Customer Reviews

Occupational Outlook Handbook

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've used various editions of the OOH for 20 years. It is a central tool for those looking for information about careers and jobs out there ... rich detail, much data on occupational projections and salaries, but not to the point of being mind-numbing (which would be easy to do.) On the other extreme, much of the career literature & reference material is simplistic, basic, or paternalizing and the OOH does NOT stray into over-simplifying the world of work.

While most/all of the latest OOH is available on-line for free, I still purchase a paper copy every two years. It is THAT valuable to have on my bookshelf for the extensive work that I do with people who are in the beginning or middle of their career development.

For my profession, I am in Human Resources and this information is compiled by the good folks at the BLS and is great to have for working knowledge of different professions. The company I am employed with hires a lot of individuals for a lot of positions and to stay sharp on employee earnings (salaries), education requirements and general nature of work; I turn to this paper puppy. Most of the information is online for free but I like this paper copy for my office as I refer to it a lot before i'll do an interview with an applicant. Plus it is good for any young college student curious to know what the heck is out there for jobs and who does what in this economy. It's a good investment.

Buy this resource Book, if you want detailed information of all types and levels of jobs. This includes education and employment contact information, as well.

This book is totally useless. It doesn't include any information that isn't available for free on the internet. Most students/clients know a lot more about occupations than this book can offer, anyway. It provides only general information which is not applicable to clients in specific regions of the country. An overview of customer service jobs, for example, is totally useless- it doesn't differentiate between high-end customer service and low-end retail. Anybody who has ever had a job already knows the difference. And the median salary is meaningless to clients- it's just an average of what one makes in NYC vs., say, Florida.

This is a waste of (albeit very little) money.