PathIQby CanonIQ
Path Map v1Beta

Clarity

First spark

Organized Executor

You bring order and follow-through. You may grow into coordination, operations, or program work.

Your map changes as you react. Nothing here is a verdict.

Reusable skills you carry

What you already bring — grouped to show how it travels across paths.

People skills

communicationleadership

Systems skills

planning

Communication skills

communicationwriting

Execution skills

planning

Work worlds worth exploring

React to each card. Your reactions shape your next map.

Education & youth development

Helping people learn and grow. Lots of energy, lots of impact.

If you energize when helping people learn or grow, this family has many on-ramps.

Reactions stay on your device and shape your next map. 0/3 details opened today.

Public service & community work

Civic work — your effort feeds your community.

A path for people who want their work to be civic, not just personal.

Reactions stay on your device and shape your next map. 0/3 details opened today.

Operations & project coordination

Making messy things run smoothly. Lives in every industry.

If you like making things run, this family lives across almost every industry.

Reactions stay on your device and shape your next map. 0/3 details opened today.

Technology support & product operations

A friendlier door into tech — closer to people than pure code.

A friendly door into tech — closer to people than pure engineering.

Reactions stay on your device and shape your next map. 0/3 details opened today.

Media, communications & storytelling

Making meaning. Words, video, sound, audience.

If you like making meaning out of ideas, this family ranges from local to global.

Reactions stay on your device and shape your next map. 0/3 details opened today.

Design, experience & creative production

How things look, feel, and flow. Taste matters.

If you care how things look, feel, and flow, this family rewards taste and craft.

Reactions stay on your device and shape your next map. 0/3 details opened today.

Paths to explore

Strong starts, stretches, and a few to try with eyes open.

Strong starting paths

  • Explore education & youth development

    If you energize when helping people learn or grow, this family has many on-ramps.

    Next: Volunteer one session at a tutoring or youth program.

  • Explore public service & community work

    A path for people who want their work to be civic, not just personal.

    Next: Attend a local board / council meeting and take notes.

  • Explore operations & project coordination

    If you like making things run, this family lives across almost every industry.

    Next: Take one messy process in your life and document it in 1 page.

Stretch paths

  • Stretch into technology support & product operations

    Builds new muscles — adjacent to your current strengths.

    Next: Solve a real tech annoyance for a friend or local org this week.

  • Stretch into media, communications & storytelling

    Builds new muscles — adjacent to your current strengths.

    Next: Publish 4 short pieces (video, post, article) over 30 days.

Try with eyes open

  • Long credential paths — explore carefully

    Some paths (medicine, law, advanced research) need years and money. Worth exploring, but test interest before committing.

    Next: Talk to 2 people 3–5 years into one of these paths.

Skills to grow

A few skills that would expand your options.

spreadsheets and simple data
basic project planning
navigating ambiguity
giving and receiving feedback

30-day action plan

One week at a time. Concrete steps, exact searches, and a fallback if you feel stuck.

Week 1 · Orient

Do these 3 things

  • Search: "paraprofessional certification cost" and skim the top 5 results.
  • Watch 2 short videos comparing education & youth development and public service & community work.
  • Find 3 real job descriptions in education & youth development and copy repeated skills into a note.

Search terms to try

Example to look for
Job titles you see more than once across postings — those are real entry points.
Reflection question
Which of these jobs sounds tolerable on an average Tuesday — not perfect, just tolerable?
If you feel stuck
Skip the videos. Just open 3 job postings and read them like a story.
Low-pressure next step
Save one job posting that sounds least bad. That's enough for week 1.

Week 2 · Explore

Do these 3 things

  • Search YouTube / TikTok: "day in the life education".
  • On LinkedIn, search for one job title from week 1 and read 5 real profiles.
  • Pick the 3 words that show up in almost every profile — those are your vocabulary now.

Search terms to try

Example to look for
Repeating words in profiles (e.g. "stakeholder," "intake," "ticket," "kanban"). These are the language of the path.
Reflection question
Which words felt energizing? Which felt draining?
If you feel stuck
Just look at one person's profile and read their first job description.
Low-pressure next step
Write down 3 words from this week you'd want on your future resume.

Week 3 · Test

Do these 3 things

  • Volunteer one session at a tutoring or youth program.
  • Message 1 person on LinkedIn: "What does your job actually look like day to day?" (no ask, just curiosity).
  • Spend 30 minutes on a free beginner tutorial or project related to education & youth development.

Search terms to try

Example to look for
Anything that mildly surprises you — that's signal, not noise.
Reflection question
After trying it, did you want to keep going for 10 more minutes or close the tab?
If you feel stuck
Send the LinkedIn message anyway. Most people don't reply. That's fine. The act of writing it teaches you something.
Low-pressure next step
Write 3 sentences: "This week I tried ___. I noticed ___. I'd try ___ next."

Week 4 · Act

Do these 3 things

  • Pick ONE path to explore for the next 30 days — not forever, just next.
  • Decide one thing that would make you say "yes, keep going" and one thing that would make you say "try something else."
  • Schedule one small action for next Monday (15 minutes, on your calendar).

