Career Paths & Labor Market Consultation

One of the most common statements students make is that they are not familiar with how their academic major relates to their future career. The CDC developed a valuable resource called Career Pathfinder Guides that you can refer to when this topic arises.

About Career Pathfinder Guides

  • Career Pathfinders were developed for each UIS undergraduate and graduate academic major
  • Individually links each academic major with:
    • Entry Level Career Titles
    • Related Skills
    • Employers hiring employees with this type of major
    • Job Posting Sites
    • Career Planning Links
    • Professional Associations

How can I learn more about labor market and hiring trends specific to my academic program?

  • Complete the consultation request form to meet with the CDC director for an individual consultation enabling her to prepare relevant information in advance
  • Review resources within the GOALS program in the student section of the CDC website
  • Research employer profiles, industries, and job opportunities by logging into CareerConnect

Director’s Favorite Links

  • BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook – browse by occupation groups, entry-level education, median pay, highest paying, fastest growing, and most new job projections
  • O*Net – browse occupations by bright outlook, career clusters, green economy sector, industry, job family, job zone, and STEM discipline; also develop customized search by skills to produce list of occupations
  • CareerOneStop – browse employment trends by state, what occupations are hot, search skills by job type or skills matching your job type
  • Illinois Career Information System – compare national, Illinois, and regional wages and job outlooks by occupational title, search by state educational programs of study, view occupation videos to see workplace environment and learn about what people do in this profession.
  • CityTownInfo – browse by occupational title to identify brief overview, top cities by major metro area employing those with this occupation and top industries