LThe Life Starter
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Lesson 1 of 6
Work · Guided lesson

Define the job, skill, or credential target

Turn a broad interest into a target outcome and a set of must-have requirements.

About 30 minutes Finish with a concrete deliverable
Minnesota Goes to CollegeTypes of CollegesYouTube
Course primer

Types of Colleges

From Minnesota Goes to College. Watch here or open it on YouTube .

During the course primer, listen for ideas that change how you approach “Define the job, skill, or credential target.” Pause once to capture a useful point, then apply it while producing a target-outcome brief with must-have requirements, constraints, and comparison criteria.
Before you begin

What this lesson is really solving.

Turn a broad interest into a target outcome and a set of must-have requirements. This is lesson 1 because later decisions depend on a target-outcome brief with must-have requirements, constraints, and comparison criteria. Training is a means; the target outcome determines which evidence and tradeoffs matter. Use your own numbers, files, environment, and constraints so the result survives outside the course.

Why this works

Understand the idea before touching the steps.

Training is a means; the target outcome determines which evidence and tradeoffs matter.

Do this

Follow these steps in order.

Take the action in each step; then use the deliverable below to prove the lesson is finished.

  1. 1

    Collect several current role or advancement descriptions and highlight repeated duties, tools, credentials, and experience.

  2. 2

    Separate must-have requirements from preferred language and skills that can be demonstrated another way.

  3. 3

    Write the target outcome, constraints, and the evidence that would show a program is relevant.

Worked example

See the standard in context.

Rae learns that the target role requires a state license and documented hours, so she adds both to the comparison criteria. The learner saves a target-outcome brief with must-have requirements, constraints, and comparison criteria and notes the evidence or assumption behind the choice so it can be reviewed and improved later.

Quality check

Inspect before you move on.

  • The finished work visibly includes a target-outcome brief with must-have requirements, constraints, and comparison criteria.
  • You tested the work against this common failure: Choosing a familiar school or course before knowing what it must help you do.
  • Another person could verify this mastery standard: A program can be judged against a written outcome and not just its title or reputation.
Make it real

Your deliverable

A target-outcome brief with must-have requirements, constraints, and comparison criteria.

Common mistake

Watch for this

Choosing a familiar school or course before knowing what it must help you do.

You’re ready when

Prove it—don’t just recognize it.

A program can be judged against a written outcome and not just its title or reputation.

Objective evidence · 3 questions

Quick knowledge check

Answer from the lesson—not from confidence alone. Score at least 2 of 3 to unlock completion.

Not yet passed

This curriculum-aligned check is scored automatically and stored with your account when signed in. It is an objective learning signal, but it has not yet been independently validated as a standardized assessment.

1Which action belongs in the recommended process for “Define the job, skill, or credential target”?
2Which result is the clearest evidence that this lesson’s work is complete?
3Which choice matches the failure this lesson specifically warns against?
0 of 3 answeredEach question measures the action, evidence, or failure condition taught above.
Useful for this course

Tools, templates, and references

Training comparison scorecardCompare prerequisites, time, cost, outcomes, support, and backup routes.
Check current detailsReferences reviewed September 9, 2026. Lesson exercises are editorial synthesis; official rules come from the linked sources.
CareerOneStop — Find trainingCareerOneStop — Career and training toolkitO*NET OnLine — Data and content
1
One check remains

Pass the knowledge check above first.

Completion unlocks after a score of 2 out of 3. Then confirm that you produced the lesson deliverable.

Go to the knowledge check