Careers – WETONG Blog

Make Your Mark with Your Own Career Brand

Integrity Career Transitions asked:

When the going gets tough, the tough get…creative. With over 11 million people in the country now out of work and the unemployment rate up to over 9%, competition in the job market is getting hotter than ever.

Gone are the days when waiting for job advertisements to come up or visiting your local employment agency were enough. Jobseekers these days are having to be proactive in their campaign, and more than ever they are having to make sure that they stand out from the competition – or eliminate it altogether.

So, what is the answer? Does a guy or a gal have to don a clown costume or run amok with a pitchfork to get noticed these days? In short, no. There is an easier, and a more legal way, and it is called branding.

Branding is a marketing term which is all about deliberately and consciously creating an image that ‘customers’ can form an emotional attachment to. It is what gives them that warm, fuzzy feeling when they think about a particular product or service or company, and when it comes to the moment of choice, it is what ‘pre-sells’ one commodity over another. In the same way that BMW conjures up images of sleek style and remarkable performance, branding makes your name synonymous with the job that you want and the skills and qualities that a prospective employer needs.

Make no mistake, you have a brand image already, whether you realize it or not – it just might not be one that you are comfortable with. Put yourself in a prospective employer’s shoes – but do it honestly. What would you think of you? Do you see a guy who always does a good job and does it on time, or someone with a ‘can’t do’ attitude who is lacking in motivation? If it is the latter, then maybe now is the time to re-invent yourself.

Honest self-analysis is one of the keys to successful personal branding, and you can make a start on this by taking a good, hard look at your strengths and weaknesses. List your skills, qualifications and experience. Hone in on your positive personality traits. Consider the areas where there may be weaknesses, things that you can address and improve upon. Keep an image in the back of your mind of the person that you want a prospective employer to see when you walk in through the door, and make yourself that person.

Branding is not about eliminating the fun things, the quirkiness, from your personality. It is about recognizing and capitalizing on your marketable qualities, and about growing those qualities to make you even more desirable within the job market. It is about making a personal promise to a potential employer that will make him feel reassured and confident.

When you have a clearer idea of what it is that you want to project to the outside world, verbalize it. Create your own branding statement – a short, succinct statement that sums up what you are best at and what your unique promise of value to an employer is. This is not merely a job title, but a statement that sums up your skills, your abilities and your uniqueness.

Once you have done this, put your branding statement absolutely everywhere – on your business cards, website, blog, Facebook account and anywhere else you can think of. Make your brand part of every offline and online interaction that you have. Research the market and the industry you want to be in, identify potential employers and network your way into the job you want. With a strong brand that not only promises, but delivers, your reputation will precede you and open the doors to that inner sanctum, the ‘hidden’ market.

Created your brand already? What is your promise of value to a potential employer or your killer branding statement?

Career Planning Significance – Tips To Plan Your Career Well

Abhishek Agarwal asked:

Planning a career can be defined as choosing life’s important paths. A careful planning is certainly required when it comes to how you would earn a living. If planning is not implemented it will culminate in not only a financial problem but it might even turn into a physical, psychological and emotional problem. The consequence of ruining our life can be dreadful. There are many experiences of people who have earned a living with nothing in hand. This can happen only with a keen career plan. Hence planning must be taken seriously. New opportunities and career choices are developing every day that didn’t at all exist few years ago.

The career vocabulary has to e given prior importance and a good understanding for the first step in planning. Words meaning the same can then be proved different, though with only subtle difference. For example the words: position, employment, job, career, occupation. They seem to be synonyms, but do not necessarily be so. A paramedic and a doctor both have an employment, but their positions differ. It is important to be familiar with the following words before planning a career: career management, career development, career counseling, career guidance. These have a lot to do with planning a career. A firm structure is required for career building. Career building are steps taken towards a systematic and designed career that fits you perfect. It helps in a satisfactory progress all along the path of a well chosen career. Long term goals and short term objectives are decided and they are the first step towards planning for a good career. Decisions are made based upon one’s flexibility, adaptability and resilience. The response to challenges are decided by these characters. Later self assessment of one’s personal management capabilities is done.

What sort of decisions on lifestyle will you come up with? What are your interpersonal skills and job-survival skills? How good are you at work-leisure integration and role integration? Identification of one’s skills and strengths is important in career planning. Can you do an effective employment search? The want ads in newspapers are not the only way in which one has to search. How do you project yourself? How good are you at demanding yourself? What measures would you make to become more marketable? Knowledge on the source of information should always be in the process of updating. The trends in labor market often change. Training opportunities have to be found out. The years in work force would have given you several positions or jobs. A good marketable individual ultimately does an effective career planning with the required changes.

