IN THE LATEST EDITION OF THE PRINCETON REVIEW, they tweak all kinds of algorithms to come out with the un-tweakable: which particular colleges give you the best ROI (return on investment). You might argue that the “success” of a college experience and degree has many different shadings for many different people. But here, we’re talking finances, and finances only: salaries, in particular, with no mention of job stability, satisfaction, benefits and flexibility, etc.

The issue made all the morning talk shows, but don’t expect to understand how the calibration was made — unless, of course, you purchase the book. Which I won’t, because it’s going to be in some nearby college or library soon anyway. However — like most Americans I suspect — I want to see the top 10, sort of like college football ratings. Want to see where junior’s college ranks? Again we are told: purchase the book.

Was impressed to see that again Harvey Mudd College, of the Claremeont Consortium outside of L.A., made the top three — number one, in fact. They’re unique and rigorous and prepare engineers, computer scientists and the like. For now, those occupations are in high demand. Starting salaries bring a smile to the faces of students — and often their sponsors, the parents.

But if your student isn’t heading for this stratified technology sector, what can they expect as far as projected job openings, median salaries, etc.? My favorite all-around site is www.eureka.org. It provides those things, often on a county-by-county basis, and also offers a number of self-assessment tools to do a mature evaluation of the sort of work environments and duties that provide a best “fit.” So you can do surveys that reveal career-related information regarding your interests, work personality, values that you want fulfilled by an occupation, as well as the skills that you most enjoy using and developing on a work site.

Any age can approach this tool, particularly after age 16. Given that job placements will likely shift in the current and future workplace, using it when the need or interest arises at any age isn’t a bad idea, even when fully employed.

For folks who want a more basic site, and one where you and a parent can get an excellent reality check on what your preferred lifestyle will cost — at least in a sample of California towns and cities — the site www.cacareerzone.org is a winner: Along with simpler assessment programs, visit the “Reality Check” program and see what salary range would be needed for the kinds of costs and options you’d expect to have when entering the work world. Hint: Use the town of Santa Rosa if you’d like a hometown with roughly the same living costs as the towns/cities immediately around Benicia. The total monthly cost of living can be an eye-opener — and a discussion starter. Professional beach bum or beatnik — my early dreamscapes — may not be such a great job path after all …

As with so many things merely virtual, that exploration is not sufficient: Roll up your sleeves and, literally, get to work. There is nothing akin to pursuing volunteer work, internships, job-shadowing opportunities and, of course, even tentative part-time work in a chosen field of interest. It will give you a three-dimensional sense of:

• Do I like this work?

• Do I more fully understand what it actually entails?

• Am I any darn good at it — or could I be with the right training and education?

For details on taking the above approaches, see www.careerbuilder.com, which is loaded with helpful, concise information, data and video aids. And see my previous column for helping to pick the right college major to prepare for the right career.

Rob Peters is a long-time resident of Benicia. He has been a full-time counselor at Diablo Valley College for more than two decades.

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