Not a fortune teller?

New Occupational Outlook Handbook on display in Government Documents

I want to be an astronaut.

I want to be fashion designer.

I want to be a doctor…a traveling doctor, because I plan on seeing the world.

Oh, and I want to make lots of money.

You remember, don’t you, those grade school dreams? Your parents’ good friends had been over for dinner or to look at the newly paved driveway or something, and the second thing they asked (right after, “How’s school going?”) was inevitably, “So, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

And you had a different, more ambitious answer every time.

Now you’ve made it to Furman University, and whether your aspirations have morphed or changed as you grew, or you’re at a loss for what the future holds careerwise, you know you want to do something. And with the media downing the job market in a constantly shifting economic environment, you want the facts so you can make informed decisions right now on what directions to take in the career and work world.

Good thing the Library at Furman houses a copy of Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the U.S. Department of Labor. This most current edition of the OOH contains facts about hundreds of jobs and careers, with information about each career for education and training needed, expected earnings, what workers do on the job, and more.

The current OOH is on display for easy access in Government Documents, located on the first floor to the right of the entrance, just past Reference AE-PE. A visual display created by research assistant, Laura Baines, gives quick facts from and about the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Come and see it!

And, even if you still don’t know what you want to do after looking through the OOH, don’t panic. At least you’ll have a few knowledgeable, informed ideas for those unfortunate times when you head home for the holidays and see those family friends that will ask a different question, of increased difficulty and annoyance, “So, what are you planning to do with that major?”

Government Documents, Research Resources