A very important step in deciding on a good career fit is to gather detailed information on what an occupation is truly like.

There are three basic ways to research career options:

1) Look at printed information.
2) Talk to people in the field.
3) Try it out.

When researching a career, be sure to gather detailed information about:

A typical day on the job
Working conditions (hours, inside/outside, movement/'desk job')
Necessary training
Job outlook (the chances for landing a job in this field)
Salary and benefits

Then compare this information with what you know about yourself to find a good match.

Look at printed information.

The Careers library has a wealth of information on almost any occupation or industry. These books range from very general (generating job titles) to very specific.

Depending on where you are at in your self assessment, you might start out by looking at general books in our library that are based on personality or interest areas, such as the VGM series on "Careers for….." Some examples include:

Careers for Culture Lovers & Other Artsy Types
Careers for History Lovers & Others Who Learn from the Past
Careers for Talkative Types & Others with the Gift of Gab

Once you have a list of many career titles that are potentially good options for you, explore the specific area of the library that covers the industry or occupational area in which you are interested. Many books such as Careers in Banking offer a list of specific job titles within an industry and describe them in detail. Some other examples are:

Opportunities in Biotechnology Careers
100 Best Careers in Entertainment
Handbook of Health Careers

There are also fantastic resources on the internet that give you very detailed information in seconds in an easy to use format. Below are 3 particularly good resources:

http://www.bls.gov/oco/

www.explore.cornell.edu/newcareerzone

http://www.vault.com/cb/careerlib/careerlib_main.jsp?parrefer=767
(This is an extensive site to which we have purchased access.  Students with a Davidson domain email address may download ebooks for free.  Click on the link and then request a password, which will be valid for 24 hours.)

Refer to Related Resources for more sites.

Talk to people in the field.

Here are some possible sources of identifying people to interview:

Ask faculty, friends, parents.
Davidson Alumni Network through eCareers
CareerSearch database of employers

(See tips on Informational Interviewing.)

Come to the "Careers in..." Series of alumni panels.

Check out The Major Decisions Series offered each spring by the Career Services Office in which dozens of alumni return to campus to talk with students.

For a complete list of Davidson Alumni returning to campus to talk about their occupations, go to http://www2.davidson.edu/studentlife/cs/cs_alumlist.asp

Try it out.

Finally, the best way to see if an occupation is truly a good fit for you is to experiment with different industries or occupations by exposing yourself to that field. This can be done in many ways:

Take a class in the subject.
Get a summer or part time job.
Do an internship.
Volunteer.

Once you have compared several potential occupations to what you know about yourself and what you need in a career, you are in an excellent position to narrow your list and focus on a clear goal. At that point, the next step is Job Searching or Professional/Grad School Planning.

Self Assessment

Career Exploration

Davidson Majors

Related Resources

Career Services Home