CAREER EXPLORATION: JOB OUTLOOK, SALARY, & LIVING EXPENSES
 Lachmann-Anke, P. and Lachmann-Anke, M. (n.d.) Choosing which road to take [Digital Image]. ndla.no. CC BY-SA.
|
Pathfinder Target Audience: NWHS juniors and seniors
Pathfinder Purpose: This pathfinder is intended to provide resources and help students learn about careers for which they are suited. Using these sources, students may take personality and career preference tests, look at job outlook, find out salary information, and simulate budgeting for monthly living expenses.
Need More Help?: Contact Media Coordinator, Mrs. Melissa Walker [email protected] or WCC Career Coach, Mrs. Natalie Tribble [email protected] if more help is needed.
Section Quick Links:
|
GREAT ONLINE SOURCES: |
 Before you make any definite decisions about pursuing a career, it's a good idea to really think about what you like to do. This site has some great free resources to help you know your own personality and job skills. Explore the home page to see the various free tests the site offers: PersonalityTests.com
OR
|
|
Browse these online sites for lots of useful information about salaries and take home pay after taxes.
|
|
|
If you're looking for a place to explore the salary and growth expectation of jobs you may be interested in pursuing, this is the place. This website is run by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and is considered to be the authority on future jobs needed in the U.S.
|
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, this site is a great source for career exploration, training, and jobs. Salary information by job and region is available with a keyword search.
|
Do you ever wonder what your weekly or monthly take home pay would be if you get the job you plan to pursue after high school? This easy calculator can help you figure out how much you will actually have to pay your bills.
|
The reality of paying bills and saving for your future can be a daunting task. This calculator helps you see just how far your paycheck will go to pay bills.
|
|
Many students don't realize how much it costs to buy a house. This monthly payment calculator will show realistic monthly payments based on the price of the house you want to purchase.
|
This Google sheet allows you to play with the numbers of an estimated monthly budget. Open the sheet and save a copy for yourself. You will be able to change the numbers on the copy you save.
|
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Mortgage Calculator
Real Monthly Expenses SpreadsheetSome Numbers to Consider As You Estimate Monthly Expenses...
Figuring Salary Based on Hours, Weeks, Months
- Typical work week = 40 hrs.
- Number of work hours in a year (52 weeks; not considering holidays/vacation) = 2080 hrs.
- To determine hourly pay, take yearly salary and divide by 2080. For example, If the annual salary is $38,000, the hourly pay would be approx. $18.27 per hour.
- To determine yearly salary, take hourly pay times 2080. For example, the minimum wage in North Carolina is currently $7.25. That would equal a yearly salary of approx. $15,080 if you work 40 hours per week for all 52 weeks of the year.
- To determine weekly salary or monthly salary, take the yearly salary and divide by either 52 for weeks or 12 for months.
Real Expenses from a Real Person
Here are some real numbers (most from Mrs. Walker's monthly budget). For utilities, a monthly average is given. Some months cost more (cold weather, hot weather, etc.)
- Piedmont Federal mortgage (house payment) - $915
- Duke Energy (power) - $150
- Mulberry-Fairplains Water Association - $28
- Carolina West (two phones) - $97
- Charter Spectrum (internet & phone only) - $80
- Wagoner's Garbage Service - $18
- Erie Insurance (liability and collision on Ford F350 & BMW 128i) - $96
- Gas for Ford F350 & BMW 128i - $145
- Average used car payment (according to CBS News) - $563
- Food Lion/IGA - $450-$500
- Health Insurance - $435
- Life Insurance for 2 people (at some point, you're going to want this) - $50
Whether you are married or have a family does factor into the estimate, but for someone like Mrs. Walker (married with no kids), one could expect to have monthly expenses of approximately $3,590 (with two used car payments).
A single person may estimate expenses to be lower. Using the numbers above and deducting to accommodate only one single person, monthly expenses would be approximately $2,321 (with one used car payment and government assistance on health insurance).
PRINT SOURCES IN OUR MEDIA CENTER: |
|
Do you want to browse through our printed books instead of the internet?
Here are some career-related books available for checkout from our media center. There are many more! Just do a simple search in Destiny (our online catalog) for "careers" and you will see we have lots of books. Many of them focus on particular career types.
|
|
 Top Careers in Two Years: Computers and Information Technology by Claire Wyckoff
Call #004.023 WYC
Profiles computer and information technology careers that can be achieved with an associate's degree, including Webmaster, network administrator, cybersecurity expert, computer repair technician, and others, and provides guidance for career planning and success.
Note: Search Destiny (our online catalog) for more books in the Top Careers in Two Years series.
|
Careers for High-Energy People & Other Go-Getters by Marjorie Eberts, Margaret Gisler, and Maria Olson
Call #331.702 EBE
Presents information on demanding careers in a variety of fields including sports, law enforcement, medicine, manufacturing, and the entertainment industry. |
Careers for Courageous People & Other Adventurous Types by Jan Goldberg
Call #331.702 GOL
Provides information about a variety of adventurous occupations, discussing the requirements and training for each career, and features profiles of individuals engaged in many of these jobs, including a test pilot, a Peace Corps volunteer, an alligator farmer, and an FBI agent.
|
Careers for Financial Mavens & Other Money Movers by Marjorie Eberts and Margaret Gisler
Call #332 EBE
Describes career opportunities available for people who want to work with money, providing advice from auditors, stockbrokers, bankers, and other financial mavens; and includes lists of related professional organizations.
|
 Careers in Focus: Medical Technicians and Technologists Call #610.28 CAR
Contains an overview of medical technician and technologist careers and provides descriptions of twenty-one fast-growing jobs in the field, including information on each about requirements, work environment, earnings, and outlook.
Note: Search Destiny (our online catalog) for more books in the Careers in Focus series.
|
 Careers in the Building and Construction Trades by Melanie Ann ApelCall #624 APE
This book presents information on careers in the building and construction trades, including carpenter, electrician, plumber, mason, and tiler.
|
Cover images and book summaries from Follett Destiny and Amazon used under Fair Use guidelines for educational use only.
VIDEOS & PODCASTS: |
|
Are you more of an audio/visual learner?
Instead of reading about your topic, would you rather watch or listen to find out more about tree identification and forest conservation?
|
|
Podcasts:
|
Videos: