3 Great Career Websites for Teens

I recently had the opportunity to volunteer at a grief and loss camp for children. It was a very powerful experience to say the least.  While I was there, I met some amazing people, including an enthusiastic high school junior. I am dedicating this blog post to her and her career question.

Q: How can I figure out what I want to do as a career? 

A: Good question! I have provided some of my favorite career development websites below. They are all easy to use and are great for teens and counselors too!

Occupational Network Online (O*Net Online)
O*Net Online has information on worker characteristics, worker requirements, experience requirements, occupational requirements, workforce characteristics, occupation-specific information. 

O*Net Online is one of my favorite websites to use with students. O*Net Online allows users to search occupations by Holland Code, industry, job cluster, skill set, and much more.  Students can also do an occupation quick search by just the name of the occupation.

To show the information O*Net Online, I did a search for School Counselor. The occupation profile provides an abundance of information including: Tasks, Tools and Technology, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Work Activities, Work Context, Job Zone, Interests, Work Styles, Work Values, Related Occupations, Wages and Employment and Additional Information. (When you click on the links the information will be specific to the occupation "school counselor"). The Wages and Employment section of O*Net Online is linked to a website called Career One Stop, which provides salary profiles nationally and for each state.

As if all of those resources are not enough, O*Net Online has a Free Interest Profiler, utilizing Holland Types, available for download! 
 
Education Planner
Education Planner has an abundance of resources all in one place. I recommend taking time to explore all this website has to offer. Education Planner has information about all aspects of post high school education including: Discovering, Preparing, Selecting, Applying, Deciding, and Paying!

The features of Education Planner I use the most are Discovering and Preparing since I am a middle school counselor. Education Planner has a career assessment utilizing Holland Types. Education Planner has a middle school checklist detailing what students should be doing in middle school to prepare for their future career. Education Planner also has a section for counselors with more information about the website assessments and access to worksheets for students.

Education Planner also offers free posters and informational brochures.

Career Zone Pennsylvania
Career Zone Pennsylvania is a great website for career exploration. Career Zone PA features career assessments, an occupation search, career exploration, information about budgeting money, career cluster videos, and more career resources.

Do you have any favorite websites for career development or exploration? Share your favorite resources and websites below or submit them via email.

Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and blogger at School Counselor Blog, a place where school counselors share innovative ideas, creative lesson plans, and quality resources.  Contact Danielle via email, follow her on twitter, and become a fan of the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page.

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