Will the New Job or New Career Choice I Like be the Right Career for Me?

Dr. Sander I. Marcus asked:

As a psychologist and career counselor, I have worked with thousands of people over the years who are choosing or changing careers, and who are wondering whether they would really like to be in a particular career. Based on this experience, I believe that most people who want to go into a career they think they’d like do not really explore the questions they need to in order to be sure that it’s the right career for them.

Here is a list of 20 questions to find answers to before concluding that a career you think you’d like is really right for you, followed by 9 sources of information for answering these questions:

Questions:

1. In general, why do you think you’d “like” this career?

2. Why is going into this career important to you? What values, needs, and goals does it satisfy?

3. What do you actually know about this career?

4. Do you have any direct experience in this career? Have you had any jobs or volunteer experiences?

5. Have you talked to people who are in this career?

6. Have you done any reading on the career?

7. What are the opportunities? What kinds of money can you make in this field, and where are the openings?

8. What would your typical day be like in this career?

9. What are the drawbacks, disadvantages, and roadblocks of this career?

10. Do your interests match the interests of others in this career?

11. Do you have the aptitudes, skills, and abilities to be successful in this career?

12. Do you have the education or training to get into this career?

13. Do you have the personality characteristics that will make you successful in the new career?

14. Do you have the motivation and energy to follow through and do what you would need to do to get into the new career?

15. What are your “transferable” skills? That is, what skills or knowledge do you now have that you can use in the new career?

16. What skills or knowledge do you have that would not only be transferable, but that would also be a unique advantage in the new career?

17. What will it take to get into the new career? What kind of additional training, education, or experience would you need?

18. Have you developed a specific plan, including timetables and specific goals to be accomplished?

19. Do you have a network of support from family, friends, co-workers, or significant others?

20. Having answered all of the above questions, do you still “like” the career and think it’s a good idea to get into it, and why?

I think you’ll find that there are many resources you can use to help you answer the above questions. Among them:

1. Reading. This would include not only the hundreds of books and pamphlets on careers and career choice, but also publications describing careers (such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the U.S. Department of Labor and available on the Internet).

2. Practical experience. Not only is it possible to get a full-time or part-time job, but one can also volunteer at an organization or a company a couple of hours a week, just to get exposure to the area. Usually, any organization is glad to have this kind of help (unless they think you’re an investigative reporter from some newspaper or TV program).

3. Job search counseling. Anyone changing career directions needs a highly competitive job search strategy. This should include resume, cover letter, and job interviewing strategies that are specific to your situation. This may also include advice on researching the job market.

4. A thorough self-assessment. This is not an assessment BY yourself, but an assessment OF yourself. A good career counselor can provide this kind of assessment, which would include counseling and testing.

5. Career tests. In general, tests divide into three categories: 1) aptitude, ability, and skills tests, 2) career interest tests, and 3) personality and motivational tests that focus on characteristics related to the career world.

6. Career coaching. Guided discussions with an expert can help you to clarify your goals, strategies, and commitment.

7. Education and training. Before you launch full-time into a degree program, it is possible to take one course, or a seminar, or a workshop, or a brief certificate program in the new career.

8. Networking. There are many job clubs and career resource centers available to explore new careers. Schools, career counselors, and other professionals can usually give you information on these resources.

9. Informational interviewing. It’s usually not a good idea to go into a career if you haven’t talked to at least a few people who are already in it and can give you the lowdown. You can also talk to people in academic and training programs.

Armed with all of this information and all of these insights, you should now be in a better position to judge whether taking the next step in this new career area makes sense for you.

How To Find Your Dream Career in The Year 2006

Jamie Briggs asked:

If you find yourself searching the internet for How To Find Your Dream Career more often than you’d like to admit then this article could be the very answer you’ve been longing for and assist you in finally figuring out what you want to do with your life.

It is very likely that there are various reasons why you are still searching for How To Find Your Dream Career and not actually pursuing your perfect path yet, however, by the end of this page that may no longer pose as a problem for you.

I want you to ask yourself something and answer as honestly as you possibly can.

Do you REALLY want to know how to find your dream career or do you silently wish you could be in business for yourself or work from the comforts of your own home?

There is no wrong answer to this question and whether or not you answered yes or no, the solution will still be available throughout this article.

I have discovered that most people I talk to are dissatisfied with working for somebody else at a set salary and constantly keep searching for that ideal career when what they want deep down is to be in their own business. On the other hand, I have talked to hundreds of people that have no idea what they want to do with their lives and others who know exactly what they want but don’t know how to go about making it happen.

Which one of these three predicaments do you find yourself in?

I want to be blank but I don’t have the money for college.