Search terms to try

Example to look for
A small, repeatable next step — not a 4-year plan.
Reflection question
What would the 'try it for 30 more days' version of this look like?
If you feel stuck
Don't pick. Just keep doing week 3 for another 2 weeks. Progress, not commitment.
Low-pressure next step
Put 15 minutes on your calendar for next Monday. That's the whole assignment.

If you feel lost, start here

You don't need to choose your whole future today. Pick one row. That's enough.

Easiest first step
Pick one path from the map — even with low confidence — and open 3 job postings for it.
Lowest-cost first step
Read for 20 minutes. No course, no purchase, no signup.
Fastest confidence-building step
Find one person on LinkedIn with this work and read their bio. You'll feel less alone immediately.
One thing to search today
entry level education & youth development no experience
One person to ask
Anyone — friend, neighbor, manager — "What does your job actually look like on a normal day?"
One tiny project to try
Volunteer one session at a tutoring or youth program.
Don't worry about yet
Your resume, your major, your "5-year plan," and whether you're "behind."

Search terms to try

Copy and paste — no guarantees, just better starting points than "career ideas."

Path cluster

Education & youth development

High people-facingEmotionally demanding

Google

YouTube / TikTok

LinkedIn

Job titles

Local resources

Beginner projects

Examples (not guarantees)

Job titles
Tutor · Teaching aide · After-school program staff
Role examples (CareerGraph)
Paraprofessional · Tutor · Youth Program Coordinator
First projects
Volunteer one tutoring session · Design a 30-minute lesson on something you know
Org types
After-school programs · Public schools · Youth nonprofits
Learning to search for
AmeriCorps positions · Paraprofessional credential prep
Portfolio artifacts
1 lesson plan · A short reflection from a tutoring session
People to talk to
A first-year teacher · An after-school program coordinator
Beginner next steps (CareerGraph)
Tutor 1 student for free for 3 sessions; collect feedback · Plan one 3-hour youth activity, soup-to-nuts

More search terms (CareerGraph)

Path cluster

Public service & community work

Structured collaborationSome client/customer interaction

Google

YouTube / TikTok

LinkedIn

Job titles

Local resources

Beginner projects

Examples (not guarantees)

Job titles
Case manager · City fellow · Outreach coordinator
Role examples (CareerGraph)
Case Manager · Grant Writer · Community Organizer · Junior City Analyst
First projects
Attend one city council meeting and take notes · Summarize one local policy in 1 page
Org types
City government · Community nonprofits · Public agencies
Learning to search for
AmeriCorps · City / state fellowship programs
Portfolio artifacts
1 policy summary · A meeting notes write-up
People to talk to
A city fellow · A nonprofit program associate
Beginner next steps (CareerGraph)
Run 10 listening 1:1s on a local issue and write a 1-pager · Map one public dataset for your city onto a 1-page memo

More search terms (CareerGraph)

Path cluster

Operations & project coordination

Structured collaborationTeam-based but not customer-facing

Google

YouTube / TikTok

LinkedIn

Job titles

Local resources

Beginner projects

Examples (not guarantees)

Job titles
Operations associate · Project coordinator · Business operations analyst
Role examples (CareerGraph)
Operations Associate · Project Coordinator · Executive Assistant · HR Coordinator
First projects
Document a messy process in 1 page · Build a tracker in Google Sheets for a club or team
Org types
Small nonprofits · Logistics companies · SaaS startups
Learning to search for
Google Project Management certificate · Free Asana / Notion fundamentals course
Portfolio artifacts
A before/after process map · A simple SOP doc you wrote
People to talk to
Someone in ops at a small company · A program manager at a nonprofit
Beginner next steps (CareerGraph)
Turn a chaotic onboarding checklist into a clean doc · Automate one repetitive task with Zapier free tier · Coordinate a small volunteer event end-to-end

More search terms (CareerGraph)

Coming next

Turn your map into specific next steps. Specific search terms, examples, resources, and a 30-day guided plan built from your map.

Free Path Map

Understand your direction.

You're using this right now.

PathIQ Guided Mode

For when you feel lost and need more structure.

Exact search terms, beginner-friendly explanations, examples, checklists, path comparison, low-pressure experiments, and confidence-building steps.

Try this next

Small, low-risk experiments. Pick one.

📺Watch one day-in-the-life video
💬Ask someone one question about their work
🛠️Try a 30-minute mini project
📍Search one local program
🔎Look up one entry-level role
🔖Save one path to revisit later

Next in the staircase

When you have a direction and want to act on it.

Positioned owns job comparison, fit against specific roles, resume / LinkedIn / cover letter packaging, and opportunity strategy. PathIQ stays focused on pathfinding.

  • Compare roles side by side
  • Package your story for specific opportunities
Continue with Positioned
PathIQ is for exploration, not prediction. Your map changes as you react. It does not decide your career or measure your worth. Trailheads, not boxes. Nothing here is final — you are allowed to change your mind.