The Life Starter
Sign up
Practical projects · free to use

Build a plan.
Show your thinking.

Turn the lessons into a sourced comparison or applied project. Save work to your account or download a copy for your own records.

Explore Workforce Foundations
Your working copy

Compare local career paths

Research two occupations using current government and local sources. No wages, vacancy counts, or demand forecasts are filled in automatically.

Name a city/region or state, travel range, and schedule. No street address is needed.

Name the role, SOC/O*NET code if available, main tasks, sector, and skills.

Education, credential/license, experience, entry route, skills you can demonstrate, and possible next roles.

Record wage range and units, data geography, data period, and projection horizon. Separate survey wages and projections from currently dated job listings. Write 'not found' when reliable data is missing.

Use BLS, O*NET, CareerOneStop, or a state/local workforce source. Record additional listing URLs in the notes.

Name the comparison role, code if available, main tasks, sector, and skills.

Use the same categories as A so the comparison is meaningful.

Include units, geography, source period, projection horizon, and dated openings. Label missing data; do not estimate facts.

Link to the actual occupation/source page.

When you checked the sources; also record the source data's own period above.

Compare fit, training cost/time, actual local openings, and uncertainty. Link your own work sample, choose one next action, and ask a workforce adviser to check local relevance.

Sign in to save

Guests can write and download a copy; entries stay on this page until you leave. Sign in to save across devices. Supplemental exercises are tracked separately from eight-week program completion.

Start with sources you can check.

Use the current source page and record its date and geography. Compare information for the place where you want to work or study.

BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook Occupational tasks, entry education, wages, and national projectionsO*NET OnLine Occupation codes, skills, tasks, and related occupationsCareerOneStop Local career, salary, training, and employment researchMaryland labor-market information Maryland and regional labor-market researchFederal Student Aid Official aid and FAFSA informationApprenticeship.gov Registered apprenticeship research