Career Planning Guide for Adult Learners

Kinds of Occupations

Occupations can be grouped in several different ways. One way is to relate them to people, data or things.

Workers in people-related occupations deal mainly with people (or animals). Workers in data-related occupations use facts and figures, calculations and other data. Things-related jobs involve machines and equipment, such as computers, cars, and robots.

Every occupation fits into at least one of the three categories of data, people or things. Many jobs involve more than one of the three. For example, an auto mechanic deals mainly with things (cars), but he or she also deals with people and data. In fact, data, such as engine analysis results, are becoming more important than ever in the auto repair industry. A medical doctor works mainly with people. He or she also uses data, such as patient charts, reports and other information. The doctor also uses such things as a stethoscope, heart monitor, and blood pressure machine.

Ask yourself the following questions. There's no such thing as giving the "right" answers to these. Any answers you give are okay. It is important to be totally honest in doing this.

Do I like working with people? _____
Do I like working with data? _____
Do I like working with things? _____
. Which of these three do I like most? _____

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