I want to work from home but don’t know how to begin.

I honestly have no idea what I want to do.

Let’s go over each one of the above individually and see if we can’t come up with the ultimate answer you were hoping to uncover while searching specifically for How To Find Your Dream Career!

A1. My best friend Anica has know since she was 6 years old that when she was all grown up she would strive to be a Veterinarian. Immediately after graduating High School she attended a low cost college and completed her Vet Tech Program. A Vet Tech is half way to becoming a Veterinarian so Anica knew she would still need to attend 4 more years of College and come up with $100,000.00 to cover her tuition. She had to work while attending college to cover her daily living expenses such as food and rent which made it hard for her to devote a decent amount of time to achieve the great grades that the Veterinary Schools require. Anica applied to all 28 of the Colleges around the world at $100.00 an application and was heart broken when she did not received one acceptance letter. For almost 5 years Anica completely abandoned her dream career of being a Veterinarian until we put our heads together and worked out the perfect plan to get this girl accepted into the Vet School of her choice. Anica already spent $2,800.00 in application fees to apply for these schools, still owed $28,000.00 in existing loans and feared that it would not only be a waste of money to try and apply again with her grades but that there was no way she would come up with the money for tuition even if she did get accepted.

Have you picked up on how Anica prevented her own dream career from happening even though she knew exactly what she wanted which was to be a Veterinarian? The answer will shock you like it did us and once we figured it out and you’ll be happy to hear that Anica has finally achieved her life long dream career!

As much as Anica said she wanted to be a Veterinarian, she was silently hoping to herself that she would not get accepted into any of the schools she applied for because she feared there was no way she could pay to attend anyway!

We had to laugh to ourselves when we discovered that she was wishing away what she wanted with her fears but we were able to figure out a successful solution once we realized what the root of the problem really was.

Just like Anica, millions of people allow money to be the driving factor in determining their dream career. Rule # 1 for How To Find Your Dream Career is to never let money keep you from living the life you love! I know that last line probably had you thinking like it did Anica, “Well where the hell am I going to get the money that will make it possible for me to peruse my passions”? You have every right to ask this question and because you have read this far you I am going to reveal the answer the answer to you now!

First thing we did was wrote down every single dollar Anica would need to pay off all of her current debt, determine exactly how much the tuition would cost to attend the college of her choice and factor in a figure that would cover her living expenses while away at school for the next 4 years. We came up with the exact amount of money should would need and then participated in a program that made it all possible.

There is a proven program that I personally use along with Anica and over 48,329 other ordinary, everyday people who have experienced extraordinary financial gains from over a very short period of time. With this system that most people have never even heard about before, I was able to make more money in 1 year then most people make in a lifetime and enabled Anica to pay off all of her existing debt plus pre-pay for her tuition which made it impossible for Vet Schools to deny her application. “Where there’s a Will There’s a Way” I always say and you can learn all about this incredible system at http://www.lazy-way-to-wealth.com. The safe, stable and secure system that will be revealed to you at this website can be implemented by anyone, anywhere in the world! The only thing that is required is reliable internet access and at least 30 minutes a day to monitor your account. Everybody is entitled to the wealth that makes living life to the fullest possible and now nothing need stand in the way of funding your dream career!

A2. I spent several years searching online and local libraries for How To Find Your Dream Career but always felt deep disappointment because in the back of my mind I truly desired to be my own boss. I heard the expression before I turned 20 that J.O.B. stood for Just Over Broke and dreaded locking into a life-long career that could only lead me to a desperate destination. Besides, the though of being able to write my own paycheck excited me more then anything else in the world!!! Don’t get me wrong, there are thousands of exciting careers that pay exceptionally well which we will be going over in the next section of this article but I had it in my heart that being my own boss would be the perfect path for me. The very moment that I decided to work for myself and work from home, rather than seek out a career with a corporate company, all of the pieces came together that allowed me to accomplish just that.

I didn’t just desire to make money from home for the sake of not working for someone else but I asked myself a specific question and agreed to set my current financial circumstances aside while making my selection to assure that the answer I came up with would also give me a great sense of personal satisfaction. In a moment I am going to ask you to ask yourself the very same question I asked myself five years ago that led me to doing what I love for a living. This one simple question could very well lead you to discovering your dream career but it may take some deep contemplation on your part and will require that you cast your current income out of your mind while asking yourself for the appropriate answer.

Once you have eliminated your current income from the equation and committed to coming up with an answer, ask yourself:

“What One Activity Would I Love To Get Paid To Do Everyday”?

