Career Exploration by Occupational Clusters
Step 3 - Guideline
Choosing a career is a process and not a single event. You have most likely been involved in this process since
childhood and through the years have become increasingly aware of things that you are interested in, things you
are good at and ideas or characteristics that you value. If you have recently tried to ‘match’ your skills, interests,
personality, and values with a career path and felt confused and overwhelmed, you are not alone. You make
choices every day, but choosing a career that’s a good fit can be a daunting experience.
The Career Clusters Interest Survey provides you with the opportunity to explore occupations from a perspective
that is different from other types of career assessments and can be used separately or in conjunction with other
resources. Once you have taken the survey, look at the job titles from the Career Clusters guides where you
scored the highest. Circle occupations you are interested in and use the following internet resources to find out
more about those jobs.
www.bls.gov/ooh
This comprehensive, text-based website describes various aspects of occupations including the training and
education needed, salary ranges, current and prospective job outlooks, daily responsibilities, and working
conditions and environments.
www.careeronestop.org/Videos
This website has 1-2 minute videos illustrating over 550 occupations, condensing the most important aspects of
the work while providing an experiential portrayal of the job.
The Process
The following process helps you explore occupations in a manner that you may not have previously employed. It
helps you compare what you like and dislike about occupations and can assist you in making a decision about
which occupations are a good match.
1. Keep a record of your career exploration. On the next page is a template to help you get started with the
exploration process.
2. From the list of occupations you circled on the Career Cluster guides, write the job title you are exploring
above the plus and minus column on the template, as indicated.
3. As you read the description of the job in the Occupational Outlook Handbook online, www.bls.gov/oco ,
look for those aspects of the work that you either like or don’t like and write it down in the appropriate
column. This can come from any area of the description.
4. When you reach the related occupations section at the bottom of the description, take the opportunity to
view other occupations of interest and employ the same process described above.
5. Go back and forth between reading descriptions and viewing career videos.
6. You’ll start to see a pattern develop concerning what you really want in a job and what you really don’t
want in a job. This is your own unique criteria determining what career satisfaction means to you and
includes aspects of the work that may be outside the knowledge, skills and abilities.
Remember, deciding what a good next step is may be different for everyone. Some people will be qualified for,
and seek work in their chosen occupation after obtaining an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree. Some people may
choose to work after obtaining an initial degree before continuing their education. Others might choose to go
straight into an advanced degree program after obtaining their Bachelor’s degree to achieve their goals. There is
no right or wrong career path.
The Next STEP:
One of the best ways to find out about careers and fields of interest is to talk to people such as college professors
and seasoned professionals in the world of work. You can also schedule an appointment with a career counselor
at Career Services for additional help.
1
Lommasson Center 154
www.umt.edu/career
(406) 243-2022
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2
Lommasson Center 154
www.umt.edu/career
(406) 243-2022