How to research a career

Professional journals like The Nursing Times gives more in-depth information. For instance:

• One of their recent polls of readers found that nurses were too tired for sex. Of 400 readers taking part, nearly two-thirds thought their choice of career was bad for their love life.
• Another headline proclaims, Nursing Students face unacceptable levels of debt..Student nurses, according to a Royal College of Nursing survey, qualify with an average debt of £3,700, and 58 per cent have considered leaving their course because of financial hardship.

Not the sort of information you find in conventional careers literature.

Careers information from reputable sources like Prospects strives to be impartial, and that provides an essential balance to both bad publicity and promotional material. The latter often aims to encourage people into choosing a profession – particularly, those with recruitment problems – so it puts a rosy glow on everything. The ideal is to see for yourself, to talk to those doing the work, and ask the questions you need answered.

Next page: ways to discover even more