Career Pathways Handbook

About the Book

Most of the content in the Career Pathways Handbook is based on a series of career profiles - each one packed with four pages of valuable information, including the latest U.S. employment statistics and wage information, career dialogues with "real people" who work in the occupations, and extensive information for identifying and comparing related occupations. Each profile uses a consistent format to allow for easy reading and useful comparisons between occupations. While this book is based on a foundation of 154 different occupations, it also includes valuable information on several hundred occupations via the career path and related occupations tables. It is important to me that the information in this book will not only be useful to readers, but also be as current and reliable as possible. Therefore I have included the most recent information from reliable Government sources, as well as my own proprietary information from 20 years of extensive occupational research. The Government sources are U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) programs. For example, I have incorporated information from DOL's new O*NET Database, which includes the occupation titles and definitions, common job tasks, key skills and abilities, and related occupations. I have added the most recent employment statistics and wage information from DOL's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Finally, from our own research, I have added career path and "real people" career dialogue elements, and have enhanced and expanded the DOL information throughout. For example, the O*NET Related Occupations lists were significantly expanded and education/training information, along with growth and wage data, were added to make occupational comparisons more meaningful. The Job Tasks have been expanded to make them more useful. The education and training information is based on DOL's Typical Education Levels, but has also been expanded for this book. I have also written or rewritten many of the job outlook and analysis statements that are incorporated into the Employment Outlook sections. Finally, I have included a number of resource guides to help job seekers and career explorers reach their goals. Beginning on page 617, there are guides on Planning Your Career, Researching Occupations, Education & Training Options, Looking for a Job, Competing for a Job, Writing a Resume, Writing a Cover Letter, Completing the Application, Preparing for the Interview, and Common Interview Questions. There are countless numbers of books (both good and bad ones) on all of these subjects, so I've included a list of my favorite books on my website under Readers' Resources (see www.cassio.com). Also included on this website is an online guide to "State Training & Postsecondary Education Directories" and a list of my "Favorite Job Websites."

An absolutely essential career reference for finding comprehensive job information spanning a total of 150+ occupations. This is the all-inclusive guide to helping a job seeker go from planning a career to looking for a job. The career profiles offer extensive statistical research on employment and job skills for each career path. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.

Regina Jimenez, Research Librarian, Folsom Lake College

This book is a wonderful and powerful tool for guidance counselors and individuals who are looking to start, change, or enhance their careers. The Career Pathways Handbook provides useful and insightful job skills information in a clear and reasoned manner. The personal point-of-view provided by the career professionals in each career gives the user an inside perspective on making career decisions that is refreshing!

David Owens, Retired Research Manager, California Employment Development Department

About the Author

Over the past 20 years, Jim Cassio has assisted many organizations with their need for labor market information (LMI) development, analysis, and training. As a result, Jim has produced a large volume of regional-based LMI products, including occupational outlook publications, training directories, and computer-based information systems. In turn, these various products have served the needs of tens of thousands of individuals. Jim is also well-known for conducted groundbreaking studies of emerging occupations, new technologies, and career ladders; he was the first to use focus group research methodology in occupational research; he developed the first regional training directory in California with comprehensive information on services and programs; he coordinated two O*NET pilot projects in California - helping to develop the nation's new "Occupational Information network" while also helping to serve hundreds of dislocated (laid-off) workers.