General Information

Career Search
Programs and information to help you determine your interests and potential career paths. Books, pamphlets, articles, videos and computer programs are categorized for easy reference. The MCIS program features two inventories to help students determine where their interest and skills lie. The "Ideas" Interest Inventory measures occupational interests. After responding to 128 questions, users receive an individualized profile showing how their responses fit into 16 different interest areas. With the "SKILLS" Inventory you will select a set of skills. The software then identifies the occupations that require those skills. Users can learn which occupations best match their skills, and the skills that are required by favorite occupations.

Job Descriptions
Books and literature on job market forecasts, pay scales, and career descriptions. Also includes information on writing resumes, interviewing and landing a job.

College Search - Programs and information to help you determine which colleges specialize in your areas of interest. Computer programs and handbooks which sort schools by location, major, cost and other characteristics.

There are two basic types of post-secondary education institutions:

Community and Technical Colleges – Many colleges offer programs that are less than four years in length. Most of these schools offer education and training programs that are two years in length or shorter. These programs often lead to a license, a certificate, or an associate’s degree.

Community Colleges are public, two-year colleges. They usually serve people from nearby communities and offer academic courses, technical courses and continuing education courses.
Technical Colleges are generally colleges that have a special emphasis on education and training in technical fields. However, although some technical colleges offer academic courses and programs, not all technical colleges offer two-year programs that lead to an associate of arts or science degree.

Four-Year Colleges and Universities – These schools usually offer a bachelor’s degree. Some will also offer graduate and professional degrees. Students who wish to pursue a bachelor degree program usually choose a four-year college/university or transfer from a community college. These institutions may be either public or private. Such a program lays the foundation for more advanced studies and professional work. Universities confer bachelor’s degrees and graduate, master’s and Ph.D. degrees. Many universities also confer professional degrees, for example, in law or medicine.

The Career Center has programs to help you search for and receive information on most any college you may be interested. The MCIS program is an intensive program designed to help you with programs of study, Minnesota schools and national schools. It even includes a school sort section for comparing information from different schools. The Career Center also has dozens of books on post-secondary options.

College Catalogs & Contact InformationThe career center has current catalogs from hundreds of colleges and universities, as well as technical colleges. The center also has many books and computer programs that will help you research colleges, which you might be interested in or are considering. The MCIS program can help you find information on colleges and will even sort the information from different schools for comparison.

Financial Planning
In the Career Center you can find information on calculating college costs such as tuition, fees, books, room and board and “hidden costs” as well as catalogs of information regarding the thousands of scholarships available to anyone who is willing to do a little research. Also included is information on grants, loans, work-study programs and financial aid.

Military Career InformationThe Career Center has information on Military based careers. This information includes books and computer programs. The MCIS program has a section entitled “Military Employment” which gives you information on Frequently Asked Questions, Military Occupations, and an area to search for additional information