Whether you are just starting to explore a career or you are contemplating a change, its important to choose a career that is a good fit. Career exploration is not the same as job searching. You are not just looking for a job but looking at a process of choosing education, training, and a career that is a good match for your interests, skills, and abilities.
Begin your career exploration journey by taking some self-assessments. No one knows you better than you. By first focusing on your unique talents and personal dreams, you can better establish a foundation upon which to build a career path structure.
The following websites have information and tools to help you on your journey.
Helpful Career Exploration Websites
O*Net Online
O*Net OnLine is offered through the U.S. Department of Labor. Use it to find information about occupations, take self-assessments, find out about pay potential, or choose jobs related to specific tools, skills, industries, or fields of work. Visit the O*Net OnLine website and start with a series of self-assessments under the Advanced Search button. You can also use to tool to explore:
- My Next Move: Discover new careers by searching for a dream career, browse careers by industry, or answer questions about the type of work you like to do by completing the O*Net Interest Profiler. From that profile, a list of jobs will appear that match your interest along with the amount of preparation required regarding education and experience.
- Find Occupations: Find out information about groups of jobs based on career clusters, outlook of economy, industry, job family, job zone (based on levels of education and experience), or STEM (jobs requiring education in science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines.
- Advanced Search: Find out about occupations based on selected abilities, knowledge, skills, work activities, work content, values, or technology use.
- Crosswalks: Learn about jobs that require apprenticeships or are related to military service, or get reference codes from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles or other occupational coding systems.
Like working with people?
Use O’NET OnLine‘s Advanced Search to select skills and your particular strengths. Get lists of jobs that utilize those skills. Browse and search for jobs based on your abilities, interests, knowledge, content, tools, or technology.
Texas Career Check
Offered by the Texas Workforce Commission, Texas Career Check helps you explore opportunities in today’s workplace. Take self-assessments, identify jobs that match your skills, and learn about career clusters and other occupational information.
What is a Career Cluster?
Career Clusters are occupations in the same field requiring similar skills. Students and educators can use Career Clusters to help create education plans focused on gaining the necessary knowledge, competencies, and training to succeed in a particular career pathway.
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