Researching Career Options

Before you commit to a career, you need to have a clear picture of what you're getting into. You need to get accurate information and evaluate it critically.

Start by reading about the careers that interest you. The Occupational Outlook Handbook offers detailed descriptions of almost 300 careers. It covers much more than just their outlook: Work activities, education and training required, and earnings, among other topics, are all included. You can find the handbook online. The website CareerOneStop.org is another excellent source of career information, including figures for local earnings and outlooks. For many careers, it has links to informative videos.