Career Exploration Websites

Occupational Outlook Handbook:

For hundreds of different types of jobs - such as teachers, lawyers, and nurses, - the Occupational Outlook Handbook tells you:

  • the training and education needed
  • earnings
  • expected job prospects
  • what workers do on the job
  • working conditions

 

Find the Best: Website that offers a large variety of data exploration tools. Click on the quicklinks below for popular data from this website.

Find the Data...Salaries by City

Find the Data...Salaries by Industry

Find the Best...Future Job

Michigan Labor Market Info:
Use data explorer to view salaries and job growth for career in Michigan

CareerOneStop:
Your pathway to career success. Tools to help job seekers, students, businesses, and career professionals. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.

America's Career Information Network:
Smart career decisions start here! Find wages and employment trends, occupational requirements, state by state labor market conditions, millions of employer contacts nationwide, and the most extensive career resource library online.

Job Shadowing Information:
National resource on job shadowing. Students can "take" a virtual job shadow right online.

Career Guide to Industries:
Looking for a career? Find out about careers by industry. Check out working conditions, earnings and outlook as well as more information.

Explore Careers with USAJOBS:
Check out your options using online tools. Find jobs based on your interests. Match federal jobs to tasks you like to do. Explore specific federal jobs. Match federal jobs to private sector jobs.


Things to keep in mind when researching career information:

 

  • Salaries and job growth vary by location - don't use national averages unless you don't care where you want to work.

  • Careers have a variety of job titles - be creative in you search.

  • Job growth is subjective to what percentage makes it high growth. Look at why there are job openings, there may be a huge percentage of openings as waitresses, but that is because people don't stay in the job long. You want to see growth in new positions.

  • Don't look at one resource. Compare many different resources for an average.

  • Don't overlook the importance of finding out what goes on in the career field. everyday. Do you know Probation officers spend a lot of time in the office writing reports? That might not be for you.

  • Looking at current job openings give you true real time research information.

  • When researching education requirement, don't forget to look at licenses and certifications required.