So you've had a look at our career profiles and you think you've got an idea about a job that you'd like to do. But you want to know more!
Here's a few tips about ways to find out more and maybe even have a chat with someone so you can get a bit more info before you make up your mind.
Talk to your school career counsellor
If you're at high school, you should get in touch with your career counsellor. They have heaps of resources that can help you find out about your dream job.
They might even be able to arrange for you to meet and talk to someone who works in that kind of job. They could maybe even line you up some work experience so you can try the job out for yourself!
Go to career expos
Careers expos are huge events where all different kinds of employers come together to present information about the jobs that they have to offer.
Careers expos let you meet people who do all kinds of jobs. You can talk to them and find out more about what their job involves, how easy it is to get that job and what kind of training you need. Two careers expos in Victoria are:
- The National Careers & Employment Expo (new window), which takes place in Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat and Mildura each year
- The Age VCE and Careers Expo (new window), which takes place in Melbourne each year
Check out career profiles on the Web
Many websites feature interview-style career profiles where people chat about their job (or their training course), what it involves, what's good (and not so good) about it and tips for getting similar work. These sites are a good way to begin your job research. To get started check out our youthcentral Career Profiles section, or visit these websites:
aLife (www.alife.net.au) is packed with video profiles featuring interviews with real people doing their jobs. You can view specific job profiles, choose one at random or select a profile based on your interests or personality traits.
MyFuture (www.myfuture.gov.au) is sponsored by government education departments across Australia. It has loads of information about careers, jobs, education & training and organisations that can help you out. Almost any kind of job you can think of is covered here.
Talk to a course advisor
To do the job you want to do, you'll probably need some training. Talking to the people that do the training - whether it's an apprenticeship or some kind of degree - is a good way to find out about the job that you want.
Most courses have a course advisor or a course administrator who can provide more information about their industry. To find a course advisor who can help you, try these steps:
- Go to the VTAC website (new window) and search the Course database
- Find the kind of course that you think you need to do in the Course Index and then download either the TAFE courses guide or one of the University guides (e.g. Australian Catholic University, La Trobe University)
- The contact phone numbers for the courses are provided in the course guides; call the number and ask if you can speak to someone about the kind of jobs that the course prepares you for
- Remember, the course you are interested in may be offered by more than one TAFE or university, so you might need to make more than one phone call to get all the information you need
Doing some research is a great way to make sure that you understand what's involved in any particular job. That way you can get an idea about whether it's the kind of thing you want to do for a living. If it is, you'll have a head start in getting prepared, and if it isn't then it gives you time to look around for something else that interests you.
