Embedded Files
Career Assessments
"Find your Major" -- use this quick paper-based assessment from MiraCosta College Center for Career Studies and Services to find your personality type and which certificate and majors are suited to it.
The following are some online assessments in which you answer questions about yourself, and based on the results, a list of suggested careers will be provided.
California Career Café: This virtual career center, specifically for California Community College students, offers assessments and many other resources to help you find your best career path.
- Section 1: GET STARTED to uncover who you are and where you want to be. Self-assessments will help you uncover your strengths, talents, passions, personality and learning style.
- Section 2: GET A PATHWAY helps you to explore California’s 15 industry sectors.
California Career Zone: The California Career Zone site offers a brief assessment of interests based on Holland’s codes. It also has a 30-minute Interest Profiler that helps students explore vocations based on their interests. The Work Importance Profiler helps students explore their values in the workplace. All assessments are free of charge. There is a fun section called Reality Check that helps students explore their preferred lifestyle and the cost of that lifestyle.
My Next Move: This interactive tool helps students and job seekers learn more about themselves and their career options. The O*NET Interest Profiler offers personalized career suggestions based on a person’s interests and level of work experience. My Next Move has tasks, skills, salary information, and more for over 900 different careers. My Next Move is developed and maintained by the National Center for O*NET Development, under the sponsorship of the US Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration.
General Career Information
Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational OutlookHandbook Search for information about occupations based on pay, growth, training, education, or number of new jobs
California Career Zone Job Families section has career information; some careers have videos; or see All Occupations (jobs listed alphabetically)
California Employment DevelopmentDepartment Career Guides Select “Career Search” or “Topic Search” to view printable PDF career guides
CaliforniaSurfer Mobile App for iPhone or Android with Information on 900 occupations will be at your fingertips
CareerOneStop Under Students/Learners, select “Search for Training and Education Programs.” Choose a job family and then a specific career, and then choose California. Select “View Details” next to any school to get more information about the career program; see also CareerOneStopCareer Videos
Employment Development Department Occupational Guides: Summary guides of occupations that include job description, job outlook and wages, and qualification requirements
How to Become Your Dream Career Professional Careers with links to educational programs all over the USA
JobStar Career Guides with information about specific details of various careers
O*Net Online Select “Find Occupations” and enter a keyword (the name of the career) or “Browse by Job Family” or search for career information by categories
What can I do with this major?: Provides a list of common majors and their related careers and industries.
Informational Interviews
Informational Interviews
Informational Interviews are a great way to gain inside information about a particular occupation. See Quintessential Careers
Salary Information
Find out how much you can expect to earn in a job this career will help you prepare for. Use these Web sites to see what you can expect to be paid in the area where you live for entry level through experienced positions in the career you have chosen to research.
A salary that says “entry level” is for job applicants who have no experience working in this field or job. If you have already worked in this field or a closely-related job, you may consider viewing the “median” salary. Keep in mind, though, that employers may not fully recognize certificates/degrees and work experience that was outside of the United States, so if you have never worked in this field or job in the United States, it would be more realistic to view salaries for “entry level.”
Salary Calculator at LiveCareer
Salary Search at Indeed.com
Salary Wizard at Salary.com
Education / Training
For the last part of your research, find out where in the area you currently live you can study for the career you have chosen as our focus for this project. Note/Reminder: One unit = 1 hour in class; college students take a maximum of 12 – 15 units per semester (one semester = approx. 4 months/16 weeks).
First, see if your current school, MiraCosta College, offers these careers. Use these links to get information about specific certificate programs that you can study to prepare for the career at MiraCosta College:
MCCCertificates of Achievement -more units required/take longer, lead to AA degree/university transfer
Certificatesof Proficiency - fewer units required, help you prepare for one area of a career; select the specific discipline area and look for certificate of proficiency information
Academic programs offered at colleges and universities in San Diego County:
Palomar College – San Marcos, CA
San Diego Community College District – select a college and then choose “Academic Programs”
Note: If you choose a career that is not usually offered for study at a college or university (such as cosmetology), you will need to do a general search on Google. Also, if you already have a degree or certificate from your country, you may be able to have your certification validated. See your instructor or the counselor for advice.
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