2. Research—It’s Right Before
Your Very Eyes
You can discover what the world of work has to offer by simply keeping your eyes and ears open.

3. Informal Career Research
Exploratory Interview is when you talk to people you know about their career experience. Just ask a few basic questions.
What was your favorite job?
What was your least favorite job?
What was your most unusual job?
How do you like your current job?

4. Libraries—Check Them Out
Many libraries have job information centers or career centers.
The US Department of Education has developed Career Clusters- 16 different groups of related occupations.

5. Libraries—Check Them Out
Look for these useful resources at the library:
The Occupational Outlook Handbook- updated every 2 years. Describes the type of work, training & education required and the future outlook.
Guide for Occupational Exploration- groups careers into categories and describes many occupations within each category

6. The Readers Guide to Periodical Literature- magazine articles that may pertain to a specific career.
Career Specific journals(magazine)- Business Week or Wired.
O*Net- a government database of workers attributes and job characteristics.

7. Internet Job Services
The World Wide Web offers a wide range of Internet job services designed for job recruitment and career research.
Most Web sites list job opportunities in different industries according to title, key duties, location, and other criteria.

8. Part-Time Work The most direct way to learn about a career is to work.
If your schedule allows it, working part-time will enable you to observe a career from the inside.
Temp work is short term work. You are replacing someone who is out temporarily

9. Work Experience Programs
You may be able to find a part-time job through a vocational educational program.
Such programs give you a chance to learn job skills while you are still in high school.

10. Job Shadowing
Job shadowing involves following a worker for a few days on the job.
Job shadowing helps you learn the ropes by watching and listening.

11. Volunteering and Internships
An internship is a more formal position that helps you learn job skills.
Internships require a longer-term commitment than volunteering does.
Sometimes they are paid…but usually are not.

12. Volunteering and Internships
Service learning is offered by many communities and schools.
In such programs, community service—for example, cleaning up a neighborhood —becomes part of your schoolwork.

13. Sources of Career Ideas
PEOPLE
WORK
READING
Family
Friends
Teachers
Counselors
Neighbors
Jobs
Internships
Volunteering
Cooperative
Education
Job Shadowing
Books
Magazines
Newspapers
Internet
Chapter 3 • Researching Careers
Succeeding in the World of Work

14. Tasks and Responsibilities
Find out what you will be doing at work each day by asking these questions:
What specific tasks do workers in this career perform?
Are the workdays repetitive or full of new experiences?
continued

15. Tasks and Responsibilities
Is the pace easy, or is the career a high-pressure one?
Is the work primarily physical or mental?

16. Work Environment
Because you’ll spend about 40 hours a week at work, be sure to carefully consider your work environment.
Your work environment, your physical and social surroundings at work, can affect your well-being.

17. Work Environment Visualize your ideal work environment.
As you research careers, try to find those that match your ideal.

18. Working Hours
With flextime, workers construct their schedules to suit their lives.
Many employers that offer flextime require workers to be on-site during certain core hours.

19. Education and Training
Careers demand different kinds of training such as a
two-year associate degree,
four-year bachelor’s degree, or
technical or business school license or certificate.
2 more years after bachelors is Masters

20. Education and Training
How much time and effort will it take to get the necessary education and training for the careers that interest you?

21. Salary and Benefits
They list an hourly rate or a weekly or annual salary, as well as ranges based on national averages.

22. Salary and Benefits Benefits may include: health insurance,
paid vacation( 2 weeks a year) and holiday time,
retirement plan,
regular bonuses,
continued

23. Salary and Benefits employee discounts, and
low-interest loans on homes and autos.

24. Career Outlook
Examine what your career area will be like in ten years.
Formal research can tell you about industry prospects and help you make important career decisions.

25. International Career Outlook
With growth in the global economy, more and more careers involve working internationally.
You can find international jobs using library resources and the Internet.

26. Finding the Right Career
WHO AM I?
Aptitude and Abilities
Data - People -Things
WHAT ABOUT THE
FUTURE?
WHAT DO I WANT?
Work Environment
Working Hours
Salary and Benefits
Career Outlook
International Outlook
WHAT DOES THE JOB
REQUIRE?
Education and Training
Tasks and Responsibilities
Chapter 3 • Researching Careers
Succeeding in the World of Work