Researching Careers

Chapter #2

Identify methods to research careers such as

traditional resources, the Internet, and informational strategies.

Explain how part-time work can help you gain insight in making future career plans.

Formulate key questions to ask in assessing a career opportunity.

Understand the characteristics of a career profile.

Chapter Objectives

The U.S. Office of Education divides careers into 16 clusters, including:

Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources. Architecture and Construction. Arts, A/V Technology, and Communications. Business, Management, and Administration. Education and Training. Finance. Government and Public Administration. Health Science. Hospitality and Tourism. Human Services. Information Technology. Law, Public Safety, and Security. Manufacturing Marketing, Sales, and Service. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Transportations, Distribution, and Logistics.

Career Clusters

You can research careers informally by:

Being aware of the world around you Talking to friends and family Using media resources.

Research– It’s Right Before Your Very Eyes

You can research careers formally by:

Using books, magazines, and other printed matter. Examples:

Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Guide for Occupational Exploration.

Audio and video recordings. Computerized job resources.

Formal Research

You can obtain up-to-date career information

on the Internet. Internet Job Services:

Web sites, newsgroups, and bulletin boards created by trade organizations, companies, and individuals designed for job recruitment and career research.

Ohio Career Information System (OCIS)

Internet Job Services

You can research a career and then interview

someone who works in that field. Exploratory Interview:

A short, informal talk with someone who works in a career that appeals to you.

Exploratory Interviews

You can obtain part-time work in many different ways:

Through Educational Programs Cooperative Program:

When local corporations team up with schools, hiring students to perform jobs that are taught in their high school classes.

Job shadowing: Involves following a worker for a few days on the job.

Volunteering Internships:

A more formal position and usually requires a longer-term commitment than volunteering.

Service Learning: Community service becomes part of schoolwork.

Part-Time Work

Consider whether the values that a career reinforces

match your values. Investigate exactly what tasks and responsibilities a

career entails. Look for a career that balances working with data,

people, and things in a way that suits you. Evaluate the work environment a career offers.

Work Environment: Your physical and social surroundings at work.

Find out if scheduling flexibility is possible within a career. Flextime:

Workers construct their work schedules to suit their lives.

What to Research?

Determine what aptitudes and abilities you have that a

career requires. Investigate the education and training you need for a

career. Many career resources describe the salary ranges of

different careers. Benefits:

Employment extras. Consider whether the number of people working in a

career is expected to increase or decrease in the future. Consider careers in the growing global economy.

What to Research?

Read Chapter #14: “Researching Careers”

(pgs. 263- 275) in the “From School to Work” textbook.

Answer Questions #1- 14 under the “Fact in Review” section on pg. 276.

Homework Assignment

Kimbrell, G., & Vineyard, B. (2006)

“Succeeding in the world of work.” Glencoe McGraw-Hill; New York.

Bibliography