Explore Careers
How does a career differ from a job? What is a career path and why is it important? As a youth aged 14-21, you are at the beginning stage of your working life. Most young people are not planning to keep a single job their entire adult life. While having a job provides a way to earn money, having a career opens opportunities to learn specific skills that lead to higher paying jobs with increasing responsibility over time. The progression someone takes from working in an entry level job to a holding a higher skilled job in the same field is known as a career path. Moving along a career path usually requires specialized training on the job and education beyond high school. Since you most likely will have many jobs in your lifetime, it’s important to explore different careers to discover your interests and talents. The resources below can help you identify your personal career goals and then map out the steps needed to achieve them.
Resources
Big Future by the College Board – exloring careers step-by-step
California CareerZone – register for an account with California CareerZone to customize your career exploration
CalJOBS – exploring careers
California Community College Career Café – exploring careers and the training available for those careers via the community college system
CareerOneStop – source for career exploration, training & jobs
Drive of Your Life – test drive careers with this online career exploration game
Job-Interview-Site.com – understanding the difference between a career and a job
MappingYourFuture.org – Choosing and planning your career
O*NET OnLine – career exploration and job analysis tool [ English | Spanish ]
Virtual Career Network – for health care, green, and transportation jobs