If you're researching different careers, the Occupational Outlook Handbook can help by
giving you access to thousands of detailed job profiles.
You can find information about salary, work environment, career outlook, and more.
To get started, you'll need to search for a job title.
If you're not sure what to search for, try the A-Z Index found on the homepage.
This will take you to a list of every job on the site, organized alphabetically.
You can also use the search box near the top of the screen to search for a specific job
title.
In this example, we're going to search for "physical therapist."
Click the Go button… and you'll be taken to a list of jobs that match your search terms.
To learn more about a job, click the one you're interested in.
On this page, you'll find a wide variety of information, starting with a summary of the
job.
This includes the median pay… education requirements… and various other facts at-a-glance.
You can click one of these links to view the page in detail, or use the tabs near the top
of the page.
Let's take a look at some of the most important tabs.
Under What They Do, the handbook will give you a list of typical duties for this job,
and more information about the nature of the work.
This tab is important because it really gives you a sense of what the position is like,
and whether or not it's going to be a good fit for you.
The tab labeled How to Become One is also useful.
This page can help you figure if you're qualified for the position, or if you'll need additional
training or education.
It can even help you assess personal qualities that might be important; for example, compassion,
interpersonal skills, or physical stamina.
The Pay tab will tell you how much this job typically pays.
Your salary may vary depending on where you live, where you work, and if you're just starting
out in your career.
In that case, your earnings may be slightly lower than the median annual wage.
The Job Outlook tab will give you insight to employment trends, and how difficult it
might be to get this type of job.
It also talks about what the prospects will be like over the next few years, which is
an important thing to consider when you're planning for your future.
If you'd like to learn about a different job, you can scroll back to the top of the page,
and type something else in the search box.
You don't even have to search by job title; you can also search by keyword.
So if you'd like to explore careers that'll let you work with animals, for example, you
can type "animals" in the search box… and see if any of the search results are what
you had in mind.
These are just a few examples of the type of information you can find in the Occupational
Outlook Handbook.
It's a great site for learning about different careers, so I highly recommend using it in
your research.