Resources for Researching Your Careers of Interest

Maybe you find it in an article for class, on social media, or in conversation. But with just the name of the occupation, you can’t know much about the day-to-day tasks or the training involved. This article will provide you with some resources to start researching these potential occupations as you progress in education. Please note that we are not being paid to advertise the resources, and we do not endorse them as our own. These websites are a starting place, and they are among the many career resources at your disposal.

The Occupational Information Network (O*Net) is an online resource maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor. On this website, you can discover potential careers based on your interests and learn more in-depth information about specific positions. The website provides an advanced search tool that allows you to browse careers based on keywords, growth outlook, industry, duties, and more.

On the website, you can find the O*Net Interest Profiler, a quiz that presents you with a list of potential careers for you based on your interest in 60 work tasks involved in various jobs and your current or expected experience. Each career has a dedicated page with information about the tasks and activities, work setting, training, education, required skills and abilities, work values, and employment trends, as well as related occupations and additional resources to continue your research.

Associated with O*Net, My Next Move is a website that allows you to search for careers by keyword or industry. Each career has a brief profile with the key knowledge, skills, and personality traits utilized, as well as the education required and job outlook information.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) is an online publication by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This resource focuses on pay and job outlook. The database allows you to browse careers by pay, job outlook, education, and field. You can also select a particular occupation group to view all the occupations in that field with a quick summary. To learn more about one of these careers, view its page with information about the duties, work environment, pay, and similar occupations. One of the most helpful tabs is “How to Become One,” which walks you through the educational and training path professionals tend to follow.

Last but not least, CareerOneStop is an online one-stop shop for all things career-related, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. You can find a number of self-assessments, including a skills assessment to help you identify careers related to your technical and soft skills, and a work values exercise that presents careers that emphasize your highest-ranked values. You can navigate through career clusters to learn about pertinent skills and occupations with varying levels of education. Each career profile lists the outlook, projected employment rates, education and experience, typical wages, as well as activities, skills, and knowledge. An affiliate of CareerOneStop, mySkills myFuture is a website that finds careers similar to your prior jobs, based on skill set and training.

Alongside these career-specific resources, CareerOneStop is full of professional resources. You can find information under the “Find Training” tab about the different programs, specific examples, and financial resources, as well as a search function to find schools in your area. Under the “Job Search” tab, there are resources for application materials, interviewing, and networking, among many other topics. Under “Resources For,” you can find a handy guide for entry-level workers and young adults.

Hopefully, with the help of these resources and guides, you can conduct efficient and informative research on any careers that spark your interest. I recommend exploring each of these websites to find out what tools are most helpful to you and your needs. If you are looking for in-person career guidance, please make an appointment with a Career Counselor at the Career Center here.

Isabel Kjaer

2024, Psychology

She/her