We often call this career planning step the "research step" because it involves investigating information about the world of work, both passively and actively. You can research passively through reading and research and actively by initiating and participating in activities to obtain information.

In the Career Awareness step, you will learn about career fields, occupations within those fields, qualifications for jobs, salary and employer information, labor market information (LMI) or employment outlook and trends, and major and college information. Try to obtain the most up-to-date information you can about the career fields you are researching.

A good place to start with this puzzle link is to take some of the occupational suggestions from career inventories you may have taken and information from discussions and thoughts from your own reflections from the "self-awareness" part of the puzzle. This provides rich information to help you to explore.

Here are some links that might assist you with becoming more career aware:

Occupational Information

• careeronestop--sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, provides information on hundreds of occupations and requirements for entry. It shows state by state labor market information, wage and trend reports, occupational requirements, occupational licensing information for states and an extensive resource library on-line. They have hundreds of videos showing people in various occupations.

• Career Guide to Industries--provides information on available careers by industry, including the nature of the industry, working conditions, occupations in the industry, training and advancement, earnings and benefits, employment outlook, and lists of organizations that can provide additional information. Helps assess lateral moves from one industry to another.

• What Can I Do With a Major In-a University of North Carolina website that helps students look at career possibilities by major. It gives related career titles, related skills, job listings, career planning information, organizations and associations, and miscellaneous resources specific to majors.

• O*NET OnLine--provides broad access to the O*NET database of occupational information, including over 900 occupations. Skill Search allows the user to find occupations that match a list of current or soon-to-be acquired skills.

• The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH)--produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, training and education needed, earnings and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations. It is revised every two years.

• OLMIS-Oregon Labor Market Information System contains statewide occupational information and publications.

Employment trends

• careeronestop-has general job market trends for different education levels, wage and occupational trends for selected states and occupations, and state demographic and economic information. (click on occupation and/or industry information).

• OLMIS--Oregon Labor Market Information System contains statewide labor market information projections by county and occupational field.

• The Occupational Outlook Handbook-published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, has occupational descriptions, with national wage and labor market outlook.

• Wall Street Journal, Career Journal-publishes current information regarding trends and what is happening in the workplace. (see "Salary and Hiring Info " tab, and below, "Hot Issues," "Career Indicators," and "Regional News" tabs).

• Oregon Business Guide-published by the Business Information Center in Salem, the guide can help students with examining how to start and maintain a business.

• Cascade Business News-Central Oregon business newspaper.

• Business Resources-contains numerous links to assist with business development and expansion.

Internships and Information Interviewing

• Job Web Career Library-contains articles that discuss the advantages of completing work experience in your major before concluding college.

• Internship Advice-contains articles on how to be a successful intern.

• Information interviewing for career information or career fairs is a process of gathering information about people and occupations related to a field you want to know more about. It is not a job interview nor is it directly related to finding a job. It is a powerful tool for making contacts in the field you are interested. Talk to Career Services to learn more.

• International internships-provides contact information at OSU-Cascades to help students connect with an experience that can help clarify career choice and build future job skills.

Salary and Cost of Living

• careeronestop-gives wage, salary, relocation information and much more.

• JobStar Salary Surveys-has a comprehensive collection of salary surveys.

• Wall Street Journal Career Journal-contains a wide variety of current published news articles and charts on what is going on in the job market, salary hiring information, and more. Click on the Salary.comin the MarketPlace box to learn more about current salary information for various fields and locations.

Education Information

• Oregon Blue Book of Higher Education-contains information about Oregon universities and related entities.

• National Center for Education Statistics-is a research tool that accesses information about 7,000 vocational-technical schools, community colleges, liberal arts schools, and colleges and universities in the U.S.

• Univsource-is a comprehensive source for information on universities in the U.S. and Canada.

• Distance Education and Training Council-is a non-profit educational association founded in 1926 to promote sound educational standards, and has emerged as a leader in global distance learning.

• Teachers Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC)-lists professional standards for an initial teaching license in Oregon.

• Grad School-contains helpful information from the Career Library of jobweb, a link from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) that provides career development and job-search advice for new college graduates.

• educationUSA-provides information about graduate study such as admissions, testing, publications, glossary of terms etc.
• PETERSON'S Graduate Planner: Student Edition-gives help with finding a school, test preparation, etc.

Alternative Training Programs

• Peace Corps-is a U.S. volunteer service organization that employs U.S. citizens to assist with skills training in communities all over the world.

• Today's Military-is a comprehensive information resource to assist with exploring the U.S. Military Services, opportunities, and military life.

Financial Aid Information

• Financial Aid Resource Publications-a center for all of the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid (FSA) programs. It is available in English and Spanish. It links to the application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

• Oregon Student Assistance Commission-administers privately funded scholarships for Oregon residents.

• OSU-Cascades, Financial Aid-for information.

• Oregon State University, Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships-for information.

• University of Oregon, Office of Student Financial Aid-for information.