Looking for a Job or a Career?

Did you know that every two years the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics put out a book called the Occupational Outlook Handbook? A long-time staple in most public library reference collections it is now also available online. 

Recently, it has become a pretty heavily used resource at the Pearl River Public Library and in my own household. Here at the library we see a good number of patrons that come in to use our jobs computer, find information about careers or ask for help filling out online applications.

In my own household, I have a son that is coming up on graduation from college and a sister that is out of work. I am sure these events are not uncommon and may be familiar to many people in the Rockland County area. Both my son and my sister, like many others, are trying to find their career niche and a job/career with some security that they will enjoy well into the future.

Let’s start with my sister. She has been a stay at home mom for nine years. This past summer her husband lost his job and has made her rethink her own career aspirations and goals. Schooled as a visual arts major and desktop publisher, she has enjoyed many years as a freelancer. Now she has the burden of trying to find the right job that offers full time benefits for her and her family.

Enter the Occupational Outlook Handbook. This book gives readers a breakdown of the best occupations to enter and ones that are steadily on the decline. According to the occupational growth projections, desktop publishing is on the top 20 list of occupations with the fastest rate of decline. While this is discouraging for someone like my sister, the book goes on to break down each up and coming occupation, the skills needed to succeed in a particular vocation and what the outlook may be for the future with significant points of interest and the nature of what kind of work would be involved.

Now moving on to my son, he started college involved in ROTC and realized that with such an influx of kids joining the army and many of our soldiers returning home, the government is actually giving incentives to people already in the military to retire early. Understanding that this change would affect him greatly he decided not to continue with ROTC. Enter again the Occupational Outlook Handbook. My son is now looking at other career options that fit his skill set, individual needs and wants going forward. With the help of the Occupational Outlook Handbook he has found and researched career choices that he had never thought of before.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook is chock full of sources for career information with local libraries listed as one of the most important places to find; potential contacts within occupations or industries, resources on colleges and vocational schools, help with resume writing and depositories of job listings on the local, regional and national level. If you are looking for a job, change in career or just want more information for a loved one in a hard economic situation, be sure to stop by the local library. It is a good place to begin when beginning again seems overwhelming!

Other online resources the library offers: 

Learning Express Library

Job & Career Accelerator

PRPL Job Resources

Still can’t find what you are looking for? Ask a librarian. 735-4084