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Find a career that’s
compatible with you.
Make sure it meets
your needs.
Confirm there will be jobs in the future.
Career Clusters group occupations that require similar knowledge and skills into 16 groups. Read about career clusters, find out which jobs fall into each category, and learn about those jobs here:
Many colleges divide their programs into groups that go together called meta-majors or career paths. For example, Nursing, Massage Therapy, and Mental Health Counselor could all fall under the heading of Health Care. Check with your college’s website to see what career paths/meta-majors they offer and explore the different paths available to you in that area.
Information Interviews are a great source for gathering information about a job or career field in which you are currently interested. You can request an informational interview with someone who does what you want to do – you ask the questions. The purpose is to obtain information, not to get a job.
Learn how:
Job shadowing is usually a one day, unpaid experience where you walk through the day with someone as their “shadow” and you get to watch and see what they do in person.
A great way to find out about a field of interest is to volunteer at a business that is in the career field you want to learn about. You get hands on experience in the field and can find out if you are really interested.
Examples:
Think you’d like to be a veterinarian? –> Volunteer at the animal shelter or a vet clinic.
Think you’d like to be a teacher? –> Volunteer in a classroom or at an after-school program for kids
Volunteering on a community service project can do more than just make you feel good. It can also provide opportunities for career exploration, professional networking, and skill building.
An Internship is a great way to get real world experience in a career in which you are interested. Internships can be paid or unpaid, but both can help you make sure that career field really is where you want be in the future, build your resume, and help you network for future opportunities. In fact, 97.6% of interns recommend internships to others and are more likely to get a full-time job when they are done with their training program.
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Depending on your family size there is a minimum amount of money needed to meet the basic needs for survival. As your family grows, this will grow as well. The Self Sufficiency calculator below will help you to calculate this number based on your family.
But this number does NOT include extras like vacations, the latest cell phone, nights out on the town, or savings for the future. The Reality Check calculator can help you get a better idea of the income needed for the lifestyle you want based on where you live.
As we go through life our family can change and grow. Marriage and number of children can impact how much money we need. Make sure the job/career you are looking at has room for income growth that will meet these needs. You can figure out how much money you need for your future family using the calculators from the previous question and answering the questions based on your planned family.
Select a salary range at Career Bridge to see careers that would meet your needs.
There are other things besides money that you might want to think about. Here is a starter list to get your mind thinking about other ways a job/career might impact your lifestyle.
- Does this job involve a lot of travel?
- What are the hours I’d like to work? Nights? Weekends? Flexible? Fixed?
- Do I need/want a job that can flex from full-time to part-time and back based on my family needs?
- Do I want to work from home?
- Do I like to work independently or in groups?
- Do I need to be active?
- What else is important to you?
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Discover which occupations are in demand or not in demand by occupation search.
See the top in-demand and not in-demand occupations in your county.
Find the most in-demand jobs by job title, keyword, or salary range in Washington.
Where can you work? Explore the top 10 industries in Washington State.
Sometimes the job you want is in demand somewhere else. Or perhaps you want to re-locate due to family or other motivator. Here are three national resources for finding job outlook information.
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