An Interactive Career-Guidance Workshop

The turnkey CTE workshop that moves students from surface-level curiosity to well-informed pathway commitment.

The Job of Interest Reality Check™ (JOIRC™) helps students thoroughly investigate the essential facets of a job and evaluate how well the work fits them so they can determine which pathways and courses best support their career direction.

Schedule a Workshop Exploration Call


Job of Interest Reality Check™ Logo

An Interactive Career-Guidance Workshop


The turnkey CTE workshop that moves students from surface-level curiosity to well-informed pathway commitment.

The Job of Interest Reality Check™ (JOIRC™) helps students thoroughly investigate the essential facets of a job so they can evaluate how well the work fits them and determine which pathways and courses best support their career direction.

Schedule a Workshop Exploration Call

THE CHALLENGE

Unexamined Job Realities threaten

pathway completion

Students can be genuinely interested in a career field without understanding the physical, environmental, academic, and day-to-day realities of the work. When those realities surface after enrollment, an avoidable pathway mismatch can begin.

Pathway Retention Leak

When students discover a pathway mismatch after enrollment, CTE leaders face more than a scheduling change. The resulting retention leak consumes limited program capacity, increases counselor workload, and weakens the connection between earned credentials and students’ actual career destinations.

THE PROBLEM

The Cost of Pathway Mismatch

Lost Program

Capacity

Seats and instructional resources are committed before students have fully investigated whether the work fits.

Increased Counselor

Workload

Late pathway changes create schedule adjustments, credit questions, and additional academic planning.

Disconnected

Credentials

Students may earn credentials that do not support the career direction they ultimately choose to pursue.

Students need a structured way to investigate career realities before making pathway and coursework decisions.

From Career Interest to an Informed Education Direction

Students move through four guided steps to investigate the work, evaluate fit, and connect

what they learn to an informed pathway or coursework direction.

DETERMINE

Choose a specific job of interest and establish a clear research focus

DISCOVER

Investigate nine job facets to understand what the work actually requires and provides

DISCERN

Evaluate each facet, reflect on the response, and identify aspects requiring further research

DECIDE

Assess the overall fit and learn how career findings can inform educational options.

INSIDE STEP 2: DISCOVER

Thorough Job Exploration is powered by the Job Research Blueprint®

Students investigate nine essential facets of a specific job to understand the realities of the work before making pathway and coursework decisions.

EXPLORE THE NINE JOB FACETS

Using the job they researched, students learn to identify aligned CTE pathways or relevant coursework that could support their preparation if they pursue that career.

When a CTE pathway aligns

Revealed Pathway Connection

Students examine how the pathway’s courses, skills, and preparation could support the researched career.

When NO CTE pathway aligns

Revealed coursework focus

Students identify the types of high school coursework that could support their preparation for the researched career.

Whether students see their researched job as a good option or set it aside, they leave knowing how to repeat the process with another job of interest and seeing the connection between a career destination and their high school experience.

Schedule a Workshop Exploration Call

MEET YOUR WORKSHOP FACILITATOR

Career-Guidance Expertise Brought

Directly to Your Students

Jay DuSold is a youth career-guidance specialist and the founder of Life After 12th. For more than 30 years, he has worked with young people and parents through coaching, courses, and workshops, helping thousands of students approach education and career decisions with greater clarity.

Over the last twelve years as a youth career guide, Jay has developed the Job of Interest Reality Check™ and the Job Research Blueprint®. He uses these tools to help students investigate jobs of interest, evaluate fit, and identify a more informed educational direction.

What Students Say After the Workshop

For a long time, I dreaded researching jobs because I always seemed to get vague information. Now I can gather all the exact information I’m looking for quickly and easily... and I’ve used it for many careers.


Student workshop participant

The biggest takeaway was gaining the ability to gather good, relevant information on a potential career path quickly using AI. 





Student workshop participant

It strengthened my interest in some aspects, but also brought up a couple of problems I might have if I pursue this career.


Student workshop participant

The way Jay helped us learn how to research careers was game-changing for me.




