8 websites to learn about job roles

With literally thousands of career paths out there, narrowing down your options to a handful of choices can be daunting. Not only do you need to find out about job roles that appeal to you, you need to make sure you're on the right track academically and that the professions you’re interested in are a good match for your skills and interests.

 

Luckily, there are a lot of resources out there to help you learn about the job roles that jump out at you – and we’ve brought together a selection of the best in this post.

 

1. Success at School

‘Success at School at number 1?’ we hear you ask! Well, we have recently added over 650 job roles to our A-Z resource – that’s everything from accountant to zoological scientist. It’s one of the most comprehensive sets of career profiles out there and every page is super-detailed, with everything you need to know to understand what each job is like – as well as the different pathways you can take to get there. With over 600 profiles, there’s a lot to take in – so sign up for our email newsletter to receive relevant updates throughout the school year.

 

Also check out… Have a look at our 60 second interviews, which offer an insight into what it’s like to work in hundreds of job roles. Our how to become guides are also worth checking out – they complement our Jobs A-Z nicely.

 

2. National Careers Service

The great thing about the explore careers section on the National Careers Service site is that each job role is linked to live opportunities on Find An Apprenticeship, so if you like the look of a role you see on the National Careers Service, you can check current vacancies on the same page and pop over to Find An Apprenticeship, where you can apply, at the click of a button.

 

Also check out… Find A Course is a pretty nifty hub page which brings together academic courses, training programmes and skills sessions. You’ll find options available in-person and online, free and paid, full-time and part-time – and at all different levels.

 

3. Prospects

The job profiles on the Prospects site are comprehensive, detailed and nicely presented. Each profile covers role responsibilities, salary, qualifications needed, skills required, the value of work experience in gaining employment, career prospects and related job roles. You can sign up for an account and save your favourite articles.

 

Also check out… The Career Planner quiz matches your skills and interests to suitable career paths to help inform the decisions you make about your future. It also gives you some ideas to discuss with your school/college careers advisor.

 

4. NHS Health Careers

If you’re considering a career in healthcare, NHS Health Careers has a database of profiles for each of the 350 job roles within our National Health Service. Each profile provides a job description, entry requirements including qualifications and skills, and links to live vacancies.

 

Also check out… NHS Health Careers has a quiz you can take to get a better idea of which roles you may be suited to. If you’re torn between a few different roles, the compare roles tool allows you to place two or three roles next to each other to help you make a direct comparison.

 

5. Payscale

Payscale uses the data it gathers from the thousands of live vacancies it advertises to provide an estimate of the upper and lower pay roles are likely to attract in the current job market. For each job role, Payscale displays this range, as well as the median salary. However, it’s worth checking how many vacancies this information is based on for a given role, as for less common jobs, the data may not be very accurate.

 

Also check out… Payscale also displays the most sought after skills for each role – again, this is based on real data from jobs employers advertise through the site. This is worth a look as it can help you understand the skills in demand for the roles you’re interested in.

 

6. Career Pilot

Job profiles on Career Pilot offer a rich selection of information, including a basic job description and pathways into the role, as well as more unusual data such as where in the country jobs are concentrated and live vacancies organised by region. This is really helpful if you are hoping to work in a particular part of the country, such as where you grew up.

 

Also check out… Another nice feature of Career Pilot is its wide selection of short videos, which cover all manner of topics from subjects and qualifications to employment sectors. They are well organised too, making them easy to navigate.

 

7. BBC Careers A-Z case studies

The A-Z case studies on the BBC Careers site combine standard job profiles with video interviews, which really bring the roles to life. The videos are short, so you’re not in danger of getting bored, and the transcripts (written versions) are available too in case you prefer to read them – or want to revisit them later on. Be warned that not all of the case studies are in video form, some are Q&A-style written interviews. 

 

Also check out… The wider BBC Careers site has a range of videos, from shorts on topics such as ‘Apprenticeships: Fact or fiction’ to longer vids tackling questions like ‘How do I turn my passion into a job?’

 

8. STEM Ambassadors

And now for something a bit different. The STEM Ambassadors site has a really cool interactive exhibition on climate change jobs, covering different areas of the green transition. You can tour the exhibition hall virtually and meet employers, industry representatives and ambassadors. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re interested in a career tackling climate change, it’s certainly worth a look.

 

Also check out… If a virtual exhibition is a bit much for you, you may be more interested in STEM Ambassadors’ Destination STEM website, which helps you develop a career in science, technology, engineering and maths by connecting you to mentoring, work experience and placements.

 

Choosing your career path is a major life decision. We suggest you combine these resources – as well as talking to friends, family, teachers and careers advisors – to build a clear, detailed and accurate picture of the job roles and industries you’re interested in.