Career Change: Researching a Career Choice

When considering a career change, or even a first career, you need to gather information about yourself and the career. The idea is to find a good match, so you have to consider the career in light of your desires, strengths and abilities. For example, being a pilot may seem like a great career, but if you have a tremendous fear of flying….well, you see where I am going.


So, first let’s look at the questions we need to ask about the actual career. What do we want to know in order to determine if this work is a good match for us? Here is a short list of some of the key elements:



How much education is required?
What is the earning potential?
What is the future outlook for this type of work?
What is the typical workday like for this career?

And wouldn’t it be great if there was one place where we could research all of these questions for just about any career choice? There is, and it’s paid for with your tax dollars. Check out the U.S. Department of Labor’s online version of the Occupational Outlook Handbook. This handbook has been around for decades (I was introduced to it in the mid-seventies), but it is updated every year. The Department of Labor uses its extensive database of statistics to answer questions about the future potential for nearly every occupation imaginable. You can even find a career’s average salary, read helpful articles, or find other resources such as State employment agencies. To begin your career search, start here and enter a career choice.

Of course, the Occupational Outlook Handbook is not perfect. One shortcoming is the way that the handbook groups similar occupations. For example, a search of web designer redirects you to the broad category of “Computer Systems Design and Related Services”. Unfortunately, the information is not as helpful as I would have liked, so I had to research through other sources.

Keep notes of what you learn. This information will become handy as we begin examining how well each of these career ideas matches with your individual talents and interest. Next we will look at how to research business ideas.