Career Explorations

Monthly Labor Review

A monthly publication of the U.S. Department of Labor that contains current articles about occupation clusters, and many statistics, tables, and graphs.

Entrepreneur

A person who organizes, manages, and takes on the risks of a business.

Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH)

A publication that describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations.

Job Analysis

A purposeful, systematic process for collecting information on the important work-related aspects of a job

Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT)

A reference guide that classifies and describes over 40,000 jobs

Wage

A set amount you are paid for every hour that you work; also called hourly pay

Salary

A set amount you are paid over a longer period of time, typically a year, regardless of how many hours you work

Intern

A student or trainee who works, sometimes without pay, at a trade or occupation in order to gain work experience in a particular field

Lifelong Learner

Actively seeking new knowledge, skills, and experiences that will add to your professional and personal growth throughout your life.

Upgrading

Advancing to a higher level of skill to increase your usefulness to an employer

Monster (www.monster.com)

An online career site that provides career advice and information about different jobs

Employee Expenses

Any costs of working paid by the employee that are not reimbursed by the employer.

Full-Time Work

An employee who works an average of at least 30 hours per week

Part-Time Work

An employee who works an average of less than 30 hours per week

Retraining

Learning new and different skills so that an employee can retain the same level of employability

Self-Assessment Inventory

Lists your strong and weak points and gives you an idea of how to prepare yourself for a career.

Placement Centers

Organizations that offer services related to careers and employment

Benefits

Part of an employee's compensation over and above wages or salary.

Volunteer

Someone who generally works part-time, in service of a company or organization, without pay

Advanced Degrees

Specialized, intensive programs (taken after obtaining the first college degree) that prepare students for higher-level work responsibilities with more challenges and higher pay.

Promotion

The ability to advance to positions of greater responsibility and higher pay.

Work Characteristics

The daily activities of the job and the environment in which they must be performed.

Networking

The process of exchanging professional or personal information and developing contacts to further your career

Paid Work

When an employee is given compensation for employment including a salary, wage, or stipend and/or other benefits such as health insurance, company stock, etc.

Unpaid Work

When an employee is not given any monetary compensation for their work

Careers of the Future

Will be based on technology and information man- agement and will change rapidly in regards to requirements and skills