About myfuture

myfuture is Australia's national career information and exploration service, helping people to make career decisions, plan career pathways and manage work transitions.

Who is this website for?

myfuture is for anyone who needs information to support their own or others' career planning.

What information does the site have?

On the myfuture website you'll find:

• My Guide, a career exploration tool. You can personalise My Guide to help you choose a career direction and plan your future.
• detailed career information about occupations, industries, education and training providers, courses and programs
• information about career development, choosing school subjects, getting a job, starting your own business, working overseas and many other topics
• links to other useful websites.

Where should I start?

The best way to start using myfuture is to think about what you need to find out.

Start with My Guide if you need to:

• find out about yourself and your skills, interests, values and aspirations
• explore which occupations or career fields suit you
• compare career ideas
• define your career direction, set goals and plan the action you'll take towards them.

Start with The Facts, or Search, if you need to:

• research the world of work
• look up specific information about careers; getting, keeping or changing jobs; occupations; courses; industries; funding and grants; support services; online vacancies; and employment trends.

Start with Assist Others if you need to find resources to help you help other people.

Start with News and Views if you need the latest career news, or to find out about new research, events and initiatives.

There are many ways to find information on myfuture. Check out the whole site to make sure you don't miss anything useful.

Is myfuture a job vacancy site?

No. myfuture does not list job vacancies - but it does link to online vacancy sites in the following three places:

Can myfuture give me personal career advice?

No. myfuture is an information service and does not offer career advice or counselling to individuals or groups.

myfuture does, however, have a collection of articles and links to useful websites, at some of which you may be able to get personalised advice. Click on 'Support Services' in The Facts under 'Contacts'.

Where are the career questionnaires and activities on myfuture?

In the My Guide section. You can get to My Guide from the myfuture home page, or by clicking on the My Guide tab at the top of any main page in myfuture. On the main page of My Guide:

1. Follow the instructions to create an account.
2. Click on My Profile to start using the questionnaires and activities.

About My Guide

My Guide is one of the two main sections of myfuture the other section is The Facts.

My Guide consists of articles and activities that help you explore possible career directions and plan your future. It allows you to build a personal profile by completing questionnaires on your interests, skills, education and work conditions. My Guide then uses this profile to generate career ideas for you to consider.

The Introduction page provides links to further information to help you use My Guide.

Why should I use My Guide? Can't I just go straight to The Facts?

Of course, you can go straight to The Facts to research or browse career related information, without consulting My Guide. But there are some important benefits to using My Guide as well as The Facts.

For example, once you've completed the activities in the My Profile and Exploring Career Ideas sections, your 'career favourites' are generated, along with links to the relevant occupation pages in The Facts.

Also, when you're logged into My Guide, you can add to your personal 'career favourites' from any occupation page in The Facts.

Why do I have to create an account to use My Guide?

When you create a My Guide account - which won't cost you anything - you can save the information you find. Then you can come back later to review it, change it or add to it. Your information is private and is not used for any purpose other than your own reference.

Why do I have to pick an age or stage to create a profile?

By choosing an age or life stage in myfuture, you are telling the site which age/stage information will suit you best. This way, we can deliver specifics that will be useful to a person of your age or at your stage in your working life.

To change your age/stage, click on your user name at the top of any My Guide page. This opens a menu, Change My Details, allowing you to select a different age or stage.

Why doesn't the system recognise my login?

Are your user name and password entered in exactly the same way as you originally set them up? One of the most common user errors is using the wrong case: 'BJones' is not the same as 'bjones'.

When I try to log in, the system tells me my user name is already taken. Why am I getting this message?

It sounds as if you're trying to log in using the New User button, but the system detects that you are already registered. Only use the New User button when you register for the first time. Next time you use My Guide, enter your user name and password as an Existing User.

What if I lose my password?

If you didn't submit an e-mail address when you created your account, your password can't be retrieved. In this case, you'll need to create a new account.

If you did submit an e-mail address, do the following:

1. On the My Guide log in page, click 'Forgotten Your Password?'. The Retrieve My Password page displays.
2. Enter and submit your e-mail address.

Your password will be automatically e-mailed to you.

I've logged in OK, but every time I try to do anything I am returned to the log in screen. Why?

Are you using a different computer from the one you first logged in on? Have you changed the security settings of your browser since you first logged in? 'Cookies' must be enabled on your computer for security reasons, to allow the login to operate. You may need help from a technical support person if you're using a networked computer.

How do I change my password?

Here's what to do:

1. Log in to My Guide. Your user name displays at the top of the page.
2. Click on your user name. The Change My Details page displays.
3. Choose 'Change My Password'. The Change My Password page displays.
4. Enter your old password, your new password, confirm your new password and click 'Save'.

Once you're registered the first time, you can't change your user name. You may create more than one account with different user names, but you can't use the same e-mail address in more than one account.

