ENG 101 - Academic/Professional Pathway Analysis

2. Explore Your Career

After thoroughly examining your assignment, now it's time to look for some initial background research on your topic.  Try a search in the following database to learn more about your topic.

Background Research

• Start by researching your career in general using Ferguson's Career Center Database. You are looking for the "Professional Profile" that will help you gain a basic understanding as well as this can be a source for your essay.
• Once you have located your career in Ferguson's Career Center Database, look in the Table of Contents. There are several sections that would be helpful depending on which topic you want to write about. 
• Recommend looking at History, The Job, Exploring this Job, Education and Training Requirements, Certification, Licensing, and Special Requirements, and Outlook, Other sections may have information that is relevant to your essay depending on your topic.

Find Library Recommended Resources for Your Career

The library has general subject guides for a lot of fields of study under Research Guides. If yours is not listed, choose the closest match.

Most have lists of journals or trade publications and recommended databases, books, and websites for the profession.

Find your field of study(or closest match) on the Research Guides page and then click on the guide marked "General Resources."

If you are choosing one of the Academic Pathway Options or Pathway Exploration to find the recommended resources depending on the topic you are choosing, you may want to click on:

• The subject of Career & Job then the research guide: Career Research - General Resources

OR

• The subject of Education then the research guide: Education - General Resources

Here is an example for the area of study for Horticulture:

Horticulture - General Resources

The menu on the left side lets you navigate through to find the recommended resources based on Type as in the example below.

Find Articles (Databases) will give librarian-recommended databases, journals, and magazines that are related to that field of study. Some fields of study will have databases that are more closely related to their field. See the example of Horticulture. You can also click on the link to check out the full list..

Find Articles (Databases) 

Find Books & Videos will give librarian-recommended books and videos based usually on popular topics in that field of study as well as just in general on the topic. See the example of Horticulture. You can also click on the link to check out the full list..

Find Books & Videos

Find Websites will give librarian-recommended websites based usually on popular topics, online publications, professional organizations in that field of study as well as just in general on the topic. See the example of Horticulture. You can also click on the link to check out the full list..

Find Websites

You should explore the guilde that is the closest match to your planned field of study.