Penn State Graduate Student Career Guide - Biomedical Sciences ...

8 WHAT ARE MY CAREER OPTIONS?
Career Exploration
Knowing your skills is only part of the
answer. Knowing what is out there is
another part. Learning about careers and
deciding which jobs sound good to you
and which make you shudder is essential
to getting started on the job search.
Research career options through online
and print materials available in the
Career Information Center. You may
also want to research careers on the
web, through such resources as:
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
(http://www.bls.gov/oco/): Printed
by the U.S. Department of Labor and
revised every two years, the Handbook
describes what workers do on the
job, working conditions, training
and education needed, earnings, and
expected job prospects in a wide range
of occupations.
• WetFeet.com (http://crs.wetfeet.
com/schools/psuugdp/default.aspx):
Research careers and industries
including real people profiles.
• Career Zone (http://www.nycareer
zone.org): Job descriptions, skills and
knowledge used, and similar jobs.
• America’s Career InfoNet (http://
www.acinet.org): Career descriptions
including work activities/tasks, skills
and knowledge used, and wages and
employers searchable by state and cities.
• Job Profiles (http://www.
jobprofiles.org): Professionals share
rewards, stressors, skills and challenges
of their occupation.
Along with print and web research, networking
is an essential part of your career
exploration—talking to people about
what they do, and giving them an idea of
who you are, what you have to offer, and
what you want. Start asking everyone you
know—parents, relatives, friends now,
friends from college, people you meet—for
names of people to talk to in areas that
interest you. LionLink, Penn State’s online
career network, will give you access to
many more names. Pay attention to where
others who finished your program went.
Don’t hesitate to talk to colleagues who are
making choices that intrigue you, even if
those choices appear to be divergent from
your own career goals.
Come to Career Services Early and Often
Career Counselors are available to work
with graduate students and can help
you develop a better understanding of
your specific and transferable skills,
research careers, as well as create a
plan of action for translating your graduate
training into other viable options.
We can also help you pursue part-time
work or internship opportunities so you
can test the waters of areas of potential
interest to you.
To schedule an appointment with a
Career Counselor, speak with the Drop-
In Counselor, who is available between
8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays and
until 7:00 p.m. Tuesdays in the Bank
of America Career Services Center.
Whether you are targeting academic
or non-academic employment or aren’t
quite sure yet, our staff is ready to assist
you in reaching your specific career
goals.
Whether you are targeting academic or non-academic employment or
aren’t quite sure yet, our staff is ready to assist you in reaching your
specific career goals.