Career Exploration Tools and Resources

Careers Exploration Resources:

• Career Assessment Tools & Tests -- offers reviews and links to the best career and self-assessment tools on the Web. A must stop for those searching for a direction and a measure of your personality, skills, abilities, and interests.
  
  
• Career Research Checklist -- as you begin researching career paths, using this checklist will help you take advantage of the many resources available for learning about different careers.
  
  
• Developing a Strategic Vision for Your Career Plan -- a great article that takes job-seekers through exercises and plans for both short-term and long-term career planning.
  
  
• Choosing a College Major: How to Chart Your Ideal Path -- a great article that takes you through the steps of a journey of self-discovery leading to a choice of major(s) and possible minors, from Quintessential Careers.
  
  
• Quintessential Careers: Search the Occupational Outlook Handbook -- use career and occupation keywords to search the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' handbook for all types of information, including future potential, salaries, education required, and much more.
  
  
• The 10-Step Plan to Career Change -- most job-seekers will change careers several times over your lifetimes. This article will help you prepare by taking you through a 10-step plan to successful career change.
  
  
• Using a Personal Mission Statement to Chart Your Career Course -- guides you in the development of your personal mission statement, a useful tool for self-discovery and career planning.
  
  
• Using a SWOT Analysis in Your Career Planning -- shows how a key strategic planning tool can be successfully applied to marketing yourself and advancing your career.
  
  
• What Can I do With a Major in...? Real Jobs for Real Majors -- where you'll find real jobs and careers for each college major. What are you doing with your life? Start here and find real jobs that match your college major!

Other Career Exploration Resources:

• Career Development Manual from the University of Waterloo -- This site offers plenty of self-assessment forms and career exploration exercises that you can print out and work on by hand.
  
  
• Career Explorer -- a career education and training site that provides a wealth of information and links designed to help folks find a new and better career. Includes career descriptions, advice, videos, and tutorials. Also includes job-hunting advice and links to online career assessment and online schools. No cost.
  
  
• Career Guide to Industries -- provides information on available careers by industry, including the nature of the industry, working conditions, employment, occupations in the industry, training and advancement, earnings and benefits, employment outlook, and lists of organizations that can provide additional information. From the U.S. Department of Labor. Free to job-seekers.
  
  
• CareerLaunch -- from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, a very useful career and college site, with resources and links to help teens with self-assessment, summer opportunities, college search, career development, and more. No cost.
  
  
• CareerOverview -- an excellent career information site, providing career information and job descriptions for aspiring professionals and students who are making live altering decisions about your future career path -- helping you to make better, more informative career choices. No cost to job-seekers.
  
  
• EUREKA -- a great tool for students -- and your families -- to learn more about yourself, as well as career exploration, career information, skills and career assessments, and a search system for locating colleges, universities, and trade schools that best match your needs. Take a spin on the site's True Colors assessment test. Membership required to use most of the resources.
  
  
• MyCoolCareer.com -- a career exploration site for teens and twenty-somethings, where you can find all sorts of career tools and information, including self-assessment tools, streaming MP3 interviews with people in various career fields, and much more. Also includes college resources. No cost to job-seekers.
  
  
• MyPlan.com -- designed to help students and professionals plan more fulfilling lives by making well-informed decisions about education and careers. Resources to help with deciding on what college to go to, choosing a major, planning for your first career, and making a career change. No cost to job-seekers.
  
  
• Vocational Information Center -- a truly great career exploration resource for job-seekers wanting to learn more about vocational and technical careers. Check out the skills employers seek, find a trade school, research technical topics, and review the job market. Free to job-seekers.
  
  

Job, Occupation, and Career Profiles:

• Career Browser -- browse specific jobs within general career categories and learn about working conditions, job forecasts, and related professions. From collegeboard.com.
  
  
• Career Descriptions and Information -- basic information about job titles and education requriements within specific careers. From CareerExplorer.net.
  
  
• Careers & Industries -- where you'll find overviews, outlooks, and compensation reports on a wide variety of careers, as well as job descriptions and tips on numerous industries. From WetFeet.com.
  
  
• Career Peeks -- a great career site for young women who are searching for an ideal career path, helping bridge the connection between you and female business leaders and role models from a wide variety of career fields. Monthly interactive sessions, along with a growing video library. No cost.
  
  
• JobProfiles.org -- find advice from real people who have submitted profiles of their jobs and career. You'll find information about the rewards they get from their jobs, the stressful parts of their jobs, challenges for the future, and advice for entering the field.
  
  
• Occupational Profiles -- get the inside scoop on the compensation, career path, skills required, and other key information of "hot" occupations. From Vault.com.
  
  
• Pursue the Passion -- an interesting Website and blog that is designed to help people find your career passion -- and includes interviews with people who are passionate about their careers. Designed for people seeking to learn about life, passion, and careers. No cost.
  
  
• Sloan Career Cornerstone Center -- a comprehensive resource center for those interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Detailed career information, career profiles, and much more. No cost to job-seekers.
  
  

Job Shadowing:

• Job Shadow -- where you can find a large variety of resources and materials related to job shadowing. Learn all about a job, career, and company by shadowing one or more working professionals. From the National Job Shadow Coalition.

Career Coaching:

• Quintessential Careers Directory of Life and Career Coaches -- when you need help with exploring career choices. No matter what your career situation, just about any job-seeker can use a guide in handling life and career issues occasionally. Use this directory.

Check out these useful links:

Are You Ready to Choose a College Major? A Quintessential Careers Quiz, by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Career Browser
The Career Browser has been updated to include dynamic new content on college majors and careers. Please visit the new Major and Career Profiles and update your bookmark.

http://www.collegeview.com/index.jsp

Career Planning:
http://www.zcareer.com/

Career Testing:
http://www.zcareer.com/

http://jobsearch.about.com/
od/careertests/a/careertests.htm