Researching Careers | Career Planning for People with a Criminal Conviction (2024)

• Print

Not every career information resource is the same. Find out how to find the right information to help you make good career choices.

There are many ways to find out more about a career.

You can hear from people to get their opinions of their job and career path. You can also look at labor market information to find broad facts about an occupation and the job market.

It's a good idea to research a career several ways using different resources. Other ways to find career information include:

• Watch career videos
• Read interviews about specific careers
• Attend career fairs or networking events related to a specific career cluster
• Visit a worksite or intern in a position
• Look through detailed career profiles
• Find high-demand jobs

Find Trusted Resources

When looking for career information on the Internet, be careful to use only trusted resources. There are many websites with career information, but not all of them have accurate data.

Look for online career information from respected industry or professional organizations such as the Central Minnesota Manufacturers Association, for example. Salary, job growth, and other labor market information should come from an official state or regional source such as the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Good national information comes from O*NET and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The career profiles on this website use data from DEED and O*NET and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Starting Your Research

Start with the careers that match your skills, interests, and values. Pick the careers you know about or that seem interesting to you.

Want to look into different occupations? Explore Career Clusters to see related careers.

For each career, pay attention to:

• the skills used (work activities)
• education or training needed
• the median or average pay (wages)
• the demand for the career in your area (outlook)

Keep track of these details in your career plan.

Once you know more about chosen careers, you can make good decisions about which careers to pursue or get training in.

Next Steps:

• Want to "sample" a career? Find out how you can test-drive a job.
• Find trusted career information resources.
• Talk to people working in careers that interest you to get inside information.
• Find community nonprofit agencies that offer supportive services.