New year, new year….new career?

Cheering crowd and fireworks at New Year’s Eve

Ever wonder what the highest paying occupations are? What about the fastest growing jobs? How about just the basics of what certain occupations do? If so, then we have the perfect resource for you. The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) was created to help find that information and the Department of Volunteer and Career likes to use this resource as an early step in the career exploration process.  It can be helpful to see realistic descriptions before planning college schedules around certain classes.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) is a career resource that offers information on hundreds of occupations based on the majority of jobs in the United States. The OOH can help you find career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook and uses a consistent format to make it more user-friendly. There are various ways to search depending on your specific interests so you can make decisions based on a variety of factors. There are tons of other helpful areas on the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics website including Economic Releases, Data Tools, and an area for Student that include career videos, games, and resources based on grade levels.

The 2016-17 edition of the (OOH) was released mid-December by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and can be accessed online at www.bls.gov/ooh. While this is not the end-all-be-all for career research, it can be an eye-opener and we definitely recommend keeping this tool in your toolbox!