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Why should you explore careers?
Exploring careers will help you learn about yourself and different types of work. Use career exploration tools to help you decide about a career change or to gather information for a job search.
Here you’ll find resources to:
- Assess your interests and current skills.
- Learn more about careers, including which are in high demand in your area, pay good wages, and relate to your current skills.
- Learn ways to enhance your skills through short-term training, apprenticeships, internships, and certifications.
Need help getting started?
Most of the same resources that offer job search help will also help you explore careers. For in-person assistance:
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Find a match
Career assessments help you match your skills, interests, and values to jobs. Many assessments are available online at no cost. The following are good places to start:
Additional assessments may be available at your nearest CareerForce location.
Career counselors, including those with the Dislocated Worker Program may use additional assessments.
Other Considerations
Besides interests, there are other factors to keep in mind when considering a career change. What skills do I already possess? Could those skills be used in other work?
- Occupation Profile lets you select different jobs and view a description of the kind of work you would be doing; Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities required for that job; and a list of typical daily activities.
- Occupation Search you can select different jobs to view Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities; Occupation Specific Tasks; and Tools and Technology used in that job.
- The Job skills transfer assessment tool will help you find occupations that are a good match based on your work experience.
- Know your work skills - Chapter 3: Identifying Your Skills provides a list of common transferable skills. Use this to think about and list the skills you possess.
- Identify your work values to help you pick a career that matches your values.
- Cost of Living in Minnesota is a tool you can use to determine the cost of basic-needs by county, region, and statewide.
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What to consider
After looking at interests and existing skills, there are many other factors to consider, such as:
- What jobs match my skills?
- Where are the jobs? Will I need to commute or relocate?
- What’s the demand?
- What’s the pay?
- If not qualified, how do I get qualified?
Note: If you've already selected a career, these same tools can help you learn more about that job or career field.
Career Profiles
Career profiles can help you explore your options. Learn about education requirements, wages, employment outlook, and required skills for an occupation.
- Career and Education Explorer is an easy-to-use online tool. Use the Explore Careers section to find wages, jobs in demand, job openings, and more.
- Career Profiles is a great place to start your career research. The detailed information can help you get a good idea of whether an occupation is for you.
- Occupation Profiles lets you search for information and occupations by keyword.
- Career videos offer visuals and explanations of the types of work people do in nearly 550 careers.
Job Outlook Tools
Learn which jobs are in demand in your area, typical wages, education requirements, and where to find training. Is it time for a change, either in the type of work you do or where you work? These tools show you which jobs are growing and what different jobs pay. If you’re looking for similar work in the same areas, these tools can still help you define the skills you have or to research prevailing wages for specific jobs.
- Occupations in Demand shows state-wide and regional data including typical wage and long-term employment outlook. Includes training (or degree) required and schools that offer training programs for each occupation.
- Occupations in Longer Demand provides hiring trends, typical wages, education requirements, and where to find skills training.
- Match Jobs to Experience: Enter the title of a job you’ve done, and get a list of other jobs you can do with that experience.
- Career and Education Explorer is an easy-to-use online tool. Use the Explore Careers section to find wages, jobs in demand, job openings, and more.
- Occupational Employment Statistics include typical wages by occupation and region in Minnesota. Use this to see where the jobs are for a given occupation, and what those jobs pay.
- Employment Outlook Projections Data Tool can help you determine which occupations are expected to add the most jobs or grow faster than others.
- Contact a CareerForce location to ask about more career exploration resources.
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Find the right training for you
Start with these questions:
When you’re making a big life change, like beginning school or a training program, having a budget can help you keep on track.
Where to find training
How does training affect my Unemployment Insurance benefits?
