Career Exploration helps you identify your interests and goals and how different occupations fit with your career preferences. These tools will help you explore how your skills, interests and values can help you find a career path you will find satisfying and sustainable. 

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Program can help eligible job seekers with career counseling and job search assistance click here for more information.

Explore the resources below and if you have questions or would like additional help, please contact us. 

Massachusetts Career Information System  (MassCIS) 

MassCIS (Massachusetts Career Information System) is a free online, interactive career information system. It combines occupational, labor market, and educational information into one comprehensive, easy-to-use career exploration tool. Using MassCIS can help you identify career paths related to your field of study and make successful career decisions.

MassCIS can help you:

  • Plan your future – Learn more about yourself, plan your education and create a career plan.
  • Self Assessments – Answer questions about yourself and connect to occupations that may interest you
  • Occupations – Explore different occupations, learn about expected growth and wages in different industries
  • Education – Identify programs of study that interest you and learn which schools offer them
  • Employment – Learn how to find and keep a job

Create an account or use the Massachusetts Resident tab to access all that MassCIS has to offer.

Self-Assessment Resources 

Assessments are tools that will help you learn which occupations might suit you. Many will ask you to answer questions about what you like, what’s important to you, and what your strengths are.   Assessments are not tests. There are no right or wrong answers. They are tools to help you make decisions regarding education, training and career choices.

Next, focus on learning about the occupations that seem to be a good fit based on the results of your self assessment and any other professions that interest you. Use online and print resources to get a job description and learn about specific job duties.   Check out the Labor Market Information below for in depth information on occupations.

Interests 

When you choose a career that matches your overall interests, you are more likely to enjoy your job; you are also more likely to be successful.  Below are three career interest tools that will help you identify how your interests translate to jobs and occupations:

Values 

Workplace values are the guiding principles that are most important to you about the way  you work. You use these deeply held principles to make important decisions and career choices. When you and your employer’s values align you are more likely to have a positive work experience. Below are two tools to help you explore your workplace values:

Skills 

Skills describe things that you are good at.  You develop skills through school, work, personal life and volunteer work.  Employers look for specific skill sets for different occupations; some skills like dependability, communication and problem solving are needed in every job.  Skills assessments are valuable tools in helping you identify the skills you already have as well as the skills an employer will be looking for in a specific career.  Knowing your skills is particularly helpful when exploring job opportunities and building a career path. Below are two tools to help you explore your skills:

Labor Market Information

Labor Market Information (LMI) tells us important information to assist in career planning and is a valuable resource.  You can use it to find answers to many questions, including:
  • Are there jobs in our region for a certain occupation?
  • Is this a growing or declining career path?
  • What are the anticipated wages for this job?
  • What education and training are employers requiring for individuals entering this career?

Here are two resources to help you explore LMI and make an informed Career Plan:

Additional Career Exploration Resources 

We have a variety of resources we recommend that will help you get in touch with what employers expect in today’s workplace as well as training opportunities that can help you fill in any gaps in your skills and experience.

Explore the resource listed below, and get in touch with us if you have more questions or need further assistance.

  • O*Net Online offers detailed descriptions of the world of work 
  • CareerOneStop will help you explore careers and find training and job opportunities
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook – The Bureau of Labor provides career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations  
  • MyPlan’s Career Database which includes a video library,a  salary calculator, as well as industry profiles   
  • My Next Move organizes career options by industry, by what you like to do, and by job key words 
  • Massachusetts.gov has a wealth of information on occupational employment and wages, industry staffing patterns (which industries employ which occupations), and occupational projections for 2-10 years into the future.