Search - SDEV 0171/0370 - Career Research Assignment - LibGuides at San Antonio College

Research as Inquiry

Occupational Outlook Handbook The OOH can help you find information on job duties, required education and training, salary, and the job outlook your career.
O*NET OnLine Lists all the basic information about careers plus offers you an in-depth look at special knowledge, skills, and abilities required in each job. Includes charts that compare salaries from your state to the nation and links to real time job ads.

Academic OneFile This link opens in a new window
Covers multiple topics including the hard sciences, medicine, engineering and business. Includes the New York Times from 1985 to the present as well as the London Times and Financial Times. Covers 1980 to present.
Discovery: search the catalog and more This link opens in a new window Your all-in-one search tool to find books, media, articles, and more.
Peterson's Test Prep This link opens in a new window Users must create an account to use this product. Information about universities, career schools, test preparation, and career exploration. Review for and take online practice tests for standardized exams: GED, GRE, GMAT, SAT, ACT, ASVAB, and TOEFL, etc.
Films on Demand: Master Academic Collection This link opens in a new window Large collection of streaming educational films with content in: business, economics, medicine, humanities, social sciences, and mathematics. New programs added monthly. Note: A high speed Internet connection is required.Want to share a URL or EMBED video code? See our how-to guide.

A-to-Z List & Subject List of Search Tools See a list of all library search tools organized alphabetically and by subject area.

Students will understand that research is a process of inquiry.

This activity will help you practice the following skills essential to your success in school and beyond. In this activity you will:

S1. monitor gathered information and assess for gaps and weaknesses

S2. draw reasonable conclusions based on the analysis and interpretation of information

This activity will also help you become familiar with the following important content knowledge:

K1. consider research as open-ended exploration and engagement with information

K2. seek multiple perspectives during information gathering and assessment

Get out a sheet of paper and write your career at the top.
Let's find the LibGuide for your course.
Search for your career in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Collect and write down 3 types of information: 2 job responsibilities (that either surprise you or responsibilities that you would want to just share with someone unfamiliar with the career), the pay, and the job outlook. [7 min]
Turn to your nearest neighbor and share! [2 min]
Whole class shout-outs and discussion: Did anyone have any responsibilities that surprised them? How many careers were in the $400K or more pay range? $100K? $60K? Why are these careers in those ranges? How many careers had a job outlook of over 20%? 17%? 12%? Why is the outlook different for these careers? [10 min]
Now search for your career in either O*Net or Ferguson's. Fact check the information you gathered from OOH. Write notes on whether you're finding the same information or different information. [7min]
Turn to your neighbor again and share what you found to be the same or different! [2 min]
Whole class shout-outs and discussion: How many of you found different information? Why should we look in different tools? Where does this information come from? [10 min]
Write a recommendation for another student who is also researching this career. Which search tool would you recommend and why? Give them at least 2 reasons why you think that tool would be best. [5 min]

Texas Reality Check

Texas Reality Check will show you how much your living expenses will cost, and the amount of money you will need to earn to pay for them.
Bankrate - Cost of Living Calculator

Cost of living calculators are useful in comparing the expenses associated with different cities or regions.
My Skills My Future

(Department of Labor) Enter a current or past job to get a list of related professions with comparison data for salary, skills, knowledge, and licensure.

Open the Occupation Investigation Worksheet
Use the Library Guide to research your chosen career. Write a 500 word essay to discuss all sections of the Worksheet thoroughly (each item is worth 13 points). Use MS Word to format your essay. Indent your paragraphs, and double-space your lines.
Include a Works Cited page in MLA format with three or more sources.