Links to Information about Occupations

As you begin to research occupations, think about skills you already have, things you enjoy doing and job opportunities that might incorporate those existing skills and hobbies.

• Example: You have been doing clerical work but your hobby is gardening. Think of gardening as a career possibility: floral designer, landscape architect, garden worker, or greens keeper.
• Example: A bookkeeper who wants to become a pharmacy tech has the following transferable skills: verifies, allocates and posts details, calculates and keeps records in a computer system.

Here are some resources to help you learn more about occupations and the skills that they require:

San Diego County Occupational Outlook Reports and interactive CDs

These reports provide valuable information on occupations in San Diego county including wages, necessary skills and local sources of educations and training.

California Occupational Guides 
This site offers statewide information on the employment outlook, job duties, working conditions, entrance requirements, and much more.

Occupational Information Network  
This is a national resource for occupational information

Links to Information about Training

When determining occupations that you might find suitable, consider the following questions:

• How much additional training/retraining will I need?
• Where do I go to acquire this training?
• How much will it cost and how long will it take?

To find answers to these questions, consult CACTIS.

"CACTIS" (California Career and Training Information System) provides information on facilities in your area that provide training for the jobs you are researching. The information available for each facility includes:

Mailing address and actual location
Phone and fax number
School type (for example public university or adult education)
School accreditation
Financial aid availability
Availability of job placement service
Availability of childcare

Links to Information about Wages and Salaries

An important part of researching occupations includes increasing your understanding of current and projected wages and salaries.

San Diego County Occupational Outlook Reports and interactive CDs  wage information for hundreds of local occupations.

JobStar is California based and offers over 300 salary surveys, including profession-specific surveys.

Links to Information about Occupations In Demand

When considering the demand for potential occupations you are researching, be sure to look toward the future. Choose an occupation for which demand will increase or at least remain steady for some time. San Diego County Occupational Outlook Reports and interactive CDs provide detailed information on specific occupations in San Diego County. They include information on employment trends and future employment outlook.

Find a Professional Association for Your Occupation

Finding a professional association related to your chosen occupation where members gather and exchange ideas is an excellent way to expand your network of contacts. Participation in these associations can be great opportunities to practice your networking techniques, to find out more information about the occupation from the people who already do it and to explore job opportunities.

GALE's Encyclopedia of Associations is a guide to national and international non-profit organizations. The information includes location, size and objectives of more than 14,000 trade associations, professional societies and fraternal and patriotic organizations.

You may access the Encyclopedia of Associations in print through your library and the career centers. Access to their databases on the Internet (GaleNet) is only provided through selected libraries. You must check with your local library to find out if they offer GaleNet Internet or CD databases.

For tips on how to Network click here.