26 Employment Trends Data Research & Discussion Post
The employment trends for professions associated with a particular field of study are an important part of the larger context for a college education, whether someone is pursuing an associate, a bachelor’s, a master’s, or a doctoral degree. In the case of CRIT 602, the type of information and the level of detail needed will depend on your goals for your bachelor’s degree and your current stage of academic and professional development. Are you:
- Preparing to launch your career?
- Looking to make a change to a new career?
- Needing to find out what professions are associated with your field of study?
- A seasoned professional seeking advancement but lacking the bachelor’s degree required?
- Preparing for scholarship in a graduate program?
- Pursuing a bachelor’s degree for your own personal enrichment?
The O*Net Online website provides employment trend data from several different perspectives, including:
- National wage and employment trends (growth and decline),
- State wage and employment trends (growth and decline),
- Similar career fields grouped into categories,
- Career fields grouped by industry,
- Level and type of preparation needed,
- Work context and activities.
Research Guidelines:
- Access the O*Net Online website and click around the site to get a sense of what information is included and how it is organized.
- Focus your exploratory researchby identifying what question of the data someone at your stage of academic and professional development needs to ask.
- Conclude your exploratory research by identifying the information that is most relevant for someone at your stage of academic and professional development.
Resource Management Tip: The O*Net Online website also includes detailed information about the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes required for each career field. This information is directly related to the Personal Learning Mission assignment at the end of the course, so saving the relevant web pages in Evernote now will ensure that you have the information at your fingertips for that assignment.
Discussion Post Employment Trends Guidelines
Introduce your discussion forum post by identifying which stage of academic and professional development you are going to address. Then answer the following two questions:
- What does someone at my stage of academic and professional development need to know about employment trends?
- What information from the Department of Labor Employment employment trends data is most relevant for someone at my stage of academic and professional development?
In your answer, be sure to elaborate on all aspects of these two questions. Provide relevant information for your own career goals and what is important for YOU to know. One sentence responses will not help our community of practice! Even if you are not looking for employment, researching what types of jobs are in demand and the skills that are needed is one part in better understanding the connections between academic disciplines and the real world. Understanding what kinds of employment is trending is part of exploring your chosen degree field.
Respond to at least two other post to meet basic requirements.
