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What People Are Saying About the Career Pathways Publications... The following reviews and testimonials are listed alphabetically - by last name. My apologies to Mary Jeanne Vincent and Bruce Wilson! See also book reviews by ForeWordreviews.com and Midwest Book Review. The Career Pathways publications are important
contributions for job-seekers and professionals alike. They go beyond the
standard of valuable information; the organization focuses the user on the
continuum factor in career decision-making, emphasizing the journey rather
than the single destination. It focuses the user on the "big picture." The
Comparison of Occupations with Similar Skill Sets section provides one of
the most focused forms of related career browsing that I have encountered. Jim Cassio has been producing excellent career
resources - research reports, training directories, and online/software
information systems - for many years, but this new publication may be his
best effort yet. It's comprehensive and timely, and is meticulously
researched using only the most reliable data sources. The concise and detailed scope of the career profiles
is a reference masterpiece for the professional workforce developer and
the novice job seeker alike. The four-page career profiles demonstrate how
occupational core skills can lead to non-linear career pathways,
supporting the 'career lattice' concept. I'm quite impressed with this resource and am glad to have it in our collection. - Donya Drummond, Reference Librarian, San Francisco Public Library The Career Pathways Handbook is a very practical and
relevant resource for career planning for entry level as well as
professional occupations. The section relating other jobs to an
occupation’s skill set is especially useful. I guarantee that you will
regret not keeping it chained to your desk, or it will be borrowed. I am very impressed… A great career resource. Offers occupational facts that career explorers want
to know, plus it adds the punch of personal perspective and wisdom from
folks working in each field. If I could only have one book for my
occupational info library, this would likely be it. It describes job
duties, needed education, and important skills and abilities. It notes the
industries where the occupation is most commonly employed, job outlook,
and wages. It suggests typical career paths and compares the occupation to
others using similar skills. While other resources list related
occupations, pulling together the growth, education, and wages for the
related occupations list is a unique feature and a time-saving service for
readers. The author complements an easy-to-read, factual scan of each
occupation with a Q/A interview of an actual worker. This reveals the
personal and emotional qualities involved in the career. An unobtrusive
footer provides the taxonomy coding info sometimes needed by HR and
workforce professionals. The Career Pathways Handbook has been
thoughtfully designed and formatted to be user-friendly whether you are a
student beginning to investigate careers, a career changer, a job seeker,
or an HR/workforce development specialist. If information is power, this
is an empowering book for career explorers! This is a comprehensive and intelligent reference
guide to careers. What’s really unique about it are the interviews with
real people doing the jobs. There’s no need for anyone to wonder about his
or her career path after they read this comprehensive reference guide…
Absolutely a must for job seekers and career changers alike. An absolutely essential career reference for finding
comprehensive job information spanning a total of 155 career fields. This
is the all-inclusive guide to helping a job seeker go from planning a
career to looking for a job. The career profiles offer extensive
statistical research on employment and job skills for each career path.
Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries. A collection of career profiles, this compact book
brims with important information on more than 150 career fields. But to me
the real stars of the book are the folks who actually do the work. Their
personal stories in the career dialogue sections will help career
explorers and job seekers visualize themselves doing the work - to "try
on" the occupation. Users of this single-source book will have no doubts
about skills, education and training requirements, job outlook and typical
salary for careers they are considering. Career counseling professionals
and human resource managers alike will reach for this definitive book as a
quick reference source again and again. The Resource Guides in the back of
the book are also a real bonus. The Career Pathways Handbook provides a wealth of
information in one volume. For those who want a quick, but broad, spectrum
of information about an occupation, this is the book to use. The Typical
Career Path information will be very helpful to students and job seekers,
as well as to career and vocational counselors. The Career Pathways Handbook is an excellent resource
for job hunters and career counselors alike. Each occupation is
meticulously described in regards to job tasks, wage information, career
paths, and future employment outlook. People interested in a particular
career can assess their qualifications by reviewing the skills, abilities,
and educational and training requirements associated with that
occupational field. The compilation of all this information into a single
resource is incredible. This book is a wonderful and powerful tool for
guidance counselors and individuals who are looking to start, change, or
enhance their careers. The Career Pathways Handbook provides useful and
insightful job skills information in a clear and reasoned manner. The
personal point-of-view provided by the career professionals in each career
gives the user an inside perspective on making career decisions that is
refreshing! The Career Pathways publications are the most
complete and concise career guidance publications that I know of. They
cover an amazing breath of material in a very efficient way, from specific
and yet practical information about many careers to more general tips on
finding a job. I highly recommend it to anyone involved in a job search or
career planning. Jim's unique ability to take vast amounts of research
and quality information and to pull it together in a readable,
comprehensive and enjoyable manner makes this a “must have” book for every
career counselor, career technician, employment specialist and career
seeker. The Career Dialogue segments are an outstanding addition by
integrating real life with career information data. A great resource! It's full of practical information.
