How to research a career

The basics
Start with the easy-to-check facts, such as qualifications required, availability of work, normal duties, salary scales, promotion prospects and usual working hours. This is information that changes frequently, so make sure you are using up-to-date resources. Careers or Connexions Centres have well-equipped libraries that are generally available for anyone to use. Websites that carry this type of information include:

• Connexions Card
• Plan-It
• Prospects Web

Although primarily for school leavers, the Career Bank section of Connexions Card has regularly updated information relevant to people of all ages. Some of the more detailed articles have a section called, ‘Late Entry’, which gives guidance on upper age limits and how entry requirements may be relaxed for mature applicants. Plan-It does something similar for Scotland, and the Prospects Web is an excellent resource for investigating all graduate level careers. The database on hundreds of different occupations can be found in the ‘Career Planning’ section of this site.

Tapping into reality
What it is actually like to do the job is harder to research. The Prospects Web has accurate and straightforward descriptions of typical work activities. This example is from nursing: Observing and reporting on condition of patients. Providing nursing care, preparing for operation, caring for wounds, recording pulse, temperature, caring for intravenous infusions. Checking and administering drugs. Assisting with tests and evaluations. Giving support to patients and relatives. Teaching skills to junior nurses. Organising staff and workloads. The ‘Lifestyle Implications’ section does highlight that the work can be physically and emotionally stressful, but if you want more of a feel for the day to day-ness of it, you need to search wider and deeper.

Next page: an example