You think you know what type of job you're interested in, and you may have even researched the type of training/education you’ll need to be able to get that job, but have you considered the earning potential?
Before you invest time and money preparing for a specific occupation it’s smart to find out what the future earning potential of that occupation might be.
Here are 3 tools to help you find the earning potential of occupations you may be interested in.
1. Alaska Career Information System: The Alaska Career Information System (AKCIS) is a good place to start, because it has a list of nearly 600 occupations. The occupations are listed alphabetically and each listed occupation has a handy ICON key next to it to give you more information at a glance. These ICON Keys include the following:
Each Occupation you click on in AKCIS will show the average yearly wages, Alaska employment outlook, the growth potential, the percentage of annual openings, and much more. AKCIS is a great place to go to research occupations you are interested in pursuing.
2. Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development: The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development website is another good site to visit. The site includes a data base of information on the different occupations in Alaska. You can find this information in their Research and Analysis area under Occupational Information. The occupations are listed alphabetically and you will see the average monthly wage, and the employment outlook for each occupation. When you click on each of the occupations listed you will get much more detailed information for not only Alaska as a whole, but also for the some of the different regions in Alaska and the United States. You will also see the type of education/training needed for that occupation and a list of where you can find that training in Alaska.
3. CareerOneStop Compare Occupations Tool: Once you have your choices down to 2 or 3 occupations and you feel you may have the right fit and earning potential for you, I recommend you use the CareerOneStop Compare Occupations Tool . You select two different occupations to compare salaries, skill requirements, typical education and more. You can search for this information on the national, state and local levels. This is a great tool to use to compare the earning potential of different occupations in locations you are interested in working and living in.
Now that you have researched the jobs that interest you, learned about the training you will need for each of those occupations, and looked at the earning potential of those career choices you are ready for the next step.
It is time to make an informed decision and start on your journey to a bright and successful future. The ACPE Success Center staff can help you with your next steps. Visit acpe.alaska.gov/successcenter or contact us via phone or email (1-800-441-2962 opt 4 or ACPESuccessCenter@alaska.gov), and no matter where you are in Alaska – we can work with you to and assist you in reaching your goal.