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Welcome! The Toolkit activities help you navigate and investigate careers. Plan your path to a digital career.

Plan Your Path

1
Get Oriented to Digital Careers
2
Understand the Business
3
Navigate Training Pathways
4
How Certifications Fit In
5
Weigh Your ROI
6
Make a Plan

There is a big difference between a job and a career.  A job will earn you money but it does not always lead to advancement and growth.  A career presents an opportunity to grow professionally and earn more financially over time.  How will the job you take lead you to a career?

Preparing for your career is a long-term investment.  Your education to employment pathway is an investment in yourself. How will you plan for your future?

NOTE:

The focus in this Toolkit is to evaluate the Return on Investment of training programs that are alternatives to college.  Considering a workforce training program does not preclude attending college.  The goal is to consider all your options and plan for multiple pathways to your future career.

Invest in your Future

An “investment” is an act of devoting time, effort, energy and/or money to undertake something with the expectation of a worthwhile result.  In this case, your education is an investment, and your ‘return on investment’ considers all the factors that will contribute to your success.  

You can calculate your Return on Investment (known as ROI) by considering these factors:

  • Do your decisions support your career and life goals?
  • How realistic is your path given your situation at the current moment?
  • Will the time and money spent in the present be beneficial to your future success?
Consider what draws you to a career

These factors are not mutually exclusive. They may change throughout your life. But how you answer this question will be a driver for the decisions you make.

Set realistic goals for yourself

Establishing career and life goals drived your long-term plans towards success.  Specific, achievable and realistic goals require action, consistency and follow through. The more realistic and practical these steps are, the more likely your efforts and short-term goals will be successful.

Which of these considerations apply to you now?  Your responses should help you set reasonable and realistic short-term goals.

Which of these considerations apply to you now?  Your responses should help you set reasonable and realistic short-term goals.

These factors are not mutually exclusive.  They may apply to you now, but will change later.

Consider time and money

Accomplishing your short-term goals can depend on how realistic and reasonable your plan is. These are some considerations that you can use to calculate your ROI.

Time
‍
When you think about how long it takes to prepare for a job, you should measure time in months and years, not weeks and days.  

  • For reference, consider:
  • Time it takes to earn a High School diploma = 4 years
  • Time it takes to earn a Bachelor's degree = 4 years, and can be up to 6 years for many people
  • Time it takes to earn an Associate degree = 2 years, typically 3 years for many people
  • Time it takes to complete an Apprenticeship = 1 year, typically
  • Time it takes to complete a training program that earns an industry certification = 3 months minimum, some are 6 months to 1 year
  • Time it takes for a job search - from interview to an offer letter = 2-4 months, in the best case
Which of these considerations apply to you now?

These factors are not mutually exclusive, and they will change throughout your life. But how you answer these questions will determine what factor time plays in weighing your ROI.

Cost

Costs are connected to time.  Think of cost considerations in these ways:

  • Direct Costs: The cost of training and education. This includes tuition, books, cost of certifications, etc.
  • Indirect Costs: The cost of living. This includes housing, food, health care, etc.  You will incur these expenses regardless of whether you are in a training program or not.
  • Deferred Earnings: While you are in training - college or a training program - you are not earning a salary (although you may have part-time jobs.)  Once you start your first job in your career path, you begin earning a salary that can yield promotions and increases. The amount you could have earned which you are training - known as deferred earnings - is a factor in your ROI. The longer the training, the longer the wait to start employment, the less you are earning. But the more you earn when you start your job, and the greater potential to advance and earn promotions, the more you will earn over time.  It is best to consider deferred costs over a 4 or 5 year period.
NOTE:

The focus in this Toolkit is weighing ROI of training programs that are an alternate to college pathways.  You should do a similar planning process using the cost of college.

If your priority is a training program, then consider:

These factors are not mutually exclusive, and they will change throughout your life. But how you answer these questions will determine what factor time plays in weighing your ROI.

Weigh Your Return on Investment (ROI)

Weighing your return on investment involves calculating the costs of training over time. It also involves a consideration of your willingness to defer income, pay tuition, take loans, etc.

Above all, to weigh your return on investment is to consider your priorities and values:

  • How important is a college education and earning a degree to your life and career goals?
  • How certain are you that the career choice you are making now is a path you will follow for the next 5-10 years?
  • What other circumstances do you face in your life that impact a realistic and reasonable plan?
As you consider your choices, here are some concrete questions to consider:
Make Your Plan

As you review these questions, also consider:

  • What priorities are most important to you in making your career plan?
  • Do you have enough information to answer these questions?  What else do you need to find out?
  • Use the Make A Plan worksheet to help you take your next steps.
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