Choose a career
1 Whats your passion?
Navigating career options in a field like Information Technology can be a challenge. The key is to align your skills and interests with real-world job opportunities. The U.S. Department of Labor offers excellent, free resources to help you do just that.
1.1 Finding Your Passion with O*NET
The first step is self-assessment. Tools like the ONET Interest Profiler from the ONET OnLine website can help you discover what truly motivates you. This assessment measures your interests in six areas:
Realistic (hands-on work)
Investigative (research and problem-solving)
Artistic (creative expression)
Social (helping people)
Enterprising (leadership and influence)
Conventional (organization and data)
After you complete the assessment, you’ll receive a profile of your interests and a list of careers that match. These careers are linked to O*NET-SOC codes, a standardized classification system for occupations in the U.S.
1.2 Surveying the Landscape: Finding a Career with Both Passion and a Paycheck 💰
Navigating the job market is a critical step for any student. While it’s important to pursue a career you are passionate about, it’s equally important to choose one that can provide a stable and comfortable living. One of the best resources for this is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which provides detailed data on employment, wages, and job growth for various occupations.
A great place to start is with the SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) major group 15-0000, which covers Computer and Mathematical Occupations. By examining the statistics for this group, students can get a clear picture of the opportunities available in the IT field.
Wages: According to the BLS, the median annual wage for Computer and Mathematical occupations was $104,200 in May 2023. This is significantly higher than the median annual wage for all occupations, which was $49,500. This data confirms that careers in this field offer a strong potential for earning a living wage.
Job Growth: The field is also expanding rapidly. The BLS projects a 12.9% growth for computer and mathematical occupations from 2023 to 2033, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to add nearly 700,000 new jobs to the economy.
Opportunities: The rapid growth and high wages indicate a healthy job market with ample opportunities. The BLS projects around 356,700 annual job openings in this sector, on average, due to both new jobs and the need to replace workers who leave the occupation.
The data from the BLS is a powerful tool. It shows that by pursuing a career in computer and mathematical occupations, you are choosing a path with strong job security and excellent earning potential.
1.3 Matching Your Skills to Careers
Once you have a sense of your interests, it’s time to assess your skills. The CareerOneStop Skills Matcher is a great tool for this. It asks you to rate your proficiency in a variety of areas, from technical skills like programming to soft skills like problem-solving and communication. The tool then generates a list of careers that require your strongest skills, giving you a tangible list of job titles to explore.
1.4 Putting It All Together
The beauty of these tools is that they connect your personal traits to the vast world of work. The O*NET-SOC codes act as a universal language. When you find a career that interests you on CareerOneStop, you can use its ONET code to find detailed information on ONET OnLine. This includes job descriptions, required skills, average wages, and projected job growth. This process transforms abstract interests and skills into a concrete, well-researched career plan.