Career Exploration Activities—Step Two

Exploring Careers
To make an informed decision, you must take time to do the necessary research. Gathering information about the occupations suggested by your self-assessment will help you to determine which careers are a good match for you. As you explore each occupation, ask yourself the following questions:

• How well does this career fit with my interests?
• Will I be able to demonstrate the skills and abilities that are important to me in this career?
• Does this career match up with my work values?

Below are some links that will provide you with occupational information regarding work tasks, skills, abilities, employment outlook, salary, educational background, and/or special certification requirements needed to enter this career.

• Occupational Outlook Handbook
  The Occupational Outlook Handbook describes occupations and provides the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics  information on the expected outlook in occupational growth and employment. Click on the link above to open the Handbook, scroll to the box "Ways to use the Occupational Outlook Handbook site" and select one of the three search methods to locate descriptions of occupations of interest to you.
• Illinois Career Information System
  This is the Career Resource Network maintained by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Students can obtain descriptions of a wide variety of occupations. Salary and outlook information is related to Illinois employment. This site can also help you search for schools related to your major.
  1 Click on "Quick Start"
  2. Click on "Occupations" from the menu on the left side of the screen
  3. Click on the letter related to the occupation you are researching
  4. Scroll to locate the occupation and click on the title of the occupation
  5. Use the menu on the left of the occupation screen to locate information on various aspects of this occupation
• Career Cruising
  Enter the following on the login screen
  Username: moraine
  Password: college
  Click on "Start Career Cruising." From the menu on the left, click on "Explore Careers," and search for occupations by clicking on one of the four search options.

You are encouraged to discuss with a counselor any of the information you gathered from these Web sites. Stop by the Counseling and Career Development Center in Building S, Student Services Center, Room S202, or call (708) 974-5722 to schedule an appointment.

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