Career Exploration
The resources in this pathfinder will not only lead users to information about careers, but also help users to develop their career path. Whether you are looking for career information for a school project or hoping to discover the occupation that is right for you, the print and Internet resources listed here will get you started along the exciting path of career exploration.
Internet Resources
Career Development eManual
http://www.cdm.uwaterloo.ca/index2.asp
Maintained by the University of Waterloo, this site leads users through steps to follow for career and life planning success.
Career Exploration Links
https://career.berkeley.edu/Info/CareerExp.stm
Provided by the University of California at Berkeley, Provides access to a complete database for users to explore career and educational options. The site is organized by specific career fields.
Career Exploration Links from the Career Consulting Corner
http://www.careercc.com/careerexp.shtml
Offers links to occupational information and listings of educational preparation programs.
Career Guide to Industries
http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/
Search for career information by industry on this site, a companion to the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
CareerOneStop
http://www.careeronestop.org/
CareerOneStop is a source for not only employment information and inspiration, but also career management. The site, provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, provides information on career occupations, industries, education and training, salary and benefits, job searching, and other available resources.
JobHuntersBible.com
http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/index.php
Created by the author of What Color is Your Parachute?, Offers a wide variety of career planning advice.
JobStar – Guides for Specific Careers
http://jobstar.org/tools/career/spec-car.htm
Provides links to information about specific careers with profiles, training and education requirements, salaries, and work environments are found here.
Major Resource Kits
http://www.udel.edu/CSC/mrk.html
Explore career possibilities by major, and link to addition resources of information. Provided by the Bank of America Career Services Center at the University of Delaware.
O*Net
http://onlineonetcenter.org/
Serves as the nation’s primary source of occupational information, providing comprehensive information on key attributes and characteristics of workers and occupations.
Occupational Outlook Handbook
http://www.bls.gov/oco/
A U.S. Department of Labor publication, the handbook provides information on all types
of careers including working conditions, training, earnings, and outlook. This is the first site to check for career information!
The Princeton Review: Find a Career for You!
http://www.review.com/career/article.cfm?id=career\car_car_index&careers=4&menuID=0
Entries for each occupation include a career profile that lists the number of people in the profession, average salaries, major employers, and professional associations. There are also overviews and job outlook information.
Online Career Publications
CareerJournal.com
http://online.wsj.com/careers
The Wall Street Journal’s career site, which offers a wide variety of career-related information. Be sure to visit their College/MBA site. This companion website provides entry-level starting salaries, career exploration links, and more.
Career Magazine
http://www.careermag.com/
Designed to meet the needs of online job seekers, this publication includes job openings, articles, a resume bank, and more.
Equal Opportunity Publications
http://eop.com/
“Since 1968, Equal Opportunity Publications, Inc. (EOP) has led the way from affirmative action to diversity recruitment by publishing career magazines for women, members of minority groups, and people with disabilities.” View web pages for Equal Opportunity, Woman Engineer, Minority Engineer, Careers and the Disabled, Workforce Diversity for Engineering and IT Professionals, and Information Technology Career World. The web site also includes job searching and a resume database.
Print Resources
Bolles, R.N. (2007). What Color is Your Parachute? 2008: A Practical Manual for Job-hunters and Career-changers. New York: Ten Speed Press.
What Color is Your Parachute? is the best-selling job-hunting and career-changing book in the world. Recent reviews have called it “the job-hunter’s Bible,” “the Cadillac of job-search books,” “the most complete career guide around,” and “the gold standard of career guides.”
Farr, M. (2006). Best Jobs for the 21st Century (4th ed.). St. Paul, MN: JIST Publishing
Graduates, career changers, and students will find this book a helpful, interesting resource, with more than 65 “best jobs” lists and 500 detailed descriptions for jobs with the best pay, fastest growth, and most openings.
Farr, J.M. & Shatkin, L. (2005). 50 Best Jobs for Your Personality. St. Paul, MN: JIST Publishing.
Is ideal for anyone seeking the best career fit possible. Based on John Holland’s widely accepted theory of vocational personalities, this book elaborates on proven research-matching personality to a career brings work satisfaction and success.
Fogg, N.P., et al. (2004). College Majors Handbook with Real Career Paths and Payoffs Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type (2nd ed.). St. Paul, MN: JIST Publishing.
Providing information on the actual jobs and earnings of college graduates in 60 majors, this book is based on a U.S. Census Bureau study of 150,000 college graduates and offers the most accurate and helpful information available for making decisions on a college major, or what to do with a degree already earned.
Hunt, C. & Scanlon, S. (Eds.). (2004). The Career Navigation Handbook. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Offers invaluable insight and professional advice on choosing and changing career paths. Covers every vital topic in the job-search process, including: emerging trends in the executive world, evaluating the career landscape in the new economy, and positioning yourself as the competition increases.
Phifer, P. (2000). College Majors and Careers: A Resource Guide for Effective Life Planning (4th ed.). New York: Fergusson Publishing.
Offers basic advice for anyone exploring career options and provides information that will help link academic choices with a variety of career paths. Some 60 college majors are covered that are linked to 350 career paths.
Vault Editors. (2008). The College Career Bible, 2008 Edition. New York: Vault.
Vault provides overviews of career paths and hiring trends for 2008 in major industries for college graduates. The guide also includes a look at hiring trends for college graduates for 2008 and a basic overview of the career topics most important to students, including internships, networking, resumes, career dress codes, interviews and more.
VGM Opportunities Series, Lincolnwood (Chicago), Ill: VGM Career Horizons.
This series of books is commonly found in public libraries. There are many titles in the series such as Opportunities In Biotechnology Careers (2001), Opportunities In Education Careers (2000), and Opportunities in Banking Careers (2001).
VGM Professional Careers Series, Lincolnwood (Chicago), Ill: VGM Career Horizons.
This is another popular series in public libraries. A few examples of titles include: Careers in Writing (2001), Careers in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality (1997) and Careers in the Environment (1995).
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance, 12th Edition, Chicago, Ill: Ferguson Publishing Co., 2003
This set of books includes entries for many careers with information such as the history of the profession, job duties, education and experience requirements, expected earnings, and job outlook. There is also a Career Guidance section to help you chose a career, write a resume and cover letter, and interview successfully.
Periodicals
Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
This journal supplements and updates the information in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Each issue includes articles about various careers; each winter issue includes a five-year index.
This pathfinder was created by Abby Balmer for Dr. Eileen Abels Info 780 Course at Drexel University, Spring, 2008.