Choosing a Career

CareerJournal , part of the Wall Street Journal Digital Network, offers career advice for everyone from college graduates to CEOs. If you're looking to change careers, find the right career or just keep your current career on track, consult this site’s article archive.

The Career Key addresses individuals in all stages of career development, including those wondering about education options or looking to further develop a career that's already well established. The site also offers information about career counseling. 

The Internet Career Connection , which calls itself "America's first and oldest online career guidance service," offers substantial reference information about various job industries, supplies occupational profiles and databases of career coaches and mentors, and contains helpful hints about job hunting. Browse the site content using the dropdown menu on the homepage, or learn more from the Site Index.

U.S. News & World Report’s “Money and Business” section explains the best jobs for various personality types, discusses prestigious (and not-so-prestigious) careers and helps college graduates learn how to make the best of their first job.

SeekingSuccess.com helps you evaluate your interests, personal qualities, and career goals to find the job that's right for you. Sign up for a free membership to access personal “Discovery Tools”, career research resources and an archive of career guides and articles.

JobDiagnosis offers a free career test that analyzes your interests, skills and abilities, and recommends some career choices in which you might be interested. Register with the site to access these features.

The Boston Globe article “The key is to embrace instability” is a great introduction to the concept of changing career paths. In previous years, listing a number of different careers looked bad on your resume; in today’s working climate, experience in multiple careers may actually increase your chance of getting a job.

Yahoo HotJobs has a smattering of articles on changing careers. Start with “How to Change Careers Part 1” for an introduction and then read Parts 2 and 3 for more guidance.

The California Job Journal explains why some people may need a career change in "How a Mid-Life Career Change Can Fill the Void." This article focuses a great deal on self-assessment, helping you determine if you're truly happy with the work you're doing and whether you should think about changing careers.

Education World provides college students with the information necessary to help them make important long-term decisions about their work ambitions and choose the school that can help them meet those goals. Learn about different majors, as well as the work you could perform with a particular degree.

College Board offers "Majors & Careers Central," a detailed resource for college students wondering whether their career will still be "hot" a few years from now, or for those searching for the fastest-growing industries. Visit the "Major & Career Profiles" page to see the work that’s available to people with a specific degree. Not sure of the degree you want? Take a look at the "Major Categories" menu to see the degree options available.

The Fun Works teaches teens about careers they might never have known existed. If your teen is wondering about possible career paths, she can take a quiz to help her determine the interests and talents that would apply to potential career fields. Those who already have ideas about a career can choose the category that fits their interests (for example, law, medicine or technology), see job possibilities and learn what courses they should take in high school to prepare.

My Future guides teens through many possible career choices. The site, sponsored by the Department of Defense, is focused on military opportunities, but it does feature helpful work interest and personality tests, information about the fastest growing occupations and helpful hints to ace a job interview.

The AARP helps you assess your skills and needs if you're ready for a career change, and also helps you obtain the training you need for a new job. Take a look at the "Occupational Info" for job research tips, to see the fastest-growing jobs in your state and to learn how to find a career counselor or coach.

Quintessential Careers explains that for many older workers, retirement doesn’t necessarily signal a new life of leisure, but rather the beginning of a new kind of working life. Look for numerous hyperlinks to a variety of resources that help older workers find new careers, volunteer and educational opportunities, and career exploration tools and resources.

Your Career Change helps you decide whether you really want to go into total retirement or if you want to consider active retirement as an option. 

CareerOneStop is primarily a job search engine, but it's also a great source of information about the best careers available (in terms of salary and number of job openings, for example). The “Occupation Information” center can help you refine your career choices by displaying the careers with the most openings, the fastest growing occupations or even the occupations with declining employment opportunities. See the “Career Tools” section for a variety of certification and education resources you can use to learn more about career options.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has released employment rate statistics and wage estimates for more than 800 occupations. If you're wondering whether the time and money put into career training will be worth it, check this site to see how much you might be making later on. Also review wage data by state to see how your career path might influence where you want to live.

The Self-Directed Search presents "How to Find a Career Counselor." Learn the role of a career counselor, the credentials held by various levels of career counselor, and a few short steps you can follow to find a career counselor.

The National Career Development Association (NCDA) contains a "Career Center" that explains the job of a career counselor and helps you find a career counselor in your state. Scan the menu on the left for additional topics that can help you find the right counselor.

The Beehive connects you with career coach resources, including an interest quiz, training and education information, and the basics on obtaining a GED. The site requires a free registration.

The Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches offers directories to help you locate professional career coaches, employment interviewers and resume writers in your area.

DisabilityInfo.gov provides advice for disabled individuals looking for work and employers searching for workers, as well as facts about employment rights, employment programs and job accommodations.

eSight Careers Network is an online community that primarily discusses how to handle disability employment issues for the blind, but it has information that can apply to other disabilities. The site offers valuable advice on such topics as how to talk about your disability with job interviewers and turning your disability into an advantage in the workplace.

The American Association of People with Disabilities has a list of employment resources for individuals with disabilities.

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) explains disability-related policies associated with the employment of people with disabilities. Don’t miss the article on customized employment, and how employers can implement this strategy to recruit workers of varying abilities. Employers and potential employees should visit the "Employment Supports" page to learn about workplace accommodations for a disabled person.

The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability is a resource for professionals who advise youth with educational and career development challenges. The organization’s career assessment guide is divided into four sections and available for download in PDF or MS Word format. Read up on the ethical considerations, accommodations issues and legal matters involved in assisting transitioning youth.