South Dakota Reality Check

This site was designed with career explorers in mind.  Whether you have never been on your own before, or you can't figure out why there isn't enough money left at the "end of the month". This site is the place to spend some time exploring whether or not the occupation of your dreams matches the lifestyle of your dreams. 

There are a few things to keep in mind when utilizing Reality Check. First, this program uses median wages. A median wage is defined as the wage at which 50 percent of workers in a given occupation earn that wage or less and 50 percent earn that wage or more. Secondly, it is important to remember that while the wages provided in South Dakota Reality Check are state specific, the source for this information is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Therefore wages presented in the application will not match those published on the Labor Market Information and Career InSite Web sites, as the mean (or average) wages are highlighted on these sites. It is also important to note the LMIC "updates" the BLS wage data by incorporating quarterly increases in the Employer Cost Index (ECI) to reflect more current trends.  The decision was made to use the BLS median wage data due to a statistical methodology which allows for the publication of a greater number of occupations than when using the mean wage.  

Click to check out South Dakota Reality Check now!