Lesson 20 — Activity 3: Conducting Career Research

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Now that you have begun to research for career choices, consider the following details when choosing a career. You might think that the major concern is to have a job for the "rest of your life." However, details like your ability or inability to work with your co-workers can make a "great" job unbearable or rewarding.

Look at the following list of questions about the quality of life in the workplace. By using these questions as a guide in your research for a career, you will be better prepared to move on to the decision-making step.

What do people in this line of work do every day? What are their responsibilities?
What are the working conditions for this job? Do you work inside or outside? Do you work overtime? Are there any health hazards? Is it a dangerous job? Do you travel much? Do you have to work weekends? Do you need to be strong or have some other physical abilities to do the job?
What are the specific skills that you need to do this job? How do you get these skills?
What sort of education or training do you need for this job? Is there a specific certificate, diploma, or license required to do this work? Where can you go for training? How expensive is it to be trained in this field? Do you get additional training on the job?
Are there technical skills that you need to have? Do you work much with machines?
Is it a job where you work with other people or alone? Do you work with animals?
How would you describe the environment where you work? Is the workplace quite serious or is it a place where people are encouraged to have fun?
What do you think this job will be like in five or ten years? Will it change? Will there be changes in technology that will affect the way work is done? Is it an area where more workers are needed or is it an area where there are too many qualified people looking for jobs?
Is it a job that will change over time? Are there opportunities for promotions?
What is the salary range for the job?
What is the most satisfying aspect of this job? What is the least satisfying?

You have chosen a career that you would like to research. Now, choose three questions from the list above and research the answers to those three questions to find out more about your chosen career. Some of the answers to the questions above you may already have from the last activity when you completed the career profile worksheet. Therefore, please be sure to choose three new questions from the list above to research. Remember, the more information you have about your chosen career, the better you will be able to make decisions about whether or not that career is right for you!

Click here to download another career profile worksheet. Print off the worksheet and complete it using the three new questions that you want to find out more about. Write your answers on the worksheet and hang on to it as you will need it for the next assignment.

You can find out the answers to these questions any way you choose. For example, you might go to your local library and find books on your chosen career. You may also know someone who works in that career and you might ask them the questions you have chosen. Alternatively, you may search for the information on the Internet. If you need extra help to find the answers to your research questions, be sure to ask your teacher to help you.