Occupational Outlook Handbook

This tab is great for students who have a job title in mind but are not sure what the day-to-day work looks like. The OOH can show the responsibilities involved and what kinds of positions or education is needed to lead to that career.

The OOH specifically provides information about the education and training typically needed to enter an occupation. This section can help answer questions regarding further education, training, experiences needed and advancement.

This section shows projected employment growth or decline and explains some of the factors affecting the occupation. This can help students consider careers alongside interests, values, skills, location, salary needs, and personal goals.

Students can look at median pay for an occupation and, in many profiles, explore wage information by industry. This is particularly useful for students who are comparing careers, considering graduate school, evaluating job offers or researching salary expectations.

BLS also provides state and area data, so students can investigate how wages and employment vary geographically.

A student might find one career interesting but discover that a related occupation is actually a better fit based on the education required, duties, or work environment. This is a great way to consider “What else can I do?” rather than feeling like their career options are limited to one job title.