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Read to Learn

How to use formal and informal methods to research careers

How to evaluate sources of career information

How to identify work experience that can help you explore careers

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Main Idea

Exploring careers will help you find the employment possibilities that best match your interests, values, and personal needs.

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Key Concepts

Researching Career Options

Learning from Experience

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Key Terms

career clusters

exploratory interview

temp work

cooperative program

job shadowing

internship

service learning

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Researching Career Options

The U.S. Department of Education has organized careers into 16 different career clusters.

career clusters

groups of related occupations

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Figure 3.1 The U.S. Department of Education Career Clusters

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Figure 3.1 The U.S. Department of Education Career Clusters

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Researching Career Options

To research career options, you need to know how to find sources of information.

Primary SourcePrimary Source Secondary SourceSecondary Source

Original information

Information that other people have

gathered

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Informal Search

You can discover some of what the world has to offer simply by keeping your eyes and ears open.

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Informal Search

Interview people you know about their career experiences and ask the following 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?

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Finding Career Inspiration

You can find inspiration by observing and interacting with individuals.

You can also find inspiration through characters portrayed in visual, print, and digital media.

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Formal Research

Formal research is fully developed, formally presented, and gives you enough information to act on your ideas.

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Formal Research

As you research, keep a log of what you find.

When you find a source, write the author or name of the organization that put the information together.

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Formal Research

As you find information, you will need to determine how credible the sources are.

Check the information against other sources you have found.

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Formal Research

Sources in Libraries

Reference books

Magazines

CDs

DVDs

Librarians

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Formal Research

Sources in Books

The Occupational Outlook Handbook

The Guide for Occupational Exploration

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Formal Research

Additional Resources

The Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature

Business magazines such as Wired and Business Week

The Occupational Outlook Quarterly

Labor organizations

Industry service groups

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Formal Research

Internet Career Resources

Employment or job skill Web sites

Online bulletin boards

Local, national, and international job posting sites

Specific company or organization Web sites

Government sites such as O*NET

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Formal Research

Most career Web sites list job opportunities according to industry title, key duties, location, and other criteria.

When searching online, choose specific search terms.

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Formal Research

Since anyone can post information on the Internet, you need to make sure the information you use is from a credible source.

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Exploratory Interviews

Build a list of people who work in careers that you find interesting.

Call someone on the list and set up an exploratory interview.

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

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Exploratory Interviews

How did you start your career?

What education and training did it require?

What do you like about your job?

What do you do during a typical workday?

Exploratory Interview Questions

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Exploratory Interviews

After an exploratory interview, write your reflections down in a folder labeled Career Resource File.

You can place this file in your Personal Academic and Career Portfolio.

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Learning from Experience

By working part-time, you will gain experience, make personal contacts, and put some money in your pocket at the same time.

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Learning from Experience

Temp work gives an opportunity to develop job skills, learn about different work environments, and develop contacts.

temp work

temporary work

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Work Experience Programs

A cooperative program can give you a chance to learn job skills while you are still in high school.

cooperativeprograman arrangement in which local businesses team up with schools, hiring students to perform jobs that use knowledge and skills taught in their school classes

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Job Shadowing

Job shadowing can help you learn firsthand what it would be like to work in a particular field.

job shadowing

following a worker on the job for a few days

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Volunteering, Internships, andCommunity Work

Volunteer work is work you do without receiving pay.

Volunteers gain valuable experience that can help them make career decisions.

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Volunteering, Internships, andCommunity Work

An internship can sometimes lead to full-time, paying positions.

internship

a short-term job or work project that usually requires formal commitment

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Volunteering, Internships, andCommunity Work

Many communities and schools offer service learning programs as a way to explore careers.

service learning

connecting academic work with community service, allowing students to explore issues discussed in the classroom through personal experiences and community work

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When the game is finished, close the Quick Quiz window andclick here for the next slide >>

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Section 3.1 After You Read

1. Describe one informal method of researching careers.

Talking to people and using media resources can be seen as informal methods of research when they are used simply to generate ideas rather than gather specific information for a report.

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Section 3.1 After You Read

2. Distinguish between types of information you would find using the O*NET and the Guide for Occupational Exploration.

Though they are both government resources, the O*Net provides worker attributes and job characteristics, while the Guide for Occupational Exploration groups careers by category and describes occupations within each category.

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Section 3.1 After You Read

3. Explain how unpaid volunteer work might help you choose a career.

Possible answers include being able to observe a career from the inside, gaining experience, developing contacts, and learning what employers want.

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