Your Guide to the Minnesota Career Information System

The Minnesota Career Information System is a website where you can learn about the career paths you’re interested in, what you’ll need to get started, and helpful resources that can make the process easier. This site will support you as you plan and move forward with your long-term goals.

This tool was created to help guide high schoolers to their ideal careers, but it is also useful during college and as you begin to apply for jobs. The MCIS is designed to offer practical guidance about programs, costs, and more. Accessing information within the MCIS about real jobs in Minnesota can help you choose the right training and education.

Learn The Basics

Do you have access to the MCIS?

The MCIS is a non-profit tool your high school, library, or college can subscribe to. To find out if you have access to the MCIS, visit the log-in page here and select the “Log in with Clever”, where you’ll be prompted to provide the name of your school or institution. You can refer to your high school’s career counseling department to find out if your school has a subscription. If your school or library has access to the MCIS, you will have unlimited access to the website, free training via hands-on workshops held around the state, free technical support, and a Listserv membership. 

Your institution may have other resources included in the MCIS, such as the test preparation package. This includes study materials for the ACT and SAT, and an Accuplacer subscription. Accuplacer provides tests for reading, writing, and math. The results will show your areas of strength and help place you in courses that match your skills. Learn more about the MCIS and how it can help you explore career options below. 

Use Self-Surveys to Uncover Career Interests

The MCIS provides nine self-surveys to help you understand your learning style, how much income you need to support your lifestyle, and what kinds of work you enjoy. You can start by watching a video about these self-surveys here, then use the tools below to learn more about possible career paths. Below is a list of self-surveys — also available here. 

Career Cluster Inventory - The Career Cluster Inventory helps you think about activities you enjoy and matches them to potential careers. Learning more about careers and how they fit into your interests can be a great way to find a job that you’re passionate about. 

Career Cluster Inventory (CCI) Quick Pic - This survey is very similar to the Career Cluster Inventory, but it’s aimed at high school students. It uses images to help you identify and consider activities you enjoy and match them with careers. 

Entrepreneurial Assessment - Would you enjoy a career as an entrepreneur? The Entrepreneurial Assessment will help you assess your skills to determine whether self-employment is a good option for you. 

Interest Profiler - This self-survey helps to identify your interests and how they relate to careers you may want to explore further. 

Learning Styles Survey - This short survey will help you identify your learning styles. At the end of this survey, you will get helpful study tips specific to your learning style.

Occupation Sort -This survey will allow you to rate your personal likes and dislikes. You’ll then be given a list of careers based on factors that are important to you.

Reality Check - This survey begins by helping to identify how much money you need to earn to achieve your desired lifestyle. Then, you’ll be guided toward careers that would align with these preferences.

Work Importance Locator - In this survey, you will explore how important certain aspects of a career are to you. It will look at values such as achievement, work environment, and work relationships.

Workplace Employability Skills - This short survey will help you understand skills that can help with finding employment, like collaboration and professionalism.

Access Key Information About Potential Jobs and Industries

After you’ve completed the self-surveys, use resources and guides within the MCIS to discover what people do in the roles you may be interested in, how much they earn, and how to prepare to work in your desired industry. This tool allows you to explore over 650 careers and save a list of your favorite jobs. This job list provides education and certification requirements for your convenience, and each career page offers short videos, informational profiles, and the option to use your self-survey results as a guide.

Create a Personal Learning Plan

After exploring careers through the MCIS, you can decide on the type of degree to pursue, the cost of getting a degree, and the right college for you. If you’re a high schooler, the MCIS can help you make decisions and build a Personal Learning Plan. The Personal Learning Plan offers steps for reflecting on what you’ve learned about your career interests and outlines what to do next. In this document, you can lay out the various requirements for your ideal jobs, including educational background, certifications, extracurricular activities, and volunteer work.

Prepare for Job Applications With a Range of Helpful Tools

The MCIS has resources that will continue to be helpful as you progress through your college career. When it comes time to prepare for a job, the MCIS has guides and information on networking, applying for internships and jobs, and how to answer interview questions.

Your resume is key to a successful job search, and you can create professional job search materials using this step-by-step resume builder and guide for writing cover letters. Through the MCIS, you’ll gain the tools to enhance your career knowledge with services connecting you to job shadowing, networking, and informational interviewing opportunities. Use our list of questions to get the most out of your informational interviews and to make the most out of networking opportunities. 

Ready to Start Your Career? Find and Pursue Current Opportunities

The MCIS is one of many valuable tools that can help you plan your education around your ideal career, and serves as a great introduction to job hunting. Through the MCIS, you will find up-to-date information about local careers, making it the perfect first stop for your job hunt. When used alongside other networking, job search, and training resources, you can access support and guidance as you work toward your goals. It’s never too early to plan ahead — if you’re in high school, be sure to take advantage of ongoing guidance as you explore educational, training and job opportunities for the near and long-term future. Need more support as you get started? You can find free in-person and virtual training here.