There are three main sources of career advice: school-based resources, government agencies, and career counselors. When looking for career advice, it is important to select a source that is both unbiased and able to provide advice based on current market conditions. To get the best career advice, invest some time and effort to determine your current and future goals.

Every post-secondary institute has a career center. These centers provide access to materials on career paths, as well as access to free career counseling services and job postings. The advice available at this type of career center is focused on employment opportunities for graduates.

Career center staff arrange job fairs, lectures from local employers, resume writing and interview training sessions. The assumption is that you have already selected a career path and are looking for support services to achieve that goal. Their focus is to provide access to employment resources to assist graduates in finding employment in their field of study.

The career advice available from government sources, such as local employment assistance programs or unemployment benefit offices is focused on the shortest path to full employment. A simple assessment of existing skills and education is done to determine what types of positions you might be suitable for. The career advice available is typically basic assistance with resume writing and the use of job posting boards.

Very limited training opportunities are typically available from government resources. The programs, if available, are short term and designed to refresh existing skills. People who have skills that are no longer in demand can be retained for opportunities that are in demand, if the programs are available.

A career counselor is a trained professional with a background in psychology. Career counselors are usually quite well informed on employment trends and forecasts. In the initial assessment session, they typically ask new clients to complete a personality test and skills assessment.

These tests are designed to identify your work personality and areas of strength. Based on this information, career counselors can recommend career paths that would be enjoyable and fulfilling. The career advice they can provide includes information on the types of positions that are match of your interests, skills, and values.

It is important to remember that the best advice is usually very different from our own perspective. This is especially true of any type of self-evaluation. Family and friends can be helpful, but their opinions are filtered through their own experiences, which may not necessarily be relevant.