Do not dismay if the answer doesn’t instantly reveal itself and do not down play the answer when it does arrive with self sabotaging thoughts like “I could never make enough money to support myself doing this” because if it excited you at a cellular level then it is exactly what you came here to do and the appropriate pieces will come together for you as well when you decide that you are going to act on that answer!

The answer I instantaneously came up with was writing. I could barely sit still when I thought about getting paid well to write about things I was already passionate about and knew that getting the chance to do this every day would make me a very happy person. Even though I never excelled at English in high school and had no formal writing experience whatsoever, I did not let that stop me from writing 3 exclusive e-books that sell very well 7 days a week, publishing dozens of optimized articles for the World Wide Web like the one you are reading right now or approaching a popular Publisher about signing me to a distribution deal. I am almost finished with the final details of the book that I expect to be on the Best Sellers List around the world with the help of this popular publisher by March of 2007.

The only reason why I am living the life that I love today is because of Rule # 2 for How To Find Your Dream Career which is never talk yourself out of being in business for yourself if that is what you really want and always believe that “Where there’s a Will There’s a Way” regardless of what anyone else chooses to believe about themselves. YOU can accomplish so much more than you could ever hope for by agreeing with the answer that arrives and resolving to see that answer through by taking inspired action immediately!

If you are interested in seeing one of my e-books in action or determined to make money online yourself, feel free to go to http://www.lazy-way-to-wealth.com and click on the Work From Home button for step-by-step instructions about earning Six-Figures from the seat you are sitting in at this very moment.

A3. If you honestly have no idea what you want to do as far as finding a career with a corporate company goes then there are several online resources you can turn to for free assistance. I located an awesome website that contains hundreds of exciting careers and lists then in alphabetical order from A – Z. You can look through this interesting list by going to http://www.texasmentor.org and clicking on the Career Center section. I am confident that Texas Mentor’s list covers every career you could think of and hundreds more you may have never even heard about before. Due to the ever changing nature of the internet, if this website is no longer active you can always do a Google search for “Free Career List” and thousands of other similar websites will appear.

Another technique that can help you hone in on How To Find Your Dream Career is to ask your friends and family what they think your strengths and talents are. When I asked my friends and family what they thought almost everyone said writing because I always took the time to write something special in my cards to them. They couldn’t have picked a better career for me and I haven’t regretted this career path for a single second! My sister use to say that she knew me better than I knew myself and that was why I turned to her for my dream career advice. You’ll be surprised at how helpful friends and family can be when it comes to identifying a great career and it will make them feel fantastic that you asked for their advice. Give it a try and see what comes up frequently from your friends and family members.

You may find taking a free career test and personality profile very helpful. Just for fun I took one of these free career tests at http://similarminds.com/career.html and answered 58 quick questions in less than 10 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised with the career outcomes this free service site returned because I have considered almost all of them before deciding to be in business for myself. In addition to writing, I also love Bookkeeping and Money Management which were two of the twenty potential careers that came up after answering all the questions. Again, due to the ever changing nature of the internet, if this website is no longer active you can always do a Google search for “Free Career Test” and thousands of other similar websites will appear.

Rule # 3 for How To Find Your Dream Career is to put the time and attention it takes to define what you love to do in life and passionately peruse that path because you were born to be great at something specific! Confucius has been quoted as saying, “Find a job you enjoy, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” When you take the time to find out what excites you and turn that joy into a job then work will always feel like play which is the key to succeeding at anything.

Please feel free to e-mail me anytime at theprovenpath@optonline.net if you think that I can further assist you on How To Find Your Dream Career.

May all your career dreams come true from this point forward!

Jamie Briggs

Career Development Using Online Education

Elle Wood asked:

One of the biggest difficulties that is faced by people who are seeking career development is that it is difficult to find the time to balance career development with their everyday career responsibilities. Luckily, many career oriented people can now find time for career development using online education to further their career skills while working during the day. This makes the balance between your career and the development of further career skills much easier to strike up, because you can work when you need to, and go through career development courses through online education in your spare time. By making it possible to achieve career development using online education, career oriented people can now learn new career skills and further their career capabilities without causing their normal work to suffer. If you are serious about furthering your career, career development using online education is a wise path to take. Here is more information about the benefits of career development using online education as a foundation.

The purpose of career development using online education is to give you the training that you need over the internet in order to meet the needs of your career or a future career that you hope to become a part of in the future. Most career development services include full training and full testing for individuals that want to develop their careers into something more. Some of the skill sets that are covered when seeking career development using online education include safety skills and industrial based technologies, computers, internet and information technologies, management and leadership skills and small business operation skills, professional development and personal development, though there are many other skills that can be developed in the realm of career development using online education.

