Career 101 - Career Advice
Welcome to Career 101. I created this site to share information I have learned since starting my career in 1995. It is targeted to people in the first few years of their career. I have been helped by many people along the way and had the opportunity to help others in return. I am passionate about learning and sharing information. I hope that this will help you identify and create your ideal career. Enjoy! Matthew Bateman (more about me)
Roles
Roles are specific jobs at companies within industries. Let's break it down into parts:
Industry: the area of the economy in which a company operates (examples: Biotech, Video Games).
Company: a group of people working towards a specific goal within an industry (examples: Google, Amazon).
Role: a specific job within the company. It defines what you will actually do day to day (examples: Analyst, Technician).
The key is to figure out the type of role you will be good at and then map that with an industry or company that is interesting to you. Think of this as a cheat sheet that allows you to see how the skills describe here map to Industries. Read more
What is a Career?
Career. It is a big word that is used regularly. What does it really mean? Let's start with a "job". A job is anything that you do in exchange for some benefit, usually a paycheck. You may love it. You may hate it. It might be similar to the job you had before, or it might be totally different. A "career" is one or more jobs that tie together in a cohesive theme that is meaningful to you. It is something that you care about; that you feel is a progression. You nurture a career. You direct it. It has purpose. Read more or go to The Search to learn more about finding a career.
Industries
Looking to find the perfect Industry for you? You have come to the right place. There are SO many Industries out there, making it hard to navigate through all of them. At the risk of oversimplifying them, I have grouped them into the following categories. The goal is to simplify to create a better understanding of where to start and dig in further: Professions, Science & Engineering, Consumer Goods & Services, Professional Services & Consulting, Finance, Government, Education & Medical, Real Estate. Read more
Looking for general guidance on how to find a job? Check out The Search page for advice.
Want to understand your specific skills and how they fit various roles? Check out Roles.
Check out my writings on various industries and departments at the Industries page.
Want to find a mentor? Check out my writings on The Gift of Asking for Help, Mentors and Networking 101 on The Search page to learn how to do this.
Disclaimer: This information is provided to help you navigate the early stages of your career. It is based on my experience over 25+ years. There is no guarantee that the same principles will allow you to be successful. For the industry summaries, I have gathered information in one or more of the following ways: (a) interviewed someone in the industry, (b) researched the industry myself, or (c) used an artificial intelligence tool. No guarantee is provided as to the accuracy of the information. It is provided for research purposes only.
