Your checklist · Thinking about a change
Find work that uses what you already have.
You already have skills, experience, and bills. Work through these at your own pace; your progress stays on this device.
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1. Start from the job you have now
Find your current job and scroll to “Careers that use similar skills”. Those are often the shortest moves.
Find your current job → -
2. Look at shorter paths in
Certificates, two-year degrees, and apprenticeships, many of them designed for working adults.
Shorter paths → -
3. See what pays where you live
Pick your state or metro area on any career page to see local pay.
See an example → -
4. Check the outlook before you invest
Growth, openings, and whether BLS expects AI to change the work.
Careers with a strong outlook → -
5. Compare your options side by side
A new degree, a two-year program, or a career you could move into now: time, debt, and pay after.
Compare my options → -
6. If you're weighing a degree, run the numbers
How long until the extra pay makes up for the cost, with every assumption editable.
Will a degree pay off? →
Every step done. That's a plan most people never make. Look over your list →
Your checkmarks are saved in this browser only. Every number on this site comes from public government data and names its source; the numbers don't decide for you.
Somewhere else right now? In high school · In college