What makes the idea of career development using online education so useful is that career oriented people can develop their careers outside of work and do not need to sacrifice time or focus at work to gain new career skills. Rather than having to leave your job to seek a new skill set, you can develop the career skill set that you need over the internet, in the comfort of your own home and best of all, on your own personal schedule, which means that you can work days and study at night, or work nights and study during the day, and everything is on your own time and at your own convenience, which means that you will be able to benefit exponentially from what the career development courses and training have to offer you.

Sometimes career development using online classes means visiting a specific public computer lab, while other times it simply means logging in from home. Different programs have different requirements, but the same focus is always there: Career development using online classes is designed to let people further their careers by developing new career skill sets over the internet, which is one of the best ways to create job security, especially in these uncertain economic times.

Going To A Career Fair

Julia Sullivan asked:

Are you interested in applying for a new job or are you looking for a career change? If you are, you are advised to attend career fairs, as they are one of the best places to gather information on who is hiring, what type of jobs are available, and what type of qualifications are needed. In fact, career fairs are also a great way to apply for jobs. While career fairs are nice to attend, they can sometimes be difficult to find.

Before outlining exactly how you can go about finding career fairs, it is important that you first know exactly what they are. Career fairs are events that are almost always open to the general public and held in public locations, like shopping malls. Although career fairs can vary, most employer participants set up their own tables or booths. These booths are often accompanied by printed information, brochures, or pictures about the company in question. Each booth is often staffed with a couple of company representatives; representatives who are able to accept applications or resumes, as well as answer any questions that job seekers may have.

Now that you know what career fairs are, you may be wondering exactly how you can go about finding them. When it comes to finding a career fair, one of the best things that you can do is keep your eyes and your ears open. For instance, many of the career fairs that are hosted in shopping centers are advertised weeks or sometimes even months in advance. Since career fairs are commonly held in local shopping centers, you are advised to always be on the lookout for any career fair signs or banners. If you are unable to visit your local shopping center or other public establishments, you can always trying calling them once a month or so to see if any career fairs are scheduled for the future.

Career fairs are often advertised in local newspapers as well. While information about a career fair may appear in different newspaper sections, it is common to find information about them in the employment section of a newspaper. Although it isn’t as common as newspaper advertisements, many career fairs are also advertised online. If you have access to any local business websites or message boards, you may be able to find information on an upcoming career fair.

Community boards are another way that career fair organizers go about advertising their upcoming career fairs. Since most career fairs are planned months in advance, many organizers have the time to go around the neighborhood and hang-up signs. Many career fairs are advertised on college campus community bulletin boards. Businesses where those looking for work are likely to hang out may also have bulletin boards that may have information on available job openings or career fairs. These types of businesses tend to include restaurants or coffee houses.

You are also advised to contact your local career center, which is sometimes referred to as a career counseling center. These types of centers are where you should be able to receive assistance with finding a job. Most career centers are staffed with those who are educated on the art of finding, applying for, and landing a job. If you do have a local career center in or around your community, they are often the first ones to know about an upcoming career fair. That is why it is advised that you contact your local career center to ask if they know about any upcoming career fairs. If they do, be sure to get the important information, like when and where.

By keeping the above mentioned points in mind, you should be able to find and attend any career fairs that happen in or around your place of residence. For the best chance of success, when attending a career fair, make sure that you bring multiple copies of your resume, dress for success, and be prepared for an onsite interview, because they do occasionally happen.

A Career Assessment Test Can Change Your Life

calistastacy asked:

Do you fear remaining trapped in the same boring job and facing the same grind over and over again? Do you feel like your expectations and your job are at different wavelengths? Is your boss a pain? Are you stressed out at work?

If your answer to any of these questions is “yes” then you surely need a change. But probably, you are not very sure which way to go. You may be ridden with serious doubts about your future career prospects. Nothing new there. Like you, thousands of others are also wondering what to do with their lives; unlike you, a few of them have chosen to do something about it.

There are cost effective ways to explore your career possibilities, extend your productivity and reach a state where you are content with your personal and professional achievement. You can land your dream job, earn the salary you yearn for and become the kind of professional you want to. In short, it may be time for a career assessment test!

Tasks and education, training and required experience are only a few of the issues that career assessment involves. A career assessment test functions as an effective tool or symbolically speaking “a mirror” of what you are really fit for. Therefore, learning something more about the opportunities that could be lying ahead of you in your area of expertise will make it easy for you to make the correct career decisions.

So, who should take a career assessment test? The first category that pops into mind comprises of students and graduates, of course. After all, aren’t they the ones who need new jobs? Career assessment tests can be of great help to students and graduates as it will help them take the right path to a glorious career. However, career assessment tests are for all age groups.

