Explore Career Options

Familiarizing yourself with various career fields and what jobs actually entail is critical to developing career goals. As you read about careers, speak with professionals in the field, and gain work experience, several options that are most consistent with your interests, values, and skills will emerge and become the focus of your job search.

Where to Look
To learn about careers, start with reference materials such as the Careers Encyclopedia, Occupational Outlook Handbook, or interest-specific books such as Job Opportunities in the Environment and Sports Journalism Careers. These are available in the Career Library.

For information about trends, look at books such as Best Careers For the 21st Century or link to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Fastest Growing Occupations and Largest Projected Job Growth.

Information Interviews
An excellent method of gathering information about work that interests you is to conduct information interviews with people who are working in the field. To gain actual work experience in a particular job or career, consider applying for externships, internships, or summer jobs in the field. Refer to guidelines on conducting information interviews.