Methodology

Where our data comes from

A career switch affects your household’s income. So we hold ourselves to one rule: every number you see comes from a public source we name, and never from an AI.

What comes from official sources

• Median pay, typical entry education, related work experience, and job outlook come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. Each career page links to its exact BLS source and shows the date of the figures.
• Occupation titles and groupings may reference the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Where we summarize or regroup O*NET information, USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested those changes.

What we write ourselves

“What carries over,” “what you’d likely need to add,” and “try it before you quit” are our own editorial guidance, written for teachers. We keep numbers out of these sections on purpose.

What we never do

• No match scores or “perfect fit” percentages.
• No salary promises. Pay is always a U.S. median with its source and year, and it varies by state and sector.
• No hiding the hard parts. If a path needs a new degree or a state license, we say so up front.
• We are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, BLS, O*NET, or the U.S. Department of Labor.

Figures last checked September 2026. U.S. data only for now.