Career Planning
Eligible workers, low-income individuals and certain other Oklahomans may be eligible for free career planning help, along with free training and other services at Workforce Oklahoma centers around the state.
GrowOklahoma.com
In addition, career planning information and tools are available at GrowOklahoma.com, an online resource sponsored by the Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development. GrowOklahoma.com offers tools to help you:
- Score your interests to find your Holland personality type
- Find careers that match your interests and education level
- Find a career that matches your abilities and personality
- Identify what you value about work and explore related occupations
You’ll need to register (free) to use those tools. In addition, you’ll find links to off-site tools for profiling your skills, personality and learning styles.
Explore Careers
GrowOklahoma.com gives you extensive information about Oklahoma growth industries, including:
- Advanced Manufacturing. Oklahoma’s manufacturing jobs have been going high tech, and their numbers have been growing.
- Aerospace. The aerospace industry employs more than 70,000 Oklahomans in manufacturing, maintenance and repair, military aviation, research and development and other sectors.
- Construction. Construction offers overlooked qualities like varied work, advancement opportunities and job satisfaction. It offers particular opportunity now because $426 million in federal economic stimulus money is doubling Oklahoma road construction.
- Health Care. About one in seven Oklahoma jobs are in health care, and the industry is always recruiting qualified people for rewarding careers.
GrowOklahoma.com offers industry information on job demand, salaries, training opportunities, career videos, profiles of industry insiders and links to job search sites and additional information.
You can also use GrowOklahoma.com to explore occupations, from accountant to zoologist. You’ll find job descriptions, qualifications, videos for some occupations, and links to Oklahoma schools where you can get education and training for those careers.
Find a Job
GrowOklahoma.com’s Find a Job page page offers an online Resume Builder, tips on resumes and interviews, links to advice and training, a list of available jobs, and links to additional job search sites. You an also learn about Oklahoma’s Career Readiness Certificate program, which allows you to certify your workplace reading and math skills based on a nationally recognized tests.
Plan Your Education
If you need education or training to prepare for your career – or your next career – there are options you may not be aware of. GrowOklahoma.com’s Plan Your Education page can help you find a college; check out e-learning, reality-based learning, and lifelong learning opportunities; and discover the expanse of Oklahoma CareerTech possibilities.
Start a Business
Did you know Oklahoma ranks fourth in the nation in new business start-ups by population? If you’d like to join those entrepreneurs, you’ll find an array of Oklahoma and national resources, answers to business start-up questions, and a video featuring a panel of experts on GrowOklahoma.com’s Start a Business page.
Oklahoma Career Information System
Another excellent source of career information is the Oklahoma Career Information System, known as OKCIS. Like GrowOklahoma.com, OKCIS offers career planning tools, information and videos on occupations, and information on training programs. Information on the two sites is often similar, but it offers two different perspectives.
OKCIS also has information on financial aid and a tool to help match scholarships and loans to your plans and qualifications.
To use OKCIS, you need a user ID and password. You can get those at Workforce Oklahoma centers, as well as many high schools, colleges and other locations.
Hot Professions in Oklahoma to Consider Right Now
The Oklahoma Department of Commerce has identified 10 hot professions for people making career plans now:
- Nursing. Includes Registered Nurses, LPNs and Licensed Vocational Nurses
- Other Health Care. Includes radiology professionals, respiratory therapists and physical therapists
- IT. Especially Computer Systems Analysts, Network Systems and Data Communication Analysts, and Computer Support Specialists
- Wind Energy Technicians
- Paralegals and Legal Secretaries
- Teachers, elementary and post-secondary, especially math and science
- Construction. Includes weatherization and road construction (especially in the short-term)
- Accountants
- Engineers. All types, but especially. aerospace engineers
- Automotive service technicians