People have told me I'm lucky: I'm working in a field I feel passionate about. I've known since I was twelve, when I took my first programming class, that I wanted to work with computers. And I've enjoyed (almost) all of my twenty-eight years (so far) in computers. But I don't think it was luck. My mother taught me at an early age to follow my passion. And I did. I hope to teach the same to my children.
What is your favorite subject at school? Is it math? Career possibilities for people who like math include engineering, architecture, mechanics, computer science, and accounting. This marvelous site from the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides career exploration for elementary students based on their favorite school subjects. Each career listing includes details such as what the work entails, how many jobs there are, preparing for the job, average pay scale, and professional associations to contact for more information.
"They're out there. People just like you who are interested in music, computers, health, animals, fashion design, children or the environment. Better yet, they've found ways to support themselves doing what they love." This guide for teenagers includes the formula for creating a life you love. It starts by looking inside to figure out what really makes you happy, and then looking outside to find opportunities that exist in your field of interest. Read the introduction for an atypical answer to the question: Should teenagers work?
Based on answers to questions about your interests, abilities and values, Career Key will list groups of jobs likely to fit you. Derived from John Holland's Self-Directed Search, jobs and people are grouped into six personality types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. Individual job listings are linked to entries in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. As with all assessment tests, Career Key is best used as a tool to help you begin your career explorations, and not viewed as a mandate.
This extensive site covers all the bases for high-school and college students: from tracing the history of your answer to "What do you want to do when you grow up?" to how to get some job experience (without having any job experience). Effective career development techniques, such as volunteering and shadowing, are introduced. Several careers (such as physician, lawyer, and MBA) are explored in depth. For a fun game (with a hidden lesson) try matching the celebrities to their college majors. What's the moral? Many people work in fields unrelated to their college majors.
The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
Call to ParentsCareer Trail | eXploring CareersWhat can I do with a Major in? |
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