What is the Career Insights Snapshot in my score report?
Discovering career options is a driving force as you make decisions about your future. And as you think about your career goals and what you’ll do after high school, you’ll begin uncovering what you like, your skills, the opportunities available to you, and the steps you need to take to reach your goals. To help you consider your options, we’ve included Career Insights Snapshots on your PSAT and SAT-related score report. The snapshot is a list of growing careers in your state that need skills like yours.
Did you know that a nurse needs strong math skills to administer medicine to patients? Or that a cybersecurity engineer needs strong writing skills to develop clear technical documents? Every career has a set of measurable skills and one way to find a good career fit is to see how your skills, including (but not limited to) your core math and reading and writing skills demonstrated through the PSAT/SAT, align with the typical skills for a job.
These careers are examples, NOT RECOMMENDATIONS or the only careers you should consider for yourself. It can show you more about what careers are out there and key aspects of a job like if it requires college.
Each job on your score report:
- is growing in your state meaning there are jobs available.
- requires education after high school, in some cases college but not in all cases.
- pays a living wage because we know salary is important.
- spans a variety of interest areas: Doers, Helpers, Creators, Organizers, Persuaders, Thinkers.
- connects to the math, reading, and writing skills you demonstrated on your PSAT or SAT test.
I reviewed my Career Insights Snapshot in BigFuture School. Now what?
Looking at careers that include your interests and what you like to do is a great way to find a good career fit. One way to do that is with the interactive career exploration tools in the BigFuture School mobile app. Simply navigate to “Career Explorer” to discover more possibilities. If you’re curious about a career on your score report or unsure what to do with the information, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Find time to talk with your school counselor or a teacher who can help support you through the exploration process. They can also answer questions about the career information on your score report or general questions about planning for your life after high school.
I reviewed my Career Insights Snapshot on my PDF score report. Now what?
Head over to bigfuture.org and take our free 10-minute career quiz that helps match your likes, dislikes, and interests to a list of 30 career options to explore further. Looking at careers that include what you like to do is a great way to find a good career fit. Once you’ve found some careers of interest, or if your curious about any of the information on your score report, find time to talk with your school counselor or a teacher. They can help answer questions about the career information you viewed and answer general questions about planning for your life after high school.
FAQ
What is the Career Insights Snapshot in my score report?
The Career Insights Snapshot is a list of growing careers in your state that also connect to the skills you demonstrated on your PSAT or SAT test. The careers listed are examples, not recommendations, to help you get started on planning for your life after high school.
Where can I find careers that match my skills?
On BigFuture, you can access Career Search for free and discover information about almost 1,000 careers. Within each career profile, you can navigate to the “Career Insights” tab and see how your math and reading and writing skills based on your latest PSAT or SAT score connects to the typical skills required for that career. With this information, you can begin to understand where your academic skills are today and what you can do to prepare for the careers they’re interested in.
Are my interests and major preferences factored into the career information being shown on the score report?
The careers on your score report are growing opportunities in your state, but are not personalized to your interests. We understand that showing a small sample of career opportunities in your state doesn’t cover the world of possibilities in front of you, but it’s a starting point. You may be inspired to explore something you didn’t know existed or interested in discovering other careers. For personalized career options that match your interests and academic skills—including what’s measured on the PSAT™ 8/9 and PSAT/NMSQT® - check out BigFuture.
What are "interest areas"?
Most people have a combination of interests, and most careers represent a mix of two or three interest areas. The career information in your score report intentionally shows careers that vary based on what your interest areas may be. These interest areas are from the Holland framework—the most well-known and widely used tool in career advising—which includes six dimensions that are mapped to work environments (see the table below for an overview). To find out more about yourself and get a personalized list of careers that align with your interest areas, take the BigFuture career quiz.
| Interest Areas in Score Report | Holland Framework | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Doers | Realistic | Good for students who like to do and make things and enjoy being outdoors |
| Thinkers | Investigative | Good for students who like to analyze and solve problems |
| Creators | Artistic | Good for students who enjoy using their imagination and being creative |
| Helpers | Social | Good for students who want to help other people in some way |
| Persuaders | Enterprising | Good for students who enjoy leading others, growing a business, and making financial gains |
| Organizers | Conventional | Good for students who are meticulous and enjoy math and compiling information |
What does "median yearly income" represent?
Income refers to the amount of money an employee receives for their work. On the score report, the median yearly income column represents the median salary (middle point) you can expect to earn for each your specific state. All of the careers shown on your score report have a median yearly income that meets living wage standards.
What does “number of jobs” and “job growth” tell me?
The number of jobs refers to the expected number of new job openings that will be available in your state five years from now. Job growth refers to the percent by which the job is expected to have new openings in the next five years. All the careers shown on your score report are growing in your state.
What does “most common level of education” mean?
Most common level of education refers to the education level most often needed to enter an occupation. Some jobs will require a bachelor’s degree while others may require a certificate or an associate degree. The careers on your score report show a variety of different education requirements. We selected jobs that require some form of education after high school as most jobs in the coming years will require some education or skills training beyond high school. Below are examples of different education opportunities you can take after high school:
- Certificate
- Some college
- Associate degree
- Bachelor’s degree
- Master’s or Professional degree
- Doctoral degree or more
You can explore colleges, including four-year, community colleges, and technical colleges in BigFuture’s College Search tool.
Where did the career salary, growth, and common level of education information come from?
We used the occupational listings from the U.S. Department of Labor’s to source the careers you see on your score report. Labor market information like salary, job growth projections, and common level of education came from our partners at Lightcast.
What resources are available for educators, counselors, and other caring adults, to help better understand Career Insights Snapshot and support students through their career exploration journey?
If you’re an educator, counselor, or caring adult, watch this video to learn how you can use Career Insights Snapshot to support your student’s career journey. Additionally, in collaboration with the National Career Development Association, we developed a table talk guide to help ignite career conversations with students and help them begin to think about life after high school. If you need a quick “Career Insights Snapshot 101”, download this flyer which can be distributed for awareness amongst colleagues and shared directly with families.