If you are a graduating senior, the task of picking a career or education pathway can be a daunting task, possibly the reason why so many students plan to "figure it out later". Committing time to research occupations and educational options is competing against a plethora of more exciting activities, but the value of gaining some baseline knowledge and direction can empower you to achieve your dream job.

If you are thinking, "yes, but where do I begin?" I've got some good news for you!

The Lyft Initiative in cooperation with the Labor Market Information Office at DEED has created a terrific roadmap to help along the way so no matter where you are in the process there are things you can do to leave high school on the right foot. You can watch this short video to get started!

You'll also find other resources there, including a link to an interactive Road Map and DEED's new Career Pathways tool, which can help you explore pathways and learn about the most demanded jobs in your region. The Career Pathways tool sorts the information by region, so you can find data on the careers in demand in Central Minnesota!

1. On top are the filters for area and required education level as well as a search bar for occupations. You can use the Where Do You Live Filter to choose the Minnesota region you are interested in. The Search for Occupation bar allows you to find individual occupations and the Required Education filter allows you to filter occupations based on the typical level of education that they require.
2. Each icon in this section represents a Career Cluster or broad grouping of occupations based on common knowledge and skills. Hover over each icon to see the name of the Career Cluster. By clicking on an icon you will limit the occupations shown in section 3 the table to that Cluster. The color of each icon corresponds to the broader Career Field it belongs to.
3. This section contains all of the occupation information, including level of demand, occupation title, typical educational requirements, number of jobs currently filled (length of bar), career field (color of bar), and median wage (dot). If you hover over an occupation you will get a pop-up with even more information including projected employment growth and a typical wage range. Clicking on an occupation in the table will take you to a detailed career page on the CareerForceMN website that includes licensing, training, and certification info, videos, some typical work activities, and more!
4. You can reset any of the filters by clicking again on that filter or by clicking the Reset All Filters button.

For More Information

Contact Luke Greiner at 320-308-5378.