Explore and Clarify Your Career Pathway

The Career Center will help clarify your major in order to better explore career pathways right for you.

Career counselors have varied knowledge in a number of different career fields, but our primary area of knowledge is the career development and planning process. We additionally use and refer to resources to develop strategies that could clarify your major or career pathways further.

Clarity requires exploration, and exploration involves research, research, research! Some of this could be done during a career counseling session, but most of your exploration will be done on your own time.

Given how complex and varied career pathways can be, we recommend looking at multiple sources for clarity and accuracy of information. We can discuss during a career counseling session what might be effective strategies to organize your exploration.

Some aspects of exploration of an occupation or career pathway to consider include:

Job descriptions
Working conditions
Earnings
Education
Sample career path
Related careers
Other resources including professional associations, news on the field, etc.

Resources

Some of the resources below may provide information on occupations and majors.

Decision making is a lifelong skill essential in your career development. By making informed decisions, we have confidence in understanding why we chose a certain major, setting a career goal, choosing the right job - and therefore, more likely to stick with it in the long run.

To assist you in this process, we have a worksheet from the OC Career Cafe. It will ask you prompting questions that we believe will help give you the confidence in choosing a certain major or setting a career goal. Keep in mind, the point is not to be absolutely certain about every step within a major or toward a career goal, but to have enough information that you understand WHY you are choosing it - emotionally and logically.

THINKING CAPS - DECISION MAKING WORKSHEET

This worksheet will also assist in organizing the amount of information you are likely to uncover in your exploration of majors and careers. If you need further assistance , please make an appointment with a career counselor.

As you explore, you may want to consider the following worksheet from the OC Career Cafe on decision making, asking yourself questions on choosing a career path.

Download Decision Making Worksheet

	What can I do with this Major? Explore the various industries in and employers for which you can work with your major. You may be surprised at possibilities. Review and set goals over suggested strategies to expand your interest and gain skills in the field so you are as adequately prepared to enter the workforce upon graduating. Discover links to professional associations, the Occupational Outlook Handbook, miscellaneous resources to the field, and employment websites. Use this worksheet to help you navigate and explore this valuable resource What Can I Do With This Major? Worksheet
	Eureka Career Program Check out assessments such Inner Heroes, How Do I Learn?, What Are My Values?, MicroSkills, True Colors, and Occ-U-Sort to match your skills, personality and talents to possible careers that may be of interest to you to explore further. Site code for ECC Students: PQINZGF
	Career Cruising Log in using the following username and password. You can create your own account to save any materials on Career Cruising Login username: elcaminocollege Password: career A comprehensive and interactive career guide resource that provides information such as job description, working conditions, earnings, education, sample career path, and more. Assessments match your likes and dislikes, skills, and learning styles to find careers that align with your interests.
	the muse Explore the variety of articles with advice related to career exploration by the muse
	O'Net This online occupational database has extensive details on various tasks and responsibilities for each occupation. Find sample reported job titles to expand your job search, technology skills, knowledge, activities, and more.
	Occupational Outlook Handbook Information on occupations, working conditions, labor market, training and education, job outlook, and current earnings for different occupations in the United States
	Career Coach Career Coach has information on occupations within various career areas, a resume builder and a simple assessment to find matching occupations that may be of interest to you. Explore occupational information on daily tasks, education, wages, employment projections, actual job postings, and more.
	California Career Zone A career resource program provides comprehensive information for 900+ occupations. Includes self-assessment modules to help define possible interests, work importance and skills. Check out financial literacy tool “Budget your Life” to determine the kind of lifestyle you want, what area, the budget you’ll need and the kinds of occupations with salaries that can lead to sustainable living wages.
	Learn How To Become… Provides in-depth career guides with in-depth data and information gathered by experts in their fields for various career fields.
	Study.com Find degrees based on subject area to discover the education, skills and career options.
	Directory of Professional Associations Directory of Associations has over 35,000 local, regional, and national professional associations. You can filter to sort by type, category, size, and state.
	The Balance Careers Provides advice and information on education, training, job decisions, career changes and more.
	MyPlan Provides video introductions to hundreds of careers, lists of jobs that pay the highest, hire the most, or have the most room for growth, and a salary calculator that figures out average salaries in cities all around the country.
	Salary Surfer Helps you make important decisions about investing time and money in your college education. It provides information about the earnings of recent California Community Colleges graduates.
	Find career guides and expert advice on majors and careers

Meta Major Resources

Major and Career Exploration Courses for Behavioral and Social Science Meta-Major

ECC Information on Child Development Permits	ECC Information on Child Development Permits Learn about the education requirements for the various child development permits for positions such as Assistant, Associate Teacher, Teacher, Master Teacher, Site Supervisor, and Program Director
	Careers in Psychology Discover careers paths within psychology that include psychologist, counseling, therapy and social work.
	Careers in Education Explore career options within teaching, education, and administration throughout the United States.
	www.Edjoin.org Number one job site for finding a job within education
	Teach California "California faces a shortage of special education, mathematics, and science teachers. With a special focus on these shortage areas, the TEACH California Website is designed to recruit individuals to the profession of teaching, explain the teacher preparation process, assist prospective teachers in creating their plan to become credentialed teachers, provide relevant content, partner with related public and non-profit entities, and offer links to important resources. The TEACH California Website is the California Department of Education's (CDE) primary Web effort for recruiting individuals to the teaching profession."
	Teacher Certification Degrees Learn about California Teaching requirements

Major and Career Explorations Courses for the Business Meta-Major

El Camino College Small Business Development Center

"The SBDC is the SBA’s largest service program and provides high quality business & economic development assistance to small businesses & entrepreneurs. We provide no-cost business advising and low-cost training to existing and new businesses."

