Step 3: Research the qualifications, education, licenses, and/or certificates your desired field requires

Before you jump into a career path, it is important to know the educational and training requirements, including any licenses or certificates you may need.

Here are some online and in-person resources that can help you: 

    My Next Move is a national website (not specific to California) that can help you research the educational requirements and skills needed for almost any job or career. Visit: https://www.mynextmove.org/ 

    Five Keys is a free school that offers career planning and guidance in addition to
free educational assessments, adult basic education (ABE), and high school diploma equivalency/GED testing, located in the Bay Area and LA area. Find contact information on page 17. 

    The Federal Bureau of Labor has some helpful information about the types of jobs that require licenses and certificates here: https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2016/ article/will-i-need-a-license-or-certification.htm. 

    The California Department of Consumer Affairs lists the boards and agencies it governs, with links describing the license and certifications each one requires. You can learn more here: http://dca.ca.gov/about_dca/entities.shtml. If you are seeking a licensed profession that is not governed by the DCA, please call Root & Rebound’s reentry legal hotline for more information. 

    CareerOneStop (www.careeronestop.org) is a website with many tools to help you research the jobs you’re interested in, such as:
    “Explore Careers”—has descriptions of different careers, including what skills and training you need, what level of education most workers typically have, and the types of tasks and equipment for each job; and will let you to compare different occupations.[2693]
    “License Finder”[2694]—allows you to look up state licensing requirements for any specific job, as well as the name and contact information of any state licensing board for that job.
    “Certification Finder”[2695]—tells you if a job requires certification, as well as the steps to get certified and the names and websites of certifying organizations.
    “Job Search Help for Ex-Offenders”[2696]—is a special section of the CareerOneStop website with information, advice, and tools tailored for people in reentry.
    America’s Service Locator (www.servicelocator.org) helps you find employment and training centers near you where you can get free and low-cost employment services. Phone: 1-877-348-0502.
    America’s Job Center of California (AJCC) (http://americasjobcenter.ca.gov/) California’s one-stop access point to employment-related services, including skills assessment. The website offers a finder to locate the AJCC office nearest you and also has links to most of the websites and services listed above.
    National College Transition Network (www.collegeforadults.org) has an “Occupational Exploration” page with resources for adults pursuing new career paths and tips for people in reentry.
    Local job postings can help you see exactly what qualifications employers look for when hiring. Try checking the job board at your local public library or employment center. You can also search online job postings on websites such as Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites), Monster (www.monster.com), and indeed (www.indeed.com).
    Industry magazines can be a good source of information on current events, trends, and new developments in your field of interest.
    People who have the job you want, as well as employers in the field, can answer questions about what training or credentials are required to be successful in the field.
    State licensing boards and professional associations can give you a list of requirements for the particular job or career that they oversee.[2697] Their contact information is on the CareerOneStop website (see above) as well as from the California Department of Consumer Affairs (Phone: (800) 952-5210).[2698]
    Finally, you can call Root & Rebound’s reentry legal hotline, any Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. PST, at 510-279-4662, to get legal information and guidance about how your criminal record impacts your ability to get a specific license or certificate in California.
  1. 2693

    Explore Careers: Career Profiles, U.S. Dep’t of Labor CareerOneStop, http://www.careeronestop.org/explorecareers/learn/career-profiles.aspx. ↑

  2. 2694

    Explore Careers: License Finder, U.S. Dep’t of Labor CareerOneStop, http://www.careeronestop.org/explorecareers/find-licenses.aspx. ↑

  3. 2695

    Explore Careers: Certification Finder, U.S. Dep’t of Labor CareerOneStop, www.careeronestop.org/Education Training/Find/certification-finder.aspx. ↑

  4. 2696

    Job Search Help for Ex-Offenders, U.S. Dep’t of Labor CareerOneStop, www.careeronestop.org/ExOffender/index.aspx. ↑

  5. 2697

    Fed. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Certificates: A Fast Track to Career, Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 16, (Winter 2012-2013). ↑

  6. 2698

    DCA Boards and Bureaus, Cal. Dep’t of Consumer Affairs, http://www.dca.ca.gov/about_dca/entities.shtml. ↑