Choosing Your Career Direction
A Review of CareerPath
Grace Smith, Ph.D.
Today's world of work is much different than yesterday's. Change and uncertainty are norms. Time is precious. Insight into career competence remains an untaught skill. Developed for savvy, self-directed career opportunists, OnTrack Media's CareerPath contains several components to help users identify some compatible career tracks by completing a series of noteworthy assessment tools.
Featuring both basic and advanced features, CareerPath offers hot-linked text, a career directory, an intuitive help system, and supplementary career search information. Through a series of assessment tools, the user completes extensive information about work values, environmental preferences, aptitudes, general education, physical effort, physical capabilities, experiences and interests, tasks, and subject matter. The program generates an initial personal career list for review. Later, the user has the opportunity to change priorities, improve the accuracy of the career list, and consider a number of lifestyle options that affect career goals. Through a feature called "Changing Priorities", the user can customize preferences to tailor the career list to the current situation.
A section called, "Things to Think About", empowers the user to identify short and long term goals, view career alternatives, stay motivated, and practice networking techniques. Another section, an "Action/To Do List", reviews the basics on user-initiated tasks to get started on a new or changing career path.
Providing a nature scene interface that helps users escape from the normal tedium of career-search information, OnTrack Media developers believe that the CareerPath user can "take a trip" to explore new careers. Settings include scenes from Mount Hood and Hawaii's Opunohu Bay.
Included with the software is an easy-to-read 122 page manual and a Keyboard Shortcuts command card. OnTrack Media Corporation also offers a high-end version of CareerPath for the professional market that includes career counselors, schools, and retraining centers. The professional version retails at $495.
CareerPath's developers have included excellent information in an easy-to-use system that can be put to use for a variety of occupational events. By adding two missing categories ( an occupational forecast section and an expected earnings section by job family or individual job title ( InfoTrack Media would have a super package. Perhaps these additional components will be considered for the next release.
School House Scorecard
| Product: |
CareerPath |
| Company: |
OnTrack Media Corporation
|
| Cost: |
$49.95 |
System Requirements:
Windows 3.1 or higher, 4 MB RAM,
A Super VGA graphics adapter or better,
A hard disk with 12 MB free space,
A 1.44 MB 3.5" floppy diskette drive or CD-ROM drive
and Mouse.
Breakdown:
Ease of Use 5
Learning Value 4
Entertainment Value 3
Graphics 4
Overall Score:
Copyright © 1997 InfoMedia, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.