Research Guides: Career Planning and Preparation: Explore Careers

Researching Career Choices

In a perfect world the career you pursue will give you purpose. To help you find a career that will give you that purpose you will want to conduct research. There are many outlets of information when researching a career -- magazine & journal articles; encyclopedias; directories; job advertisements; and much more.

Library Databases

Use the library's database subscriptions to research your career selection.

For example: if you are interested in the outlook for graduates with an accounting degree--use EBSCO's Business Source Complete or the ProQuest Accounting & Tax databases. Try typing in a search such as accountants and demand. Talk to a librarian if you need help getting started.

A to Z Databases List

Catalog Search

Search the Library Catalog for books, ebooks, and DVDs.

Government Sources

Occupational Outlook Handbook
The U.S. Department of Labor's OOH is published each year. This directory profiles many jobs for a variety of elements, including career outlook, salary range, and skills needed.
O*Net Online
This database of occupations can be searched by skill-set, interests, work experience, and education. O*Net also has a special database for Veterans to help chart how to use specialized military skills after service has ended.
CareerOneStop
Take a Skills Assessment at CareerOneStop, or use the Skills Profiler to create a list of your skills and match them to job types that use those skills.

Books in the library

The Genius Habit by Laura Garnett
ISBN: 9781492667308
Publication Date: 2019
HBR Guide to Your Professional Growth by Harvard Business Review Staff
Call Number: 650.1 H431 2019
ISBN: 9781633695986
Publication Date: 2019
The Successful Career Toolkit by Patrick Barr
Publication Date: 2019
What Color Is Your Parachute? 2018 by Richard N. Bolles
Call Number: 331.12 B691w 2018
ISBN: 9780399579646
Publication Date: 2017