Career Pathways Handbook

The Career Pathways Handbook is an excellent resource for both job hunters and career counselors alike. Each occupation is meticulously described in regards to job tasks, wage information, career paths, and future employment outlook. People interested in a particular career can assess their qualifications by reviewing the skills, abilities, and educational and training requirements associated with that occupational field. The compilation of all this information into a single resource is incredible. For the past 20 years, I have been involved in nation-wide studies to develop a similar resources for the U.S. Department of Labor and other governmental agencies, and I can honestly say that Mr. Cassio's text is comparable to some of the best occupational research that has been conducted in the past 30 years. As an Occupational Research Psychologist, I refer to it often when conducting occupational analysis studies.

Career Pathways Handbook is a straightforward, alphabetical list of the basic requirements and expectancies for various common careers, from accountant and adjustment clerk to waiter/waitress and welder. Each career profile spans several pages and includes a summary of job tasks, expected education and training, estimated employment outlook, typical wages, top emplying industries, most important skills and abilities, typical career paths, a dialogue with an industry worker, and chart comparisons of occupations with similar skill sets. The latest U.S. employment statistics for 2005-2006 round out this excellent basic resource in planning one's future livelihood. Highly recommended for high school and college students especially as a fact-filled primer of what the real world expects of its workforce, but useful to anyone interested in exploring new career paths.

If I could only have one book for my occupational info library, this would likely be it. It describes job duties, needed education, and important skills and abilities. It notes the industries where the occuaption is most commonly employed, job outlook, and wages. It suggests typical career paths and compares the occupation to others using similar skills. While other resources list related occupations, pulling together the growth, education, and wages for the related occupations list is a unique feature and a time-saving service for readers. The author complements an easy-to-read, factual scan of each occupation with a Q/A interview of an actual worker. This reveals the personal and emotional qualities involved in the career. An unobtrusive footer provides the taxonomy coding info sometimes needed by HR and workforce professionals. Career Pathways Handbook has been thoughtfully designed and formatted to be user-friendly whether you are a student beginning to investigate careers, a career changer, a job seeker, or an HR/workforce development specialist. If information is power, this is an empowering book for career explorers!

This is a fantastic resource that should help any career explorer learn more about what they can expect from various career choices available to them. Employers will also be able to use the information to help target their recruiting efforts and build accurate job descriptions I'm sure. I recommend this book for anyone looking to learn more about jobs in the U.S.

The Career Pathways Handbook is a very practical and relevant resource for career planning for entry level as well as professional occupations. The section detailing an occupation's skill set is especially useful. I guarantee that you will regret not keeping it chained to your desk, or it will be borrowed. Jack Geary, MA, Career Counselor, Geary & Associates, Inc., Santa Rosa, CA