Our team wants to help ensure your success by guiding you through the entire career development process—from choosing the right major to identifying a career path that complements your skills and interests to finding a great internship and, ultimately, a rewarding full-time job after graduation.
Need help choosing a major? Want to know what you can do with your major? We can provide you with the tools to evaluate your characteristics and match them with a major or career.
To choose a college major, start with self-reflection, identifying your interests, strengths, and values. Then, research potential majors and career paths, talk to family, friends, professors, and a Career Development Specialist, and explore different options through online resources. Consider registering for ORIN 151 – Choosing a Major and Career course offered periodically throughout the academic year. The course offers guidance and clarity to students who are uncertain about their major and career path.
Self-Reflection starts here!
What are your values? (e.g., work-life balance, making a difference, financial stability)
What are your strengths? (e.g., writing, math, problem-solving)
What do you enjoy doing? (e.g., helping others, working with technology)
What type of lifestyle do you want? (e.g., travel, stability, flexible hours)
To better discover yourself, FOCUS2, is a customized online, self-guided, interactive program designed to help you select your college major and plan your career. Once you review your FOCUS report, you can schedule an appointment with Career Services to dig deeper into the results and determine your next steps. Access code: mountaineer.
What Can I Do With This Major helps students connect their academic and professional interests. Use the tool to explore majors or search for information about your chosen field.
O*NET Online is valuable because it links self-assessment tools with real-world career data. It supports informed decision-making by helping students:
Discover careers that fit their interests
Understand the academic path required
Plan for future job market trends
CliftonStrengths is a valuable tool for students who are exploring their majors and career paths. It helps them understand their unique talents and how those talents can be applied to different fields. This tool enables students to identify their strengths, consider potential career options that align with those strengths, and gain experience in exploring various paths. For more information, contact the Purpose Center at purpose@mail.wvu.edu.
Take advantage of the online tools and resources below for further exploration!
Completing a career assessment can help job seekers at all stages of their career.
A career assessment is a great way for college students to learn more about the type of career they could pursue, based on their personality, interests, …
O*NET is a free online database that provides information about jobs in the United States.
O*NET is sponsored by the U.S. …
Labor Market InsightsIn partnership with
Explore occupations by career categories and pathways and use real time labor market data to power your decision making.
Find career data by selecting keywordsKeyword Search
or, by filtering for industry and occupationIndustry Search
First, choose an industry of interest, then filter for occupation. (If you'd like to see data for a specific location only, filter by state.)
Type in a keyword to select a relevant occupation. (If you'd like to see data for a specific location only, filter by state.)
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Occupation Description
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Employment Trends
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Top Employers
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Education Levels
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Annual Earnings
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Technical Skills
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Core Competencies
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Job Titles
Occupation Description
Employment Trends
The number of jobs in the career for the past two years, the current year, and projections for the next 10 years. Job counts include both employed and self-employed persons, and do not distinguish between full- and part-time jobs. Sources include Emsi industry data, staffing patterns, and OES data.
Top Employers
These companies are currently hiring for .
Education Levels
The educational attainment percentage breakdown for a career (e.g. the percentage of people in the career who hold Bachelor’s Degrees vs. Associate Degrees). Educational attainment levels are provided by O*NET.
Annual Earnings
Earnings figures are based on OES data from the BLS and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
Technical Skills
A list of hard skills associated with a given career ordered by the number of unique job postings which ask for those skills.
Core Competencies
The skills for the career. The "importance" is how relevant the ability is to the occupation: scale of 1-5. The "level" is the proficiency required by the occupation: scale of 0-100. Results are sorted by importance first, then level.
Job Titles
A list of job titles for all unique postings in a given career, sorted by frequency.