Though ideally speaking everyone who is just starting to build a career makes the perfect candidate for the career assessment tests, tests are open to anyone who has the courage and determination to revamp their professional life. Anyone who wants a fresh take on their career can take career assessment tests. Therefore, home-staying mothers who’d like to get back to work after raising children, retirees who want to do something new, as well as people who need to start it over on new foundations, are given not just a chance, but “THE” chance to build a career. Also, do not assume that taking a career assessment test means that you’ll have to get back to basics. Not necessarily.

The results of your career assessment test will include your “doable” aspirations, the things that can come true without your making wasted efforts in the wrong direction. With a career assessment test, you would not only identify the ideal job, but you can even track the perfect career graph, starting from the education level, acquired skills, psychological profile, interests, personal involvement and even hobbies related to a certain domain.

Consequently, once you know what track to follow, it will be a lot easier to stay focused and reach your goals. Yes, probably a career assessment test is all that stands between you and your dream job.

Find your dream career with access to 1000’s of career and educational resources. Offers unique career assessment test that can help you make better life decisions. Take a free Career test now online!

A career assessment test can change your life – Find your dream career with access to 1000’s of career and educational resources. Offers unique career assessment test that can help you make better life decisions. Take a free Career test now online.

Career Development: Recommended Reading to Make the Most of your Career

Mary Gormandy White asked:

Career Development: Recommended Reading to Make the Most of Your Career

By Mary Gormandy White

No matter where you are in your career, you can always benefit from keeping up with the latest literature related to career and professional development. Whether you would benefit from learning how to land the job of your dreams, how to get a promotion, or just how to function more effectively in your current career, there are excellent career development books that can be of great benefit to you.

As a professional it’s important to continue learning and growing throughout your career, and keeping up with the latest professional development literature is a great way to stay ahead of the curve. The time you spend reading career development books is an investment in your long-term career success.

Reading career development books enables you to learn from leading experts in the field from the comfort of your own home. No matter what professional or personal challenges you face related to your career, you’ll be able to find books that can provide valuable insights and tips regarding your employment-related concerns.

Top Career Web Sites for Children and Teens

Mary Askew asked:

Career assessments and tests help you explore who you. Career books and web sites give you a glimpse of the world of work. Free career information is available on web sites. Some writers have written facts for children and teens. We would like to share some information with you. These web sites use graphics, multimedia presentation, activities, and other techniques to expand our knowledge of careers. We have written information on seventeen (17) web sites. Here are the four different types of exploring careers web sites:

Curriculum

General Career Information

Science Career Clusters

Specific Science Careers

Curriculum Web Sites

Curriculum web sites provide activities, tests, guidelines, as well as career information.

Resource One: Career Cruiser

Source: Florida Department of Education

The Career Cruiser is a career exploration guidebook for middle school students. The Career Cruiser has self assessment activities to match personal interests to careers. The Career Cruiser has information on Holland Codes. Careers are grouped into 16 career clusters. The Career Cruiser has information on occupational descriptions, average earnings, and minimum educational level required for the job.

Teacher’s Guide is also available.

Resource Two: Elementary Core Career Connection

Source: Utah State Office of Education

The Core Career Connections is a collection of instructional activities, K to 6, and 7 to 8, designed by teachers, counselors, and parents. Each grade level has instructional activities that align directly with the Utah State Core. This instructional resource provides a framework for teachers, counselors, and parents to integrate career awareness with the elementary and middle level grade students.

Career Information Web Sites

Some web sites provide excellent career information. Some web sites list facts about job tasks, wages, career outlook, interests, education, and more.

Resource Three: Career Voyages

Source: U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education

The Career Voyages web site is a Career Exploration web site for Elementary School students. The Career Voyages web site has information about the following industries:

Advanced Manufacturing

Automotive

Construction

Energy

Financial Services

Health Care

Hospitality

Information Technology

Retail

Transportation

Aerospace and the “BioGeoNano” Technologies

Resource Four: Career Ship

Source: New York State Department of Labor

Career Ship is a free online career exploration tool for middle and high school students.

Career Ship uses Holland Codes and the O*NET Career Exploration Tools. For each career, Career Ship provides the following information:

Tasks

Wages

Career outlook

Interests

Education

Knowledge

Skills

Similar careers

Career Ship is a product of Mapping Your Future, a public service web site providing career, college, financial aid, and financial literacy information and services.

RESOURCE FIVE: Career Zone

Source: New York State Department of Labor

Career Zone is a career exploration and planning system. Career Zone has an assessment activity that identifies Holland Codes. Career Zone provides information on 900 careers from the new O*NET Database, the latest labor market information from the NYS Department of Labor and interactive career portfolios for middle and high school students that connect to the NYS Education Department Career Plan initiative. Career Zone has links to college exploration and planning resources, 300 career videos, resume builder, reference list maker, and cover letter application.

