- PVCC Jessup Library
- Jessup Playbooks
- SDV 100 Course Playbook
- Career Exploration
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SDV 100 Course Playbook
Need Help?
Betty Sue Jessup Library
501 College Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434.961.5309
reference@pvcc.edu
Career Exploration: Using the Library's Home Page
FIND BOOKS
From the library's home page, search under FIND BOOKS to find print and electronic books about careers. Click on the down arrow and select "subject," then format your search this way: (your term) AND vocational guidance.
Example: photography AND vocational guidance
FIND ARTICLES
From the library's home page, find articles about your chosen career by searching under FIND ARTICLES. Type your search this way: (your term) AND vocational guidance
Example: architecture AND vocational guidance
Career Exploration: Web Resources
Best site for researching career paths: Occupational Outlook Handbook
Other sites are listed below.
- My Next MoveExplore career paths with this tool; learn about what skills, technology, and even personality are needed for a particular job.
- My PlanCareer information, plus tools such as a salary calculator.
- O'NetAnother exploration tool with comprehensive information about career paths.
- USA JobsThis site allows you look for jobs with the federal government. They provide separate links for people with disabilities, for veterans, and for senior executives.
- Jobs AbroadLinks provided by the U.S. State Department.
- Cost of Living Calculator, from CNNCompare the cost of living for two different cities.
- Cost of Living Calculator, from MoneyGeekCompare cost of living factors across cities.
- Cost of Living Calculator -- InternationalCompare cost of living factors in locations outside the U.S.
- ZillowFind real estate information and prices.
Career Exploration Practice
The activities below will allow you to familiarize yourself with helpful career resources.
1. Go to the Occupational Outlook Handbook
- From the list of highest paying occupations, select 2 that you think are interesting.
- From the list of fastest growing occupations, select 2 that you think are interesting.
2. Go back to the Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Under Occupation Groups, select a group, then pick a career.
- Write down 3 facts about the career you selected.
- Answer this question: What's the job outlook for this career?
- Be prepared to share the 3 facts and the answer to the question with the class.
3. Go to the library's home page
- Under FIND BOOKS, search for books about one of the careers listed below (remember to format the search using occupation name AND vocational guidance -- for example: medicine AND vocational guidance)
- photography
- nursing
- chef
- police officer
- social work
- Select 2 books from the results list
- Be prepared to share the title, author, and year of publication with the class
Need Help?
- For help finding resources, use the information in the library's playbooks. Librarians can help you understand the playbooks, but they cannot conduct research for you.
- For help with formatting citations, please consult the library's citation styles playbooks. Please note the librarians cannot help you with citation generators or with any citation guide other than the library's.
- For help with composition issues (such as spelling, grammar, flow, etc.), please visit the Writing Center.
- If you have questions, please email the librarians at reference@pvcc.edu, visit the library and speak with a librarian, or connect via chat. If your section has an embedded librarian, contact that specific librarian.