Career Exploration

The Client Assistance Program in Oklahoma recognizes that career exploration is important for people with disabilities as they consider applying for services in the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services. OKDRS is a state agency with a mission to support people with disabilities in the employment outcome of their choice.

In order to make an informed choice, people with disabilities need to know their own interests and abilities, but they also need to know something about their local job market. What jobs are actually out there? What education is necessary for those jobs?  What experience does an individual need to fill one of those jobs?

With this in mind, CAP would like to provide some of that information in an ongoing series of Career Exploration and Let's Make a Plan where we use an individual posting to discuss a particular job title.

Let me give you an example with the Client Assistance Program Director position itself.  This job requires a bachelor's degree in one of the humanities with an emphasis on social services.  It requires two years experience in some kind of case management. Successful applicants must pass a background check. They must have a working knowledge of data entry, Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel.  In Oklahoma the job is located within State Government.  The successful CAP director must be able to communicate with counselors and administration staff of the Department of Rehabilitation Services.    

Essential activities of the CAP director would be:  

•  Telephone work (30%)
•  Data entry (25%)
•  Employee training (15%)
•  Client meetings (10%)
•  Travel (10%)
•  Reports (10%)

This job description would give individuals who are exploring careers a good idea of how they would fit into this kind of job.  Multiply this to a lot of different jobs and screen those jobs to make sure they are occupations that are in demand gives insight into the purpose of Career Exploration.

Many people with disabilities who are interested in returning to work or start work for the first time have only limited ideas of specific job titles for available jobs. People may know they think they'd like to do office work, but they would be hard pressed to say specifically. Career exploration can help drill down that very general job family to a real job in the community where you live. Take a look below with details on many jobs.

William Ginn
Client Assistance Program
P.O. Box 25352
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73125

405-522-6702
William.Ginn@odc.ok.gov