Resource Six: Destination 2020

Source: Canada Career Consortium

Destination 2020 helps youth discover how everyday tasks can help them build skills they will need to face the many challenges of the workforce.

Skills are linked to:

School Subjects

Other School Activities

Play Activities At Home

Work at Home

Through quizzes, activities and articles, they might actually find some answers or, at least, a direction about their future. There are more than 200 profiles of real people who are describing what a day at work is like for them.

Resource Seven: What Do You Like

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

What Do You Like is the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Career web site for kids. The web site provides career information for students in Grades 4 to 8. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most of the material on the site has been adapted from the Bureau’s Occupational Outlook Handbook,a career guidance publication for adults and upper level high school students that describes the job duties, working conditions, training requirements, earnings levels, and employment prospects of hundreds of occupations. Careers are matched to interests and hobbies. In the Teacher’s Guide, there are twelve categories and their corresponding occupations.

Science Career Clusters

Some organizations have created web sites that feature science careers.

Resource Eight: EEK! Get a Job Environmental Education for Kids

Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Eek! Get a Job Environmental Education for Kids is an electronic magazine for kids in grades 4 to 8. Eek! Get a Job provides information about:

Forestry

Hydrogeologist

Engineering

Herpetologist

Park Ranger

Wildlife Biologist

Park Naturalist

There is a job description for each career, a list of job activities, suggested activities to begin exploring careers, and needed job skills.

Resource Nine: GetTech.org

Source: National Association of Manufacturers, Center for Workforce Success, U.S. Department of Commerce, and U.S Department of Labor

GetTech.org is a educational web site that provides CAREER EXPLORATION information. GetTech.org has information about the following industries:

New Manufacturing

Information Technology

Engineering and Industrial Technology

Biotechnology and Chemistry

Health and Medicine

Arts & Design

Within each area, there are examples of careers.

Each career profile gives:

General description

Salary

Number of people employed to job

Number of jobs available in the future

Place of work

Level of education required

Location of training programs: University Pharmacy Programs.

Courses needed

There is a GetTech.org Teacher’s Guide.

Resource Ten: LifeWorks

Source: National Institutes of Health, Office of Science Education

LifeWorks is a career exploration web site for middle and high school students. LifeWorks has information on more than 100 medical science and health careers. For each career, LifeWorks has the following information:

Title

Education required

Interest area

Median salary

True stories of people who do the different jobs

LifeWorks has a Career Finder that allows you to search by Name of Job, Interest Area, Education Required, or Salary.

Resource Eleven: San Diego Zoo Job Profiles for Kids

Source: San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo Job Profiles discussed jobs for people who:

Work with animals

Work with plants

Work with science and conservation

Work with people

Work that helps run the Zoo and Park

There are activities listed under each area, for example:

What we do

What is cool about this job

Job challenges

How this job helps animals

How to get a job like this

Practice Being a …

How to Become a …

Resource Twelve: Scientists in Action!

Source: U.S. Department of the Interior

Scientists in Action features summaries of the lives of people involved in careers in the natural sciences:

Mapping the planets

Sampling the ocean floor

Protecting wildlife

Forecasting volcanic eruptions

Resource Twelve: Want To Be a Scientist?

Source: Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of the Agriculture

Want To Be a Scientist is a career exploration web site for kids about 8 to 13 years old. Want To Be a Scientist has a series of job descriptions, stories, and other resources about what scientists do here at the ARS.

These stories include information about:

Plant Pathologist

Chemist

Soil Scientist

Entomologist

Animal Scientist

Microscopist

Plant Physiologist

Specific Science Careers

The last group of web sites is dedicated to providing information on specific science careers, for example veterinarians,

Resource Thirteen: About Veterinarians

Source: American Veterinary Medical Association

About Veterinarians has facts about:

What is a Veterinarian?

Becoming a Veterinarian

Making a Career Decision

What Personal Abilities Does a Veterinarian Need?

What Are the Pluses and Minuses of a Veterinary Career?

