by Paul Peterson, Research Analyst
A lot of career information and advice is available on the Internet. Here are some helpful links for parents:
http://careers.utah.gov Investigate careers, find training programs or schools, apply for financial aid for education all at one web site. A true one-stop shopping site for career planning.
http://www.schools.utah.gov/cte/documents/flyers/CareerGuide.pdf Student publication designed to help students explore career options and make better career decisions. Contains a career chart, organized by personality type, listing the major 300+ occupations in Utah; what they entail, occupational wages, required training and a 0-5 “star rating” assigned by the Dept. of Workforce Services, indicating how good (mostly based on future opportunities) each job is. It also indicates the training required and whether or not the occupation requires a license in Utah.
http://jobs.utah.gov/wi Click on the UDEV icon to get into databases for career exploration, detailed wage information and more. Perhaps the best tool for teens and their parents is the first in the list, the Utah Occupational Explorer. Use a key word, or drill down through occupational families to a specific occupation, then get the Full Report to see detailed information for that job in Utah, and sometimes for sub-state areas of Utah. It’s the most complete occupation-specific information available for Utah jobs. And a word of advice: Don’t limit your exploration to occupations you’re already familiar with—new occupations are always emerging and there are many occupations you probably haven’t thought of.
http://jobs.utah.gov/opencms/wi/pubs/adultcareerguide A Utah-specific career guide aimed at adults, but full of information that teens can use as well. Also contains the same career chart as the first item on this list.
http://jobs.utah.gov/opencms/wi/pubs/womencareers
A supplement to the career guide above, it offers career advice for girls
and women. Articles include pitfalls girls and women often fall into when
planning a career, interviewing and negotiating for salary. It also
addresses nontraditional (high-paying) jobs for women, facts about women working
in Utah, working from home, planning for retirement (you can’t start too soon),
and juggling work and family life.
