Deciding on a job or career path can feel overwhelming—there are so many options, so many questions:
- What will I actually like doing every day?
- How much schooling will I need?
- What’s the pay like?
- What’s the job outlook (how many jobs will there be in the future)?
The good news is: you don’t have to guess. By exploring occupations you’re curious about, you can make informed decisions that lead to greater satisfaction and success. Here’s how—and one especially good tool to help with this.
1. Explore to Discover What You Like & What Fits
- Think about your interests, values, strengths, and lifestyle goals. Do you like helping others? Working outdoors? Solving problems with technology?
- Make list(s) of careers that seem interesting. Don’t worry if some are far-fetched or you don’t know much about them—it’s about possibility.
2. Use Real Data to Make Smart Choices
Here’s where the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics comes in. It’s a resource designed for people just like you who are exploring career options. Bureau of Labor Statistics
What’s in the OOH and why it’s helpful:
- Descriptions of hundreds of occupations, grouped into fields like healthcare, business & finance, engineering, arts & design, etc. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Details about what people in each job do every day. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Education/training required (high school diploma, on-the-job training, apprenticeship, bachelor’s degree, etc.). Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Median pay information and wage ranges. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Job outlook projections: how fast the job is expected to grow, how many new jobs are expected, whether demand is increasing. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Information about work settings (office, outdoors, lab, etc.), working conditions, and tasks. Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. How to Use the OOH Effectively
- Start by browsing categories you think you’ll like (for example, Arts & Design, Computer & Information Technology, Healthcare) to see what roles are in them. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- For each job on your list, check:
- What level of education or training is needed? Is that something you’re willing/able to pursue?
- What is the pay? Is it enough to support the lifestyle you want?
- What is the job growth outlook? Are there many jobs expected in the future?
- What are the daily tasks and work conditions? Do they match what you enjoy (working with people vs. alone, physical vs. mental tasks, routine vs. variety)?
- Compare a few jobs: sometimes two jobs that seem similar can differ a lot in pay, training, or demand.
- Consider local vs. national data. Sometimes a job is growing nationally but maybe not as much in your state or area.
4. Benefits of Doing This Early
- Helps you choose a major or program in school that’s more aligned with what you like and what’s in demand.
- Prevents spending time and money on training or schooling for something you might not enjoy.
- Opens your eyes to jobs you may not have known existed.
- Gives you confidence in the decisions you make, because they’re based on real information.
5. Action Steps You Can Take Now
- Go to the Occupational Outlook Handbook website: BLS OOH Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Pick 3–5 occupations you’re interested in. Do a side-by-side compare: what schooling they require, how much they pay, how many new jobs are expected in the future.
- Talk to people in those jobs—ask questions like, “What’s a typical day like?” or “What’s the hardest part of your job?”
- If possible, shadow someone or get an internship in an area of interest.
Conclusion
Exploring what occupations interest you, and using tools like the OOH to get solid facts, gives you a much better chance of making school and career choices that are a good fit. It’s way better than trying to figure it all out by guesswork.