Word Processors and Typists
Office and Administrative Support
Most of the day is turning someone else's words into finished documents: letters, reports, forms, and other text typed from rough drafts, marked-up pages, voice recordings, or earlier versions. Before anything leaves the desk, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and format get checked; then the file is stored, printed or copied, sent electronically, or used to label envelopes. Material has to be gathered and arranged first so the instructions are followed. Clerical extras—answering the phone, sorting mail, sending faxes, or running errands—often sit alongside the typing. It suits people who like accurate keyboard work from drafts or recordings and catching errors in finished documents.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$49'280
Median Wage Market Position
$49'280
What you might do
- Type letters and reports from drafts or recordings
- Check spelling, grammar, punctuation, and layout
- Store finished files so they can be found later
- Print copies and send work to other places
- Address envelopes or print mailing labels
- Answer phones, sort mail, or send faxes
Skills that matter
- Typing from drafts, copies, or recordings
- Checking spelling, grammar, and format
- Filing documents on a computer system
- Sending finished work to other locations
- Addressing envelopes and making copies
- Answering the phone and sorting mail
AI & the future of this role
Document drafting and formatting sit squarely on screens where generative tools can produce polished text quickly. Light clerical support around those documents may linger, but demand for pure typing and layout labor is likely to keep shrinking.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details