Online Tools for Choosing a Career Path

Posted By: Nancy Anderson In: Uncategorized Guest article provided by U.S News University Directory

Perhaps you’re one of the thousands of workers who, in the wake of the recent recession, have found it necessary to retrain for a more stable occupation. Or maybe you’ve just decided to pursue a professional path that is more interesting or more lucrative. Either way, before you research a career move, you must first analyze yourself. Your skills, values and interests, in combination with certain personality traits, will make some careers especially appropriate for you while proving others to be unsuitable. There are a variety of online tools that can help you choose the right career. Take a look at this brief overview of four online tools that can provide you with the guidance you need to achieve professional success. Occupational Outlook Handbook The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is a well-recognized source of career information. This publication is revised every two years and is designed to provide assistance to individuals making decisions about their future career path. This handbook provides information about hundreds of different types of jobs, their training and educational requirements, earnings, expected job outlook, what workers do on the job, and typical working conditions. To learn more, visit www.bls.gov/oco/. Career Assessments and Type Theory Whether you are planning your career, changing careers or just need some insight, career assessments can help you determine what type of job matches your career interests and aptitudes and gather information that can help point you toward the right career path. You can find a variety of free self-assessment tools and career tests on the Internet One way to help you make good decisions about your career, majors or training programs is called “type theory.” Type theory is the basis for many career inventories used today. People who choose careers that match their own type are most likely to be both satisfied and successful. To help you to understand more about yourself and how your individual skills and interests are related to your career choice, try a career assessment tool that determines your personality type. U.S. News University Directory Career Pages You will find valuable information on this website that will help you narrow down your career choices and make effective decisions. The site provides descriptions of individual careers along with career videos that give you a first-hand look at what it’s like to work in an occupation you are considering as a career, as well as educational requirements, job prospects, and the skills you’ll need to succeed. By utilizing the right online tools, you can save a lot of time in your job search and help assure you are choosing the right career or education for you, your personality and your skill set. Put some time and energy into researching and using these tools. Although they are no guarantees for entering a successful career, they are great at helping you make your career-related decisions. Guest article provided by U.S News University Directory a leading resource for online schools offering accredited degree programs from top colleges and universities, as well as, a growing collection of online education articles and career resources. `