day
- You read a scenic drawing, which is drawn to be seen from one direction only. · You frame flats to be strong and light, because somebody has to carry them up a stairwell.
- Tools
- Circular saw and framing gun, Stage screws and braces, Hinges and pin hinges, Paint frame
- How you get there
- Technical theatre or carpentry training; working-at-height and machine tickets. · A year or two from crew to building on your own.
- First job: Casual crew on fit-ups, then workshop assistant.
- The hardest part
- Everything pulls in opposite directions. It has to look like stone and weigh like timber, be rigid on stage and fold flat in a van, and be demountable by people who did not build it.
- Next tier needs
- Reads a chart
- You can pull a number off a table or graph without being talked through it.
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Luthier
- A day
- You choose wood by tapping it and listening, and by how stiff it is across the grain. · You carve a top to a thickness measured in tenths of a millimetre, checking the tap tone as you go.
- Tools
- Finger planes and gouges, Thickness callipers, Hide glue and a pot, Clamps by the dozen
- How you get there
- A dedicated instrument-making course of two to four years, or a long apprenticeship. · Three or four years to make competently, a lifetime to make well.
- First job: Workshop assistant doing repairs and setups.
- The hardest part
- You are removing material you cannot put back, guided by a sound that changes as you work. Take too much off a top and the instrument is permanently thin and quiet, and you find out at the end.
- Next tier needs
- Measures exactly
- You can measure to the unit asked for and not the one that is easier.
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There is a piano tuner in this city you have not met.
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Piano Tuner
- A day
- You check the overall pitch first, because how far a piano has drifted decides the whole approach. · You set the temperament across the middle octaves by ear, which is the hard part and the foundation.
- Tools
- Tuning lever, Mutes and wedges, Regulating tools, Voicing needles
- How you get there
- A piano tuning and technology course of two or three years, then years of practice. · Two to three years of training, and about five to be genuinely quick and reliable.
- First job: Tuner for a dealer or a school circuit, doing volume work.
- The hardest part
- Equal temperament is a compromise — no interval is perfectly in tune, and setting it by ear means hearing beats between notes rather than pitches. It takes years and cannot be shortcut by a device.
- Next tier needs
- Follows a sequence
- You can carry out steps in the right order when the order is the point.
Information Technology
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There is a it support technician in this city you have not met.
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IT Support Technician
- A day
- You read overnight: what alerted, what failed, what backed up and what quietly did not. · The queue opens and eleven things arrive at once, of which one matters far more than the other ten.
- Tools
- Ticket queue, Remote session, Password and identity console, Network cable
- How you get there
- An IT apprenticeship or a first-line desk job, plus certificates you can take while working. · Months to be useful on a desk. Two or three years to choose a specialism.
- First job: First-line service desk — the phone, the queue and the password console.
- The hardest part
- Saying no to someone senior. The most expensive mistakes in this job are done politely, quickly and for somebody important who asked nicely.
- Next tier needs
- Spots the odd one out
- You notice the one item in a set that does not belong before anyone points at it.
Transport & Logistics
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There is a transport controller in this city you have not met.
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Locked
Transport Controller
- A day
- You build the day's runs before the drivers arrive — which vehicle, which drops, which order, and who gets the awkward one. · From seven you are on the phone and the tracker at the same time, re-planning a day that stopped matching the plan at 7:40.
- Tools
- Vehicle tracker, Tachograph records, The run sheet, Two phones
- How you get there
- Learn the desk on the job, then take the Transport Manager CPC if you want to run an operation. · Months to be useful on a desk, two or three years to hold a fleet on your own.
- First job: Transport clerk — paperwork, phone calls and watching somebody else make the calls.
- The hardest part
- Standing a load down. Everybody in the building wants it to go, the customer is waiting for it, and you are the one person who has to say the vehicle is not allowed to move.
- Next tier needs
- Reads a chart
- You can pull a number off a table or graph without being talked through it.
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