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Career Exploration
Do you want a career that…
Be strategic! This means lots of exploration…of yourself, resources, and occupations; making a plan; and staying motivated to keep with the plan.
1. Be Organized!
Trust us - it’s easier to START by being organized than to try to get organized later down the road.
Bonus: Using tools to stay organized is a transferrable skill!
This whole process will potentially involve a lot of information, which you will want to keep track of and refer back to, potentially years from now.
We recommend...
Expand to learn more about why you should stay organized!
It may seem that the effort to find tools and set them up properly is just a waste; but if used properly, planning and staying organized is more efficient, makes life easier, and will increase your chances of success in every area of life.
Planning is a type of conceptual organization. It is a process that is required in managing day-to-day tasks, short-term goals, and long-term dreams. It requires thinking about the what, where, when, why, how, and who of a goal. Planning requires logical thinking and rational decision-making. Using tools to organize your planning will increase your the success rate of your plans.
Organization means, in this context, "The act or process of organizing or of being organized"; It can be a goal-oriented process, or the physical/visual arranging of items.
Organization Tools
There are plenty of free digital tools that can help you to keep organized in different ways. BONUS: Staying organized is a transferrable skill - and learning new software is, too!
Probably the #1 most important thing about any of these tools is to remember your login information so you can access it from anywhere, even if you lose your device!
Expand to view digital tools
2. Clarify Goals
Defining your life goals can help shape your career goals. This is the first step because it will help you to make better career decisions that are more likely to lead to long-term fulfillment and happiness.
Expand to learn more!
Allow yourself to dream
Setting a goal means identifying something that you want, but don’t currently have. However, it can be difficult to explore but you want when you’re ability to dream about possible futures is limited. This is why opening that door and allowing yourself to dream is Step Number 1!
Consider short-term and long-term goals in many categories
Why? Because your goals in these categories (listed below) impact your salary requirements, the location of your career, and whether your work environment.
Make a Vision Board
This can help you with actually picturing what you want in your future, which can help with:
Assess Career Goals
This should come after thinking about your short-term and long-term goals. Journaling is very helpful for this!
Ask yourself these important questions:
3. Identify Resources
Exploring resources that can help you to achieve your career goals is important in identifying realistic career options.
Resources can include:
Expand to learn more!
Clarify your target job zone:
A job zone is the combination of education, training, and related experience that is needed to get a job in an occupation. Job zones are used during career exploration with many of the resources that are referred to and can help you to narrow down realistic occupations.
4. Explore Career Interests & Occupations
How do you know which careers would be a good fit for your interests and skills? You take an assessment! We highly recommend the RIASEC Career Interest Assessment. This tool has been used across the U.S. for decades to help match career explorers to potential occupations that they would enjoy.
Step 1: Career Interest Assessment
Step 2: Explore careers that match your preferred job zone(s)
Step 3:
The #1 resource that I recommend for this is the Career Explorer. It’s 100% free and includes assessments, career matching, state specific salary and job growth projections. It evens has free tools for resume and cover letter writing!
5. Narrow Down Options
6. Make & Stick to a Plan
List of Online Career Exploration Tools
Build California
Explore careers in the construction industry and locate apprenticeships and educational programs across California.
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CA Career Zone
This California-specific service offers career assessments, personalized career matching, salary information, job growth prospects, and tools for creating and storing resumes and cover letters.
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California Career Surfer Mobile App
The California Career Surfer is a resource for exploring over 900 occupations, providing details such as occupation titles, tasks, required training, education, experience, and average salary. For those unsure of where to begin, it offers an Interest Inventory and a feature where shaking your phone displays a random occupation.
Open
Career Onestop for Ex-Offenders
This note indicates the provision of career guidance specifically tailored for individuals who have previously been incarcerated, commonly referred to as ex-offenders.
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My Next Move
Explore potential careers on this website by using keyword search, browsing by industry, or taking a quick, 5-minute interest assessment.
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O*Net Conservation Topics
The website provides a comprehensive list of 72 conservation-related occupational categories. Clicking on an occupation reveals detailed career information, such as salary and job growth prospects. The site also offers a list of related educational resources.
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O*Net Job Explorer
A comprehensive source for U.S. job and career information, including salary data across different regions, job growth forecasts, necessary skills, task descriptions, and both required and recommended education and training.
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State CareerExplorer
An online career exploration resource using U.S. Department of Labor data, accessible across all 50 states with a single account. Users can create an account to save assessment results and bookmark occupations.
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Job Search with Google
WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER! Google's integrated job search function allows users to refine their job search using multiple filters, searching across numerous job sites.
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Green Jobs Board
A job board from Green Jobs Network that connects job seekers to opportunities in the green economy, including environmental, conservation, clean energy, and sustainability jobs.
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Climate Jobs AI
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Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC)
Dedicated to promoting a sustainable future through clean energy initiatives, including renewable energy workforce development.
Open
HeatSpring Solar Training
HeatSpring offers comprehensive online courses and certifications for professionals entering or advancing in the solar PV industry.
Open
California Reentry Employment Guide
Visit the attached PDF to view a comprehensive guide on finding employment with a criminal history in California.
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Dealing with your criminal record in California
Visit the website to learn about the process of getting your record expunged.
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Finding a Job as an Ex-Offender
Use this online resource (or the PDF guide attached) to find information about:
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Search Apprenticeships by County - California
A tool to search for registered apprenticeship programs in California by county.
Open
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