Veterinary Education

General Information

After Graduation From Veterinary School

General Information

School Statistics

Preparation Advice

Preveterinary Coursework

Where Most Schools Are Located

About School Accreditation

The Phases of Professional Study

The Clinical Curriculum

The Academic Experience

Roles of Veterinarians

Private Practice

Teaching and Research

Regulatory Medicine

Public Health

Uniformed Services

Private Industry

Employment Outlook

Employment Forecast

The Advantage of Specializing

Statistics

Greatest Potential Growth Areas

Other Professional Directions

AVMA Veterinary Career Center

Becoming a Veterinary Technician

Your Career in Veterinary Technology

Duties and Responsibilities

Career Opportunities

Education Required

Distance Learning

Salary

Professional Regulations

Organizations

Further Information

Resource Fourteen: Aquarium Careers

Source: Monterey Bay Aquarium

Aquarium Careers features careers information. For each Staff Profiles, there is Educational Background and Skills Needed. The Staff Profiles include:

Aquarist

Education Specialist

Exhibits Coordinator

Exhibit Designer

Research Biologist

Science Writer

The Aquarium Careers web site answers the following questions:

What should I do now to prepare for a career in marine biology?

Where can I find a good college for marine biology?

What should be my college major?

How do I pick a graduate school?

I’m not sure of my area of interest. What should I do?

Marine Science Career Resources include information on:

Marine Advanced Technology Education

Marine Mammal Center, California

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, California

Scripps Library

Sea Grant

Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station

State University of New York at Stony Brook

Resource Fifteen: Engineering The Stealth Profession

Source: Discoverengineering.org

Engineering The Stealth Profession has a lot of information about engineers:

Types of Engineers

Aerospace Engineering

Ceramic/Materials Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Electrical/Computer Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Industrial Engineering

Manufacturing Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Other Engineers

True Stories

Salaries

Education Required

Work Schedules

Equipment Used

Resource Sixteen: Sea Grant Marine Careers

Source: Marinecareers.net

Sea Grant Marine Careers gives you facts about marine career fields and to people working in those fields. Sea Grant Marine Careers outlines information on:

Marine Biology

Oceanography

Ocean Engineering

Related Fields

In each area, there is a detailed description of the type of the work that the scientists do. There are feature stories for different scientists in the career field.

The career profiles include information on:

What is your current job and what does it entail?

What was the key factor in your career decision?

What do you like most about your career?

What do you like least about your career?

What do you do to relax?

Who are your heroes/heroines?

What advice would you give a high school student who expressed an interest in pursuing a career in your field?

Are career opportunities in your field increasing or decreasing and why?

What will you be doing 10 years from today?

What is the salary range?

Resource Seventeen: Do You Want to Become a Volcanologist?

Source: Marinecareers.net

Do You Want to Become a Volcanologist? provides the following descriptions:

The Word Volcanologist

Daily work

Traits for success

Education

Salaries

Career web sites help you build awareness of the different aspects of careers: the tasks, wages, career outlook, interests, education, knowledge, and skills. We know that you will be fun exploring careers.

Students’ Personal Career Development Counseling – Its Benefits And Importance

Abhishek Agarwal asked:

It has become the practice for high schools in United States to observe Career Days for senior students for many decades now. On this day high school students are introduced to various careers open to them by local business professionals in the school. However, these days are proving insufficient to enable the students of high school to plan their future. That is why most middle-aged adults and youngsters seek the personal guidance of coaches in career development.

Personal coaches in the field of career development offer a very essential service to people who are late planners of their careers. A lot remains to be done to help the youngsters in career development. When the best career options are enumerated for students of high schools, it helps them develop a better understanding of the careers they would prefer, resulting in more efficient planning and more enrollments in colleges leading to a more productive future society.

For many high schools, the practice of a Career Day has taken the form of a whole Career Week to tackle these issues. A couple of days in this week are utilized to introduce the seniors to various career pathways by seasoned community professionals. The assessments resembling those by personal coaches in career development are taken up during the remaining week.

These assessments help the students of high school to become aware of their strengths and weaknesses and also to explore where their values and interests lie. These assessments are then fed to a computer system. The system generates a report outlining the best career options for that particular student. The students then go through further training via Handbook of the Occupational Outlook.

The Handbook of Occupational Outlook is a top rated career development tool for personal career development in the arsenal of high school. The Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States has put this publication in electronic form as well as in the book form. This enables the students to access valuable information about details of career, industry outlooks and job prospects for the future, the education required and average salaries.

When these assessments of career development of high school students are over, they undergo interviews with either the counselor of the high school or the coach of career development. These students are led through the interviews to explore fully the career options, have discussions with the coaches and reach decisions about the field in which they want to make their careers. Then several resources are provided to the student of the high school to give him a start on his career development path.

Another aspect of activities of career development is that the counselors or the coaches of personal career development visit the senior classrooms and take important sessions on goal setting and its importance in career development. These students get resources to set their goals practically and begin to pen down their plan for personal career development.

Although personal career development concept and its importance is not new for students of high schools, plans for personal career development education are being put into place by schools only now. These initiatives will prepare more and more students of high schools to begin careers or education as soon as they finish high school, thereby leading to a more productive future society.