Career exploration is all about gathering information. What are you interested in doing? Are any of those jobs available? How much do those occupations pay? Do you have the education or training needed for those jobs? Wherever you're at in your career - whether you're in school or if you're already in the workforce - you can gain value by exploring this website.

You can start by taking a skills assessment, an occupation sort, or an interest assessment. These assessments are tools that are designed to help you explore important things about yourself. They can be based on your skills, interests, values, or other traits. These traits are then matched to a broad list of careers. Assessments can be the key to successful career exploration by helping you find careers that fit you best, which you can then compare to the list of occupations in demand in Southwest Minnesota.

This website was designed by the Southwest Minnesota WorkForce Council to help you answer career exploration questions by helping you select high demand jobs that are available in the region that meet your current education level or wage requirements, or by scheduling an appointment with a specialist at your local Minnesota Workforce Center. Staff members have the skills and knowledge to help you make informed choices. To get started, use the resources below to find skill and career assessments developed in Minnesota.

ISEEK Skills Assessment
Rate skills positively or negatively based on how important they are to you. Results of this self-assessment tool link directly to detailed career descriptions on ISEEK.

Minnesota Careers Interest Assessment
Discover how your interests relate to occupations. Take this inventory and create your own "interest profile" that corresponds to matching occupations and their descriptions.

Southwest Minnesota Careers Regional Supplement
Research careers in demand within the Southwest Minnesota region, including information on the projected growth rates, regional wages, and required education and training.

Minnesota Renewable Career Pathways: Ethanol
According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Ethanol is a $3 billion-a-year industry in Minnesota, supporting 11,000 jobs. Duane Carrow, the Program Director for Renewable Energy Technology at Minnesota West Community and Technical College, says that "jobs in the renewable fuels industry can be classified as 'gold collar' jobs - those that combine both thinking and doing." A typical ethanol plant employs 35 to 50 people, depending on capacity and processing technology, and according to Bob Abbott, the human resources manager for VeraSun Energy in Brookings, SD, "60% of the jobs in an ethanol plant involve skills that can be acquired in a two-year associate degree program." Brian Jennings, the Executive Director of the American Coalition for Ethanol says that "workforce needs are extraordinary and some plants are having difficulty 'keeping up' in terms of finding and retaining quality employees." The "Ethanol Career Pathways" brochure contains information on the workforce needs of the ethanol industry.

A Guide To Finding Your Place In The Renewable Energy Field
Mention "renewable energy" and "Minnesota" in the same sentence, and you probably think of ethanol or biodiesel. But there's more going on in alternative energies than making fuel for cars. Biomass, wind energy, and solar power have also experienced serious growth in recent years. The result: jobs. Minnesota is a hotbed of renewable energy resources, and Minnesota West is training the workforce to lead the charge. Want to learn more about today's energy sector and how to find your place in it? Read this web book from Minnesota West, a comprehensive community & technical college with five Southwestern Minnesota campuses and three learning centers. The High Energy publication was made possible in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Minnesota Renewable Career Pathways: Wind
By the year 2020, Minnesota's largest electric utility will produce 30 percent of its power with renewable resources. By 2025, all Minnesota utilities will produce 25 percent of their power using renewable sources. Minnesota is the fourth largest wind energy producer in America. Minnesota is among the top 10 states in the nation with the best wind energy potential. The Wind Energy Career Pathways brochure contains information on the workforce needs of the wind power industry including construction, manufacturing, maintenance, and development.

Fields of Energy - Minnesota Department of Agriculture
The mission of Minnesota Ag In The Classroom (MAITC) is to promote understanding and awareness of the importance of agriculture. MAITC has been delivering agricultural literacy to students and educators since 1986. Our educational materials and programs provide a wealth of opportunities for integrating agriculture into the core K-12 curriculum.
Preview the Ethanol segment (WMV: 13.5 MB)
Preview the Cellulose segment (WMV: 7.96 MB)
Preview the Biodiesel segment (WMV: 8.26 MB)

Minnesota Energy Careers website
Find energy careers you'd like, explore careers in energy, and energy industries. The Minnesota Energy Careers website (www.MnEnergyCareers.org) serves Minnesotans interested in energy careers. If you are a student, job seeker, or career changer, the website can help you research energy careers, learn about energy education options, and find Minnesota energy employers. The Minnesota Energy Careers website offers career descriptions in four main energy industries: traditional electric utilities, renewable energy generation, electric and gas distribution, and energy efficiency building operations.

ISEEK Southwest Region Occupations in Demand
Many jobseekers aren’t aware of the great opportunities available to them in Southwest Minnesota, especially in large and/or emerging industries like health care, renewable energy, agriculture, and manufacturing. This website is here to help you start planning for your career by showing you occupations and employers in this region. Find out what careers are growing, what skills and training are needed to get these jobs, what types of industries employ these occupations, and even what they pay. Explore this site and get started on a better future today.

CareerOneStop Skills Profiler
Identify your skills to create a skills profile. This profile includes a summary of your skills, a list of matching occupations with links to detailed information, and the ability to compare your skills to those needed in another occupation of interest.

Minnesota Careers Information System Occupation Sort
Occupation Sort is designed to let you say what you know about yourself, your likes and dislikes, and create a list of occupations that match your preferences or factors you regard as important. Occupation Sort uses 28 factors often considered in career decision making, and they are also factors for which a computerized sorting tool can be useful.
(You will need a username and password, which you can get at your local WorkForce Center or school office)

Career Reality Check
So what does it cost to live in your city of choice? What salary would you like to have? More importantly, what career will give you the lifestyle that you want? As you explore careers think about what it will cost to provide for your basic needs for food, shelter, transportation, and health care. This interactive tool is a great way to identify your desired lifestyle and how to achieve those goals through specific career or job choices, and training or education.

Career Voyages
This site provides information on high growth, high demand careers along with the skills and education needed to attain those occupations. Get started on a brighter future, better pay and access to good jobs!

America's Career Resource Network
The Career Decision-Making Tool (CDMT) helps you select a suitable career direction; identify the kinds of occupations that will assist you in following your chosen career direction; and identify the kinds of learning you will need to qualify for and perform selected occupations.

MyPlan.com Career Database and What Can I Do With a Major In...?
MyPlan.com helps students and professionals plan more fulfilling lives by making well-informed decisions about their education and careers. Whether you’re deciding on what college to go to, choosing a major, planning ahead for your first career, or thinking about making a career change, MyPlan.com can help you explore options and bring clarity and insight into figuring out what’s right for you. A 100% independent and unbiased site, MyPlan.com gives you a lot of information about colleges, careers, and majors.