California Occupational Guides
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The California Occupational Guides provide detailed information on California wages, job outlook, education, and licensing requirements for approximately 800 occupations. The Guides offer students and jobseekers occupational information to assist with making informed career choices. Informed career decisions lead to a satisfying work life.
The new Search for Occupations feature gives users tools to find occupations that meet their career and educational goals.
Watch this video to learn more about the California Occupational Guides.
| Job Market Overview | See estimates for Wages and Long-Term Projected Job Openings for a local area. |
| Entry Requirements | What level of education is recommended? Are there licensing requirements? |
| Occupation Profile | See what the occupation is all about and whether it might be a good fit for you. |
| Tools, Technology and Software | What computer skills do workers need? Do they use hand tools or heavy equipment? |
| Education Providers | Find schools with programs that can prepare you for this occupation. |
| Other Sources of Information | Connect to other resources and organizations that can help with your career search. |
The California Occupational Guides provide a useful tool for many Californians who are researching occupations:
High school students use Guides to identify attractive careers and focus their education and training plans to meet job entrance requirements.
Counselors, career center staff, and parents use Guides to supplement their own knowledge of careers while assisting students with career decision making.
Adults interested in changing careers use Guides to discover what other job options relate to their skills and interests.
Recent arrivals to California use the Guides to acquaint themselves with the California labor market in their field.
Job seekers review Guides to refresh their skills vocabulary to better describe past accomplishments and duties in resumes and interviews.
Helpful tips and information to help you find the information you need using the California Occupational Guides.
- The NEW Search for Occupations page gives you several options for how to find occupations that might fit your goals. Try different searches to see the results that come up.
- Not sure what type of career is right for you? Need to transition to a new occupation? Looking for help? Go to the Links to More Information page to find additional resources that might meet your needs?
- The Education Provider page will show schools in the local area you select. You can switch the local area or change to statewide to find schools that are in the Local Area next to yours. (If you are interested in training as an Apprentice – you can find links to state and national program listings on the Links to More Information page.)
- First read about an occupation as a start in career decision-making. Then talk to local people who actually work in the occupation to add more insight into the pros and cons of an occupation. Reading the Guide first will give you enough background to form meaningful questions. Use local chapters of professional associations to locate persons who would be willing to give you a few minutes of time to answer questions about their profession.
Users relying on assistive technology can access the Guide content.by downloading instructions and a set of Excel files that contain all of the content in the guide. A link to download these files is included at the end of this section.
- START HERE - Occupational Guides A.D.A. Excel Files Instructions
- A.D.A. Occupational Guides - Select Occupations
- A.D.A. Occupational Guides - Job Market Data
- A.D.A. Occupational Guides - Entry Path and Licensing Requirements
- A.D.A. Occupational Guides - Occupation Profile, Software, and Equipment
- A.D.A. Occupational Guides - Education Overview and School Details
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| Launch the California Occupational Guide |
Note on Data License for O*NET Occupation Profile
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The CA Employment Development Department (E. D. D.) has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Modifications Summary: The E. D. D. Occupation Guide presents data at the six-digit Standard Occupational Classification Level. Information for occupations with multiple O*NET codes was compiled and some entries were edited for length. Full O*NET information for any occupation be viewed can be accessed through the links on the More Information Tab.