As you start to think about your next steps after college, you might find yourself asking questions about your major and career path. If I get a degree in accounting, what doors does that open up for me? What can I do with a major in sociology? A great resource for learning more about how your college major or interests might translate into the world of work is a website called O*Net.
O*Net is the leading source on occupational information.
The database contains hundreds of occupations that are continually updated as people in those occupations are surveyed. For each occupation, typical tasks, tools, and what technology used is shared, along with the knowledge, skills, and abilities one generally has to utilize in the role. Want to know more about what a parks and recreation manager does on a daily basis? Type it into the “occupation quick search” engine at the top of the site. Not only will you get information on that job, but O*Net will also pull up related occupations for you to search. Many of the related occupations have similar work tasks or skill sets, so it is a great way to explore a career you might not have ever even heard of before. For veterans, be sure to check out the My Next Move page, where you can find civilian careers similar to the title you held in the military.
Learn about education and wages.
Another excellent aspect of O*Net is the Education Levels Section. Unsure of what type of degree you typically need to be an accountant? Search it on O*Net. You’ll see that nearly 80% of the respondents have a bachelor’s degree. In the Wages and Employment Trends section, you will find the economic outlook for that job nationwide. You can narrow down the search to Colorado or any other state you are interested in living in. Salary information is broken down in low, median, and high ranges and is even searchable by your zip code.
Assess your interests.
If you are unsure of your path or still determining a career goal, the O*Net Interest Profiler is a great place to start. This free assessment helps you delve into your interests and how those might translate to different occupations.
Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information on O*Net? Connect with the career counselor on your campus. We would be happy to help you research career options and ideas!
