Module 02: Research and Exploration
2.1 Introduction and Learning Outcomes
This module could be helpful if you:
- Need to learn more about the career paths you are considering (this is most of us!)
- Are trying to decide between several career options
- Feel unsure about what goals to set and the steps needed to achieve them
Introduction
In this module, you’ll learn the strategies for researching the occupations that you’re curious about and that interest you most. Career research can help you to understand the day-to-day realities of the occupation, get a sense of the trends in the field (whether there will be growth or not and where that growth is anticipated to be), understand if the career path is a good fit for you, and finally, allow you to be much more effective in your job search. Although it’s often overlooked or skipped entirely, conducting career research is an essential component of your career journey.
What is career research?
Career research isn’t just about discovering more about the career paths you might want to pursue. The process also encompasses learning about what job prospects, salary ranges, typical day-to-day responsibilities, and any required qualifications. By conducting career research, you’ll get a better sense about whether a particular occupation is a good fit for you, set more realistic career goals, build a network of people you can learn with, and be much more strategic in your job search. Some information can, of course, be found online and other information you can only acquire by actively connecting with others. We’ll touch on both of these approaches within this module.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Conduct career research and exploration
- Identify various types of information and strategies to gather it
- Use and analyze the Decision-Making Matrix to discern career fit and preference
- Set career goals relevant to what you know of yourself and the world of work using the SMART method
- Write a set of action steps for your own personal career development