Questions and answers

Career Universe is a free web app that maps more than 10,000 careers in the United States, grouped into 29 sectors and more than 400 fields. Each career has a plain-language day in the life, a pay range, training paths, a 10-year outlook, estimates of how AI and automation may affect it in 5 and 10 years, and ideas you could try now. It is made for anyone figuring out what's next, from high schoolers to career changers. Everything in it is an idea to explore, not a verified fact.

Career Universe is built and run by Tarva, LLC, a small company based in Wyoming. It began as a parent helping a teenager research careers and colleges step by step, and grew into a map for anyone who wants a bigger menu of options than the usual twenty job titles.

Yes. Exploring the map, filtering, opening job and college profiles, and starring careers are free and need no account. Saving a shortlist across devices is also free; it only needs an email address for a one-time sign-in code. There is no paid tier and no advertising, and we don't send marketing email.

Not fully. The careers were written with AI research assistants against a strict schema, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand, by a very small team. Pay and growth figures are anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data, but most are marked approximate because the government groups niche job titles into broader categories. Check anything important with schools, employers, licensing boards and official sources before acting on it.

It's an early version. Features, data and availability may change, and there will be mistakes. We'd rather say so plainly than let a polished screen suggest more certainty than we have. The "approximate" marks on pay and the reason given with every AI estimate are there for the same reason.

We update the data from time to time and fix reported errors. A pass to line up all pay figures with the latest government releases is planned.

Sector, then field, then pay tier, then job. For example: Healthcare & Medicine, then Nursing, then a tier, then Nurse Practitioner. Tiers compare pay within the same field, not across the whole map, so a $70k engineering technician can sit in the lower tier of Engineering while a $70k job elsewhere sits in a higher one.

They are shortcuts for common questions. AI-safe for 5 or 10 years shows careers we rated low risk. Hidden gems shows jobs most people have never heard of. No 4-year degree, Get paid to train, Start today, Working within 2 yrs, Typically $100k+, Training under $15k, Fast-growing, Outdoors and Be your own boss do what they say. You can turn on several at once.

A career our research marked as one most people have never heard of but might enjoy, such as perfusionist, orthotist, Foley artist, wind turbine technician or actuary. It is a judgment made job by job, not a formula, and about a third of the careers on the map carry it. It is a nudge to look closer, not a ranking of quality or pay.

It marks jobs where someone could realistically begin an entry-level version within a few days, with no course, license, certificate or test first: either by being hired and trained on the job, or by starting on their own with under about $500 of gear. Each one shows the youngest age at which that is usually allowed and a concrete first step. Rules vary by state, so check locally.

Jobs where the usual path pays you while you learn: registered apprenticeships, military training, and paid on-the-job training such as police and fire academies or utility lineworker programs. Pay during training is often modest; each job explains the typical route.

Tap the star on any job. As a guest, your stars and filter settings are stored only in your browser on that device. If you want the same shortlist on another device, create a free account with an email code and choose which stars to sync. You can keep using the map as a guest for as long as you like.

Pay (starting, typical, experienced) is anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, roughly the 10th percentile, median and 90th percentile. Growth is the government's 10-year projection where a job matches an official occupation. Most figures were researched and spot-checked rather than pulled live, so most are marked approximate. Treat them as ballparks.

It is our estimate of the chance that AI and robots shrink the number or quality of openings for someone starting that job, over the next 5 years and the next 10. Low means AI is mostly a tool in the job; medium means fewer or different openings, especially at entry level; high means a big drop in openings looks likely.

No. Low means we judged that demand for the job holds steady or grows and that AI is mostly a tool within it. It is an estimate, not a promise. Jobs rated low can still change a lot, and local conditions matter. Read the one-sentence reason on each job and treat the rating as one input alongside pay, training and fit.

Every job was rated against the same written rules: one fixed question, two horizons (5 and 10 years), three levels, and a set of example jobs so "low" meant the same thing in every sector. The 10-year rating is never lower than the 5-year one. Every rating needed a one-sentence reason saying what changes and what stays human. The ratings were written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand.

Tell us. Email privacy@tarvacore.ai with the job title, what you think is wrong and, for AI ratings, the 5- and 10-year ratings you would give and why. People who do a job see things our research can't. We read every report and fix errors we agree with.

No. You can explore the whole map, filter, open every job and college profile, and star careers without an account. Guest stars and settings stay in your browser on that device. An account only adds saving your shortlist across devices.

There is no password. You enter your email address and we send a one-time 6-digit code. The code expires after 10 minutes and stops working once used or after five wrong guesses. Signing in keeps you signed in on that device for up to 30 days. Keep your email secure, because the code controls your account.

Thirteen or older. You choose an age range, 13–17 or 18 and older; we don't ask for a birth date. If you are 13–17 you also confirm that a parent or guardian approved the account. If you are under 13, use the map as a guest with a parent, guardian or teacher.

Your email address, your age range (and for 13–17, your confirmation of a parent's or guardian's approval), the careers in your synced shortlist, when you created the account, and which version of the Terms you accepted. One cookie keeps you signed in. Cloudflare hosts the site and database and Resend delivers the sign-in code. Your email is used only for sign-in codes and account notices.

No ads, no advertising trackers, and we don't sell or rent personal information or send marketing email. The app sends anonymous daily counts, such as how often a career is starred or a search finds nothing, with no cookie, ID, IP address or account attached, to help us fill gaps. If your browser sends Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track, it sends nothing. The Privacy Policy has the details.

Use the account panel in the app (Sign in, then Account). When deletion succeeds, we immediately delete your account record, including your email address and shortlist, and sign you out everywhere. Our database provider's recovery history may hold a copy for up to 30 days; we don't use it to run a deleted account.

Yes, as a guided exploration tool. The writing aims at a 16-to-18-year-old reader, and the "try it now" ideas are chosen to be legal and age-appropriate. Younger students should explore as guests alongside an adult. The map does not give counseling or individual advice; a qualified adviser can help when a student's situation calls for one.

Yes. Students and educators can use the public site on their own, with no accounts, roster or agreement. That use doesn't make Career Universe a school records provider. If a school ever wanted accounts, dashboards or student records, that would need a separate privacy review and agreement first.

One idea for 20 minutes: three minutes on the sectors and tiers, five on the quick filters, seven reading one job closely (the day in the life, "Will it last?" and "Start now, in high school"), and five starring a handful of jobs and picking one thing to try this month.

We wouldn't choose or rule out a career on its rating alone. Fit comes first; then read the 10-year rating and, more importantly, the one-sentence reason saying what changes and what stays human. A high rating is a reason to look closer and talk to people in the job, not a verdict.

Email privacy@tarvacore.ai for corrections to career or school information, privacy questions, account requests, or concerns about the Terms. Include the job or school name and what you believe is wrong.

Yes. Parts were written with students in mind, so you can skip "Start now, in high school". Everything else applies: the day in the life, pay range, training paths and cost, time to start, and the AI estimate with its reason. Filters like Get paid to train, No 4-year degree and AI-safe for 10 yrs are especially useful when changing careers.

Start with two public services. File for unemployment insurance in the state where you worked; the US Department of Labor explains how. Then find your nearest American Job Center through CareerOneStop; they help with job search, training and benefits questions at no cost. Career Universe is a map, not a counseling service.

Sometimes. Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), American Job Centers can fund approved training for eligible adults and laid-off workers. Registered apprenticeships pay a wage while you train; Apprenticeship.gov lists openings. Ask your job center what you might qualify for. We can't promise funding or outcomes.