What If I Haven't Made Up My Mind?

The first things to bring into focus are yourself, your skills and your options.

What are you interested in?

Where should you start? A visit to one of the many Minnesota Workforce Centers would put you on the right track. For those who prefer group learning, there are one- and three-credit courses available at local schools. The Discover series available through Anoka Hennepin Technical College is a good example. Or, for a more personalized approach, you can pay a private counselor or contact the career-counseling staff at a local community college.

There are several Web sites that can help to jump start the process:

The Career Planning Process
From Bowling Green State University, this site takes a look at how you might benefit from working with a career center to plan your job goals -- and assess where you stand.

Steps to Career/Life Planning Success -- Self Assessment
This site, from the University of Waterloo, also helps you assess your attitudes, skills, achievements and learning style.

What Can I Do with a Degree in . . . ?
Browse job titles and resources for a variety of majors from Washington University in Saint Louis.

Fastest-Growing Fields

As you might expect, the U.S. labor force is expected to get older -- and its growth is expected to slow -- as the 21st century unfolds.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also predicts that jobs will become concentrated in service-producing industries -- particularly in the computer technology and health-care fields.

Occupations that require a bachelor's degree are projected to grow the most quickly, nearly twice as fast as the average for all occupations. And replacement -- not job creation -- accounts for most projected openings through 2006.

Additional Resources:

2000-01 Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
Includes nature of the work, training, job outlook and earnings.

America's Career Info Net
Discover employing industries, training requirements and additional resources for careers that interest you.

30 Fastest-Growing Occupations, 1990-2005
This feature, from Career Magazine, selects highlights from a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

Find Your Career Database
This site, from U.S. News and World Report, contains more than 230 career descriptions -- including information on job duties, expected salary levels, educational requirements and employment outlook. Descriptions also link directly to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Next: Other Options

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