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Your Scenario

This preview is locked to one example path for Automotive Designer. Premium members can change every value below.

New York🔒
Elite Private School🔒
0%🔒
Unlock to Customize — $9.99/mo

What Students Usually Never See

Salary vs Reality

Starting Salary

$65,000

This is the number students see first — before taxes, debt, and rent.

Debt Pressure

Estimated Student Loan

$240,000

School choice creates this number. It follows you into your first working years.

Cost of Living

Annual Living Costs

$56,640

Same job, different city — completely different life. Location changes everything.

The Real Question

Monthly Free Cash

$-3,322/mo

This is the number that changes family decisions. After debt and basic living costs.

Here's What This Path Looks Like — Before You Sign

The full tool lets you compare your actual school, city, and scholarship scenario side by side. Here's a sample of what that looks like.

Automotive Designer
Elite Private · New York · 0% scholarship 		Automotive Designer
State School · Dallas · 25% scholarship 		Automotive Designer
Community + Transfer · Houston · 50% scholarship
Starting Salary $██,███ $██,███ $██,███
After-Tax Income $██,███ $██,███ $██,███
Total Student Loans $███,███ $██,███ $██,███
Annual Loan Payment $██,███ $█,███ $█,███
Annual Living Costs $██,███ $██,███ $██,███
Monthly Free Cash $-3,322/mo
Financial Stress
$█,███/mo $█,███/mo

📊 We want you to find the best path for you. The full version lets you compare real scenarios — different schools, cities, and scholarship amounts — so you can see exactly which choice gives you the strongest financial start.

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What the Full Version Unlocks

  • Real career-specific calculation
  • Different cities and cost-of-living paths
  • Different school cost levels
  • Scholarship / grant impact
  • A clearer view of what life might actually feel like after graduation

Important Costs Not Included Yet

  • Health insurance can vary significantly
  • Transportation may be a major factor depending on city
  • Utilities, phone, internet, and personal spending are not included
  • Childcare, emergency savings, and family obligations are not included

The goal is not fake precision. The goal is to show students the financial pressure points before they commit.

Students Should See This Before They Choose the Debt

Career Compass helps students and families connect careers, salaries, location, and school cost into one clearer decision.

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📊 Salary data sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES). Cost of living estimates based on average market data for single-person households (Salary.com, Numbeo, MIT Living Wage Calculator 2025). Student loan assumptions reflect current federal Direct Loan rates per Federal Student Aid. All figures are estimates intended for planning purposes only.