Career Awareness Definitions Career awareness means learning about the different kinds of jobs that exist and how people get them. Jobs can be grouped into career clusters, which are groups of similar jobs (e.g., health care, technology, thearts). Career awareness helps you connect what you are good at and what you enjoy to jobs or college programs that fit you.
Career awareness also helps you set realistic goals for the future. When you know what paths are open to you, you can plan your education and build the skills you need. It also helps you speak up for yourself (self-advocacy) and make your own choices (self-determination) when you talk about your interests and needs.
Guiding Questions What are your interests, strengths, and skills? What activities or school subjects do you enjoy most? What careers align with your interests, strengths, and skills? What education or training do you need for those careers? What skills do you still need to build for a career you are interested in? What does a typical day look like in a career you are interested in? Would you rather work from home (remote), at a job site (in-person), or a mix of both (hybrid)? What assistive technology could you use in the careers that interest you? What experiences (e.g., volunteering, job shadowing, internships) could help you learn more about careers that interest you? What short-term goals can you set to explore and prepare for a career? Resources Bright Outlook Occupations – O*NET OnLine Use this list to find jobs that are expected to grow quickly in the next several years, will have many jobopenings, or are new and emerging jobs.
Finding a Job That is Right For You – Job Accommodation Network This guide shares four steps for finding a job as a person with a disability. Start with Step 1, which helps you think about your skills, learn which jobs are growing, and explore options like volunteering and internships. It also has free worksheets, such asa Personal Inventory Worksheet to help you list your interests, strengths, and weaknesses.
Job Seeker's Toolkit – APH ConnectCenter This free online course is accessible and self-paced. It has five one-hour lessons that cover learning about yourself, exploring careers, finding a job, interviewing, and keeping a job.You need to create a free account with NSITE to take the course.
My Next Move – U.S.Department of Labor Search for careers using the "I want to be a…" feature. You can also answer 60 questions in the "Tell us what you like to do" section to find careers that match your interests.
Skills Matcher – CareerOneStop Rate your skills in 40 areas to get a list of careers that match what you are good at. Your results show the average pay, education needed, and job outlook for each career.
Veroniiiica With Four Eyes Veronica Lewis has low vision and writes about assistivetechnology, how to be successful in school, college, and careers as a personwith low vision, and speaking up for yourself.
