*This is a handout I use in my Career Decision Making Class.  Most of the below can be found on the web or in the typical Career Office on a college campus, high school guidance office or Career Center.

* Great site for researching occupations.

Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) Printed form & website. http://www.bls.gov/oco

            OOH has detailed descriptions of over 700 occupations commonly found in the country.  I have found these descriptions of specific occupations to be very accurate and helpful.  The real “plus” is that you can compare occupations easily because each description is laid out the same.

* Great site for researching occupations using videos.

America’s Career Info Net. http://www.acinet.org/acinet/default.asp

            Has over 450 career videos; fastest growing jobs; wages, and piles of other occupational information to help you decide if you’ve found the right job for you!

*Great site for learning about specific skills/tasks involved with an occupation.

O*Net. Website. http://online.onetcenter.org/ This is the governments main site for information regarding jobs/ occupations.  This has info on skills, aptitudes, descriptions of tasks, related occupations, and MUCH MUCH more!

ExploreHealthCareers.org is a free, multi-disciplinary, interactive health careers website designed to explain the array of health professions and provide easy access to students seeking information about health careers. Check it out at http://www.explorehealthcareers.org/en/index.aspx

Occupational Outlook Quarterly (website) http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/ooqhome.htm

            This quarterly publication (comes out 4 times / year) has great articles which focus on specific occupations as well as a wealth of other information.  You can search for past issues and find “tons” of great information & resources to help you.

U.S. Dept. of Labor Career Guide to Industries http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/

            Some people know what Industry they want to work in, but not what occupation.  This is the place to go. [Manufacturing; Transportation; Retail; Finance and Insurance; Services; etc..]

Maine's Dept of Labor website has a wealth of information regarding fastest growing jobs in Maine, highest percent increase in jobs, etc... a GREAT site to learn about jobs specifically in Maine.

U.S. Dept of Labor, Occupational Employment Statistics website. http://www.bls.gov/oes/home.htm  website gives you wage estimates and other statistics about labor market information.

This is a new website, Career Voyages, I found through National Career Development Association which is a career exploration site that people can "walk" through on their own to research possible jobs. http://www.careervoyages.gov/   I have not used it completely yet, but hope to get some students through it soon. (March 17, 2004- Happy St. Patrick's day!)

Guide For Occupational Exploration (GOE) (Printed). Breaks occupations into 14 interest areas. I like the GOE when people are "stuck" and need to look at jobs/occupations in a different way.  This book shows why certain occupations are related and asks leading questions to help you decide if you are looking in the right place.

            01 Arts, Entertainment, and Media

            02 Science, Math, and Engineering

            03 Plants and Animals

            04 Law, Law Enforcement, and Public Safety

            05 Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

            06 Construction, Mining, and Drilling

            07 Transportation

            08 Industrial Production           

            09Business Detail

            10 Sales and Marketing

            11 Recreation, Travel, and other Personal Services

            12 Education and Social Services

            13 General Management and Support

            14 Medical and Health Services