The Career Profiles paint a good picture of what a job is really like.
I've been a career counselor for 17 years and this is the most
comprehensive, useful, and user-friendly career resource around. Jim Cassio has done it again! In his newest
publications, Jim has provided a masterpiece I can use every day in my
private practice. This resource brings statistical drama to a new level!
Information is presented in a thorough, accurate and highly relevant
manner attractive to career seekers and changers, counselors, politicians,
clients and students. Check out the Resource Guides and the new Career
Interest Area Index! The up-to-date material passes the “sniff test” and
is easily digested by career counseling clients, yet is sophisticated
enough for the vocational expert to use in court testimony. Jim Cassio has
a unique way of bringing the goods home each time in his Career Pathways
series. A great book for students, counselors and
instructors! As a Career and College Counselor I look for information
sources that are succinct, based in career development theory, and that
personalize to my student/clients' experience. This book is all that and
more. The accounts from individuals sharing their experience working in
the occupation is invaluable. Many sources list the skills, aptitudes and
interests required to do the work, but few have first hand accounts of
people actually working in a variety of industries. Jim Cassio accurately
synthesizes information from O-Net, RIASEC theory, and original
information of his own to create an interesting read for my students and a
valuable technical handbook for me that I can cross reference with other
sources. I strongly recommend Career Pathways: Your Guide to
the Top 100 Careers. If you are looking for an easy-to-use content-filled
guide to careers to use with your clients this is the resource for which
you have been searching. Especially valuable are Most Important Skills and
Abilities required for each occupation and the Comparison of Occupations
with Similar Skill Sets. Jim Cassio has written another winner! This is a fantastic resource that should help any
career explorer learn more about what they can expect from various career
choices available to them. Employers will also be able to use the
information to help target their recruiting efforts and build accurate job
descriptions. I recommend this book for anyone looking to learn more about
jobs in the U.S. Everything You Wanted to Know and Then Some
The bulk of the handbook is devoted to more than 150 job profiles, ranging from accountants and civil engineers to home health aides and plumbers. Each profile includes four pages of detailed information such as common job tasks, education and training, and wages. Also included with each listing is a career dialogue that provides questions and answers with someone in a particular field. Ever thought about being a dental assistant? According to the handbook, the education requirement for this career is typically a vocational certificate, the job market is growing much faster than average, and the mean hourly salary is $13.42. A career as a chauffer or taxi driver is similar. The job market is also growing faster than average, usually requires less than a month of on-the-job training, and the typical annual salary is $20,830. Supplementing the extensive job listings are concise sections on planning your career, writing a resume, and preparing for the interview, among many others. Researching a field of employment is quite different than actively seeking employment in that field, and with Cassio's list of common interview questions and notes about how to dress and prepare for an interview, the job seeker will be well on the way to becoming a successful candidate. While there are many books devoted to a single job sector or just preparing for an interview, Cassio's is a standout because his compact style is simple and concise. His common job tasks are single sentence bullet lists, his career dialogue questions are on point, and his advice is straightforward. For instance, when dressing for an interview, the general rule is "to dress one step above what the job requires on a day-to-day-basis." The author points out that if one is serious in pursuing a new career, they should already be familiar with the day-to-day dress. With twenty years of experience behind him, Cassio has assisted numerous organizations in labor market information development, analysis, and training. He has worked with the California Occupational Information Coordinating Committee, Sacramento County Office of Education, and the U.S. Department of Labor, to name a few. What this brings to the handbook is an accumulated knowledge and insight that is present in the thorough nature of every job profile in the book. If anyone has a question about a particular job, the Career Pathways Handbook probably has the answer. - Jeremiah Gilbert, ForeWordreviews.com A fact-filled primer of what the real world expects |
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Copyright © 2008 Jim Cassio |
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Looking for a new career? Like to advance in an
existing profession? Know a career counselor or employment professional in
search of a thorough, up-to-date reference guide? If so, the Career
Pathways Handbook provides an excellent source of vocational
information.