Student workshop participant

MEET YOUR WORKSHOP FACILITATOR

Career-Guidance Expertise Brought

Directly to Your Students

Jay DuSold is a youth career-guidance specialist and the founder of Life After 12th. For more than 30 years, he has worked with young people and parents through coaching, courses, and workshops, helping thousands of students approach education and career decisions with greater clarity.

Over the last twelve years as a youth career guidance, Jay has developed the Job of Interest Reality Check™ and the Job Research Blueprint®. He uses these creations to help students investigate jobs of interest, evaluate fit, and identify a more informed educational direction.

What Students Say After the Workshop

For a long time, I dreaded researching jobs/careers/majors for college because I always seemed to get vague information. Now I can gather all the exact information I’m looking for quickly and easily... and I’ve used it for many careers.


Student workshop participant

The biggest takeaway was gaining the ability to gather good, relevant information on a potential career path quickly using AI. Also, the importance of informational interviews and where to find them.


Student workshop participant

It strengthened my interest in some aspects, but also brought up a couple of problems I might have if I pursue this career.


Student workshop participant

The way Jay helped us learn how to research careers was game-changing for me.


Student workshop participant

THE WORKSHOP

A fully facilitated student workshop configured for your district.

Configured for

your district

District-provided CTE pathway and course information is used to identify potential alignment with each student’s career findings.

Facilitated from start

to finish

Students are guided through Determine, Discover, Discern, and Decide during an interactive workshop experience.

Supported by

structured resources

Each student uses guided research materials to document findings, evaluate fit, and identify an educational direction.

Career curiosity becomes a decision students can explain and an educational direction schools can support.

Schedule a Workshop Exploration Call

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a career assessment?

JOIRC™ does not assess a student’s personality, interests, strengths, or innate design, but it does work in conjunction with any current assessments a district may use. The workshop teaches students how to investigate one specific job to learn the role details, career viability, and prep path, and to reflect on the realities they discover. 

Does it determine whether a job matches a student?

JOIRC™ does not produce a match score, recommend a career, or determine whether a student is suited for a job. Its purpose is to help students gather essential job intelligence, consider what that information means for them, and make their own informed next decision. Students may recognize signs of possible fit or concern through the process, but Reality Check is fundamentally a job-investigation and reflection experience.

Does it replace existing career services?

JOIRC™ complements the work of school counselors, CTE teachers, pathway coordinators, and district career-readiness staff. It gives students a structured investigation process, visible work, and shared language that can strengthen subsequent career-guidance conversations.

What do students leave with?

Students leave with a documented Job Profile, a reasoned fit decision, unresolved questions requiring further investigation, and either an aligned CTE pathway or a clearer coursework focus. They also gain a repeatable process they can use whenever they consider another job possibility.

What are the format options?

JOIRC™ can be delivered as an in-person, focused workshop or as a multi-session cohort experience. The most appropriate format depends on the number of students, available schedule, desired depth, and the institution’s objectives. The recommended format will be discussed during the Campus Consultation.

How long is the workshop?

JOIRC™ can be customized depending on the format. The minimum time required is ninety minutes for a single-day workshop. The recommended schedule will be discussed during the Campus Consultation.

What technology is required?

Students need an internet-connected device and access to an AI platform as well as their Google Drive. For an in-person workshop, Jay will need access to the room’s presentation system.Specific technology requirements can be adapted to institutional policies.

What does the workshop cost?

Pricing depends on the delivery format, number of students, schedule, and level of customization. During the Workshop Exploration Call, Jay will learn about the institution’s needs and recommend an appropriate workshop option.

Bring JOIRC™ to Your District

Three straightforward steps move your district from initial exploration to a fully facilitated student experience.

01

Schedule a Consultation

Discuss your students, district goals, current career-guidance needs, and what you want the workshop to accomplish.

02

Confirm the Details

Establish the student audience, timing, logistics, and district-provided CTE pathway and course information.

03

Secure the Date

Choose a date for your workshop, sign the agreement, and submit the required deposit.

Schedule Your Workshop Exploration Call Here

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