Exploring Careers
There are many available resources to help one find information on occupations:
Internet
Experience
One on One
Internet
- Occupational Outlook Handbook - http://www.bls.gov/ooh/ - maintained by the United States Department of Labor, this website provides profiles of many careers details the career description, work environment, training/education needed, pay, and job outlook
- O*Net - http://www.onetonline.org/ - sponsored by the United States Department of Labor, O*Net provides information on careers more in line with the skills, abilities, values, and interests of typical employees in highlighted careers
- CareerOneStop - http://www.careeronestop.org/ - a combination of the above two resources, but also with videos and other job related assistance
- Careers in the Military - http://www.careersinthemilitary.com/ - provides descriptions of the many roles individuals may have in the armed services
- Your preferred search engine - there are thousands of sites with information to help you explore
Experience
- Community service / volunteering - become more familiar with the work environment and needed skills, and develop connections with those in the field
- Part time jobs - if one is interested in hospitality or veterinary medicine, try working for a restaurant/hotel or vet clinic, respectively; here is a great resource on job searching tips: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/high-school/a/job-search-tips-students.htm
- School courses - offer an opportunity to practice skills and learn information about a career
One on One
- Informational interviews - where an individual meets with an employee of a career-of-interest in order to better understand the profession on a more personal level
- Job shadowing - shadow someone in a field you are interested in