National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies

Discover information on Cybersecurity Careers

https://thebestschools.org/careers/best-business-jobs/

Major and Career Explorations Courses for Creative Arts Meta-Major

Gateway courses are courses that can serve as introductory coursework to help you learn and explore the major.

Music & Dance Program Gateway Courses

Field Relevant Resources

	The Art Career Project Explore hundreds of art careers, find art schools, jobs and inspiration. It provides detailed guides to provide essential road mps for the tools, skills and knowledge needed to build a career with longevity and meaning.

Major and Career Explorations Courses for Health and Community Wellness Meta-Major

	Pre-Health (Resources) at CSULB Explore CSULB's Pre-Health valuable resources and documents to learn about various health professions and the healthcare field
	Explore Health Careers Explores careers in medicine, healthcare, occupational therapy, physical therapy, allied health and more.
	Health Care Pathways Explores pathways and careers within health care that range from direct patient care, healthcare facility
	Given the high interest in the Sonography field, please use the search tool from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) to find accredited Diagnostic Medical Sonography programs and other Allied Health programs. Please note that ECC’s Radiologic Technology program does NOT prepare students for the Diagnostic Medical Sonography field. Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
	From their About page "The Health Workforce Initiative (HWI) is a program of the Workforce and Economic Development division of the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office." Come review their CAREER PATHWAY RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS for information on various healthcare professions and fields including Dental Hygienist, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Medical Assisting, Pharmacy Technician, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiologic Technology, Registered Nursing, Respiratory Care Therapy and more.

More Field Relevant Resources

UCLA Care Extender Program
https://www.uclahealth.org/careextender/care-extender-program

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
https://dhs.lacounty.gov/harbor-ucla-medical-center/volunteer-services/
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
1000 W. Carson Street. Torrance, CA 90502
Volunteer Office - 310-222-3258

Additional Volunteer Opportunities at UCLA:
https://www.uclahealth.org/communityengagement/volunteer-opportunities

USC Hospital Volunteer Program: https://www.keckmedicine.org/volunteer/

LAC+USC Medical Center Volunteer Program:
https://dhs.lacounty.gov/lacusc/volunteer-services/

Children's Hospital LA Program
https://www.chla.org/volunteering-our-hospital

Kaiser Permanente Volunteer Services:
https://thrive.kaiserpermanente.org/care-near-you/southern-california/los-angeles/community-events/volunteer-services/

Red Cross Volunteer Positions:
https://www.redcross.org/volunteer/volunteer-role-finder.html

Public Safety Regulatory Agencies:

POST (Peace Officer Standard and Training)

https://post.ca.gov

State Fire Marshal

https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/divisions/state-fire-training/

LA County EMS

https://dhs.lacounty.gov/more-dhs/departments/ems/

California Law Enforcement Jobs:

https://post.ca.gov/Law-Enforcement-Jobs

National Police Jobs:

https://www.police1.com/police-jobs/search/

National Fire Jobs:

https://www.firerescue1.com/firefighter-careers/

Federal Jobs (great for almost every program in ITEC and HSA):

https://www.usajobs.gov

Government Jobs:

https://www.governmentjobs.com

Major and Career Exploration Course for the Industry and Technology Meta-Major

Architecture Flyer

Architecture Roadmap

Major and Career Explorations Courses for Languages, Composition, and Journalism Meta-Major

Helping English Majors Pivot from College to Career: Presentation
What can you do with an English major: Norton's English Majors Career Poster

Major and Career Exploration Courses for STEM Meta-Major

Cybersecurity

CyberDegreesedu - https://cyberdegreesedu.org/

Math Jobs

Career Information - American Mathematical Society

From the American Society for Microbiology

Careers in Microbiology and the Microbial Sciences

From APS Physics

Job Prospects For Physicists

Engineering

Career Cornerstone

National Society of Professional Engineers

	Pre-Health (Resources) at CSULB Explore CSULB's Pre-Health valuable resources and documents to learn about various health professions and the healthcare field
	Explore Health Careers Explores careers in medicine, healthcare, occupational therapy, physical therapy, allied health and more.
	Health Care Pathways Explores pathways and careers within health care that range from direct patient care, health care facility
	Cyber Degrees EDU Learn about cybersecurity and computer science programs and careers.
	ACS Chemistry for Life Learn about chemistry professions in industry, academia, government, nonprofit, and entrepreneurship.
	REU Sites Suggested especially for biology majors to gain research experience for graduate school
	National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies Discover information on Cybersecurity Careers