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Healthcare support

Phlebotomists

Typically requires Postsecondary nondegree award

What is this page & how do I use it?

This is a research report for one career — the kind an analyst would write for a stock. The rating at the top is the neutral baseline (same for everyone); below it come the cases for and against, how the last official forecast for this career actually aged, and what the education path costs and pays.

How to use it: read the bulls-vs-bears case, then hit Score this career to weigh it against your other options with your own interests factored in.

CareerStar rating
MixedLow uncertainty
top 41% of all 730 careers

Analyst take: Decent prospects — +5.6% projected growth, low AI exposure (18/100).

45
/ 100
low riskhigh
top row = high reward

Moat (borrowed from investing — the water that defends a castle): how shielded this career is from AI. Narrow = some shelter, but AI can reach a real share of its tasks.

The small grid is a style box (borrowed from Morningstar’s fund reports): the blue square places this career on reward (top row = high) versus risk (left column = low), against all 730 careers. Low uncertainty means the score leans mostly on measured data (growth, pay) rather than forward-looking bets, so it's comparatively solid.

🐂 Bulls say
  • +Low AI exposure — resilient (18% of tasks exposed).
  • +Strong projected growth — outpaces 78% of careers (+5.6%).
🐻 Bears say
  • Below-median pay ($43,660).
📜 Reality check — how the last forecast for this career fared

In 2014, the U.S. government projected +24.9% growth for this career by 2024. What actually happened: +24%. The forecast held up well — a reminder that every number on this page is an estimate, and this is how the last one aged. Full back-test →

Was this rating fair?
Projected growth
+5.6%
Median pay
$43,660
AI exposure
18/100
share of tasks exposed to AI — not job loss

Education & ROI — how to get here

Real outcomes for the college majors that feed this occupation, across 341 bachelor’s programs.

Median earnings
$56,576
1 year after graduating
Typical debt
$26,000
median federal debt
Pay-to-debt
2.2×
first-year pay ÷ debt
Feeder majors
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician
Selective schools offering these majors
Boston University
MA · 11% admit rate
$86,285/yr
$83,238 grad pay
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
NC · 15% admit rate
$26,055/yr
$72,200 grad pay
The University of Texas at Austin
TX · 27% admit rate
$31,247/yr
$75,121 grad pay
Brescia University
KY · 35% admit rate
$44,328/yr
$45,500 grad pay
Thomas University
GA · 38% admit rate
$23,079/yr
$49,716 grad pay
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
MN · 39% admit rate
$79,652 grad pay

Earnings & debt from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard; majors mapped to this occupation via the NCES CIP→SOC crosswalk. A grounded ROI snapshot, not a guarantee — pay varies widely by school and specialty.

What this work involves

healthcarecaresupportpeople