Your career questions

I'd like to find out about a specific occupation. Can I get this information from myfuture?

Yes, myfuture offers extensive information about specific occupations. Go to The Facts > Occupations (under Work and Employment). There you'll find the Occupations database, which contains hundreds of job descriptions. Type the occupation title in the search box and click on 'Search'. One or more results are presented for you to browse.

Click on any result to bring up a page of useful facts about the occupation, including duties and tasks, specialisations, work conditions and personal requirements. The 'Quick Facts' section links you to key information such as related learning areas (or school subjects). Links are also given to information about earnings, job outlook, vacancies and related occupations, and to state or territory-specific information about the occupation and available study courses.

You can find out about the qualifications you'll need, the vocational opportunities that exist, and your study options in the field you're interested in. You may also wish to contact the professional and industry organisations listed.

You can browse the Occupations database alphabetically or by Industry or Occupation Group. Try these options to see which browsing style suits you. You can also refine your search in various ways using the 'Refine Search' questions on the Search page.

I'd like to find out about courses. How can myfuture help me?

To browse myfuture's extensive database of thousands of Australian courses, go to The Facts > Courses and Programs (under Education and Training).

In the search box, type a keyword for the course you want to find out about. All Australian courses matching that keyword or topic will display. Click any course to view details of its content, location, entry requirements and provider contact details.

You can browse the Courses and Programs database alphabetically, or by Industry, Learning Area or Provider - try all these methods and see which suits you best.

The database also allows you to narrow your search using criteria including Study Field, Industry Group, Entry Requirements, Attendance Mode, Education Level and Region. The Region option is particularly useful for narrowing your search to the state, territory or region where you live.

When refining your search, you can hold down the Control key and select more than one option within any of the list boxes. If you do this, make sure that you deselect the 'All' option.

If you need further information about any course you find in the database, contact the course provider directly, using the contact details provided.

I'd like to get a scholarship. Can myfuture help me?

Yes. Look on The Facts page. Under 'Funding', click on 'Awards and Scholarships' or 'Financial Support'.

Which school subjects should I choose for the career I want to pursue?

Go to the article Choosing school subjects for general advice and tips on how to use The Facts to make decisions about subject choice.

I've got a great idea for a business. Is any financial help available? Where can I go for advice?

The articles Before you start a business and Being an enterprising person tell you how to start, resource, manage and expand your business. See links under 'Funding' in The Facts.

I want to change my job. Can myfuture help?

myfuture can help you consider the options available and provide advice on how to get another job. Read the articles Changing your job, Get a job - Young People, and Get a Job - Adults. Also, in The Facts, in the Work and Employment link box, click on 'Work Opportunities' to find lists of job vacancy sites.

For teachers

I'd like to order the 'bull-eye' posters showing careers that link to particular curriculum areas.

You can order the posters or download them from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) Career Information Products website [opens in new window].

For parents and caregivers

For people outside Australia

I am a person from overseas. How can I find out about working in Australia?

First, establish whether you're permitted to work in Australia by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs [opens in new window]. You may also want to check whether your qualifications are recognised in Australia at the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR) [opens in new window].

If the answer is 'yes' to both those enquiries:

• read Get a job to find out how to market yourself to employers in Australia
• find out about Trends of Work in The Facts section
• look for work in the job vacancy websites listed in The Facts > Work and Employment > Work Opportunities.

How can I contact myfuture?

Click on 'Contact Us' on the myfuture home page or at the top of any myfuture page. This will allow you to submit feedback or ask questions about myfuture.

I'd like to post details about an event. How do I do this?

1. Click on the 'Contact Us' tab at the top of any myfuture page. The Contact Us - Give Feedback page displays.
2. In the left hand menu, click on 'Submit Information'. The Contact us - Submit Information page displays.
3. Enter the details of your event, career news, new website or initiative as requested.
4. Click 'Submit'.

The information you enter will not display immediately on myfuture, but will be reviewed soon after for inclusion.

Can my education or training organisation be included in myfuture's information?

For your organisation's details to be included in myfuture's database of education and training providers, you need to register your organisation with the Australian Career Information Register (ACIR) [opens in new window]. At the ACIR website you will find information about how to check whether your organisation is registered, how to register and how to list your accredited courses. Shortly after your organisation is registered, its details will display appropriately on the myfuture site.

Can my organisation's scholarship(s) be included on myfuture?

Yes, it can. There are two ways you can submit details:

1. If there is a website for the scholarship, send us the URL using the Contact Us - Submit Information page. We will review the site, and if it is appropriate we will add it to our list of resources under 'Funding' or 'Financial Support'.
2. Send us a message about the scholarship(s) you would like added - make sure you include your contact details in the message. We will pass this information on to our data provider, who will contact you to obtain all the details that are required for the listing.