5 WAYS TO RESEARCH CAREERS FOR YOUR CHARACTERS

Trying to find the right career for your character can be as challenging as finding the right plot.  Is the career choice right for your character? Is this career something you are familiar with, or will research be necessary?  Here are a few pointers:

       1.      Talk to someone you know.

This is simple research.  If the person is ecstatic about what he or she does, great!  If they moan through the teeth every other word, even better!  You want to hear the ins and outs of their daily 9-to-5.  Specific situations are advantageous because they provide you with scenarios in support of your own story.

2.       Call the company and set up interviews.

 

If you’re writing about a Meteorologist, you’ll need to know basic information about the career in order to ask pertinent questions.  Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. Understanding what to ask helps.

3.       Surf the Net.

There are various websites, including Occupational Outlook Handbook, Indeed, Monster and Wikipedia, which charts in detail, information regarding specific careers.  These sites will likely give the salary/salary range, job functions and qualifications necessary for the position.

4.       Chatrooms/forums

This is the next-best-thing to talking with someone in person.  Participants in chatrooms and forums provide the day-to-day routine and questions, they themselves, may have. You get the true grit-of-emotions from those who choose to vent or boast about what it is they do.

5.       Books on Careers for Characters. 

Careers for your Characters, by Raymond Obstfeld and Franz Neumann, is an ideal book which lists examples of careers and necessary educational experience needed for each job.

Just the smallest details involving what your characters do can add depth and believability to your story!

 How do you research career paths for your characters?