Paper #3 – Career Compare &
Contrast/Research Paper
It’s that time again. The next paper you will be writing is a research-based,
1,500-2,000-word compare and contrast essay covering two career fields
(including at least one in which you have an interest). Obviously, you will be
describing similarities and differences between your selected careers, but
because it’s research-based, you will need to find reliable print and internet
resources (and cite them regularly within your paper) to support your
descriptions. Your primary source (read: must use) is the government website
BLS.gov’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, with help from the periodical
search databases at SDLN.net and, of course, Google. The planned assignment
schedule (point totals included) can be found below. This is the biggest
assignment of the semester, so now is the time to do your best work!
Date
Stage of Writing
Pts. Possible
2/28
Prewriting – OOH Career Selection/Details Activity
10
3/5
Prewriting – Rough Draft of Outline
20
3/7
Prewriting – 5 Sources and Rough Draft of Works Cited
20
3/17
Drafting – Typed, Cited Rough Draft (min. 1,400 words)
50
3/26
Editing & Proofreading – 2 Peer Reviews
20
3/26
Publishing – Completed Final Draft (min. 1,500 words)
20
Publishing – Purpose/Voice
20
Publishing – Organization
20
Publishing – Detail/Use of Research
20
Publishing – Mechanics
20
Use of Class Time
30
250 Total Pts.
Name: ________________________________________ Period: _____
OOH Career Selection/Details Activity
It’s time to dive headfirst into your primary source: the Occupational Outlook Handbook
(http://www.bls.gov/ooh). There’s a lot of information to be found here about most careers, but
you need to start by picking out some of the more important aspects of your chosen careers
and categorizing them to fit a compare and contrast structure. For example, a lot of people
(okay, all people) care about their salary, so you will need to look at that when seeking
information on your careers. Other categories that might be helpful to look for when comparing
and contrasting career include job demand, education/preparation/skills needed, working
conditions/environment, and opportunities for advancement.
Okay, on to your part. Using only information found from the Occupational Outlook Handbook,
list your careers and find answers to the questions about each. This is worth 10 points and is due
at the beginning of Friday’s class.
Career 1: __________________________
Career 2: _________________________
What is the salary range for this career (lowest
10% to highest 10%)?
What is the salary range for this career? (lowest
10% to highest 10%)?
How many people are employed in this career
field in the US?
How many people are employed in this career
field in the US?
What is the estimated outlook (% change) for
this career by 2020?
What is the estimated outlook (% change) for
this career by 2020?
List one interesting fact that you learned about
this career from the site.
List one interesting fact that you learned about
this career from the site.
List 2-3 similar or related careers that you might
also be interested in.
List 2-3 similar or related careers that you might
also be interested in.