First Tracks · College, trade & career direction

Everyone has a plan for your life. This is where we figure out yours.

Personal direction for ages 17–30 — whether your next step is college, a trade, or a first career. Figuring out what comes after high school, navigating the post-grad job market, or breaking out of a stalled first job — built around who you actually are, with every path checked against how AI is reshaping it.

And once you're on the right path, we help you climb it.

Book a free intro See what you get ↓

Decades building these brands — and hiring the people who shaped them.

Airwalk·Red Bull·Equinox·CLIF Bar

Why this matters now

The cost of guessing is real. The fix is choosing on purpose.

1 in 2

recent grads work in jobs that don't require their degree — and where you start tends to stick.

89%

of the Class of 2026 fear AI could replace their entry-level role — up from 64% a year earlier.

2×

As desk jobs shrink, trade-school interest has doubled since 2018 — and the jobs are going unfilled.

None of this is a reason to panic. It's a reason to choose on purpose — which is the whole point of what we do. →

How it works

We start with you — then point you somewhere real.

When your next step fits who you are, performance isn't something you grind for — it's a byproduct of fit. So before we recommend anything, we figure out how you're actually wired.

Know yourself

A science-backed assessment stack — interests, personality, and a passion questionnaire — turned into plain language about who you are.

Map your options

Specific paths matched to your wiring — college majors, trades, careers, or starting something of your own — each with real numbers and an honest read on fit.

Know the AI shift

For every path, what AI is doing to it and how to land on the right side of the change. Almost nobody does this part.

Make the move

A 1-on-1 strategy session and your personal Trail Map — a step-by-step plan you keep and come back to as things change.

The map is where it starts. What comes after is how you climb →

What you get

Your Trail Map.

Not a quiz result or a generic report. A personalized strategy document, written for you — and built to read on your phone.

Your profile, in plain language
How you're wired, where you thrive, and the through-line connecting what you love to what you're good at.
Specific paths — not “business”
A top pick plus options you'd never have considered, each with salary ranges and what it takes.
The AI read on every path
What's protected, what's shifting, and the tools to learn now so AI becomes your advantage.
A roadmap you'll actually use
Week-by-week or semester-by-semester next steps — and a living document we update as you grow.

Illustrative — your real map is built from your results

Your profile — Holland Code

Artistic24/32

Social22/32

Investigative18/32

★ Top pick

Human-Centered Design

Creative, analytical, and people-first all at once.

Low AI risk · built on human judgment

What it costs. Your Trail Map starts at $299 — see each starting point below for its price. Every engagement begins with a free intro call, so you see how we think before anything else happens.

After your Trail Map

The right path is just the start. We help you climb it.

The Trail Map points the way. The climb is the part most people get wrong alone — so the relationship keeps going, on your terms. Take one, take all three, or come back for them over the years.

Guide Sessions

Coaching & accountability

A coach in your corner between the big moments — real goals, pointed toward the right role, and someone holding you to them. Committing to a coach sticks better than committing to yourself. Month-to-month, cancel anytime; or a 3-session pack.

From $99/mo

First Ascent

Winning your first 90 days

The first 90 days in a new role set your ceiling — first job or fifth. Most people wing them. We build the plan to win them: reading the ladder, the conversations that matter, and getting noticed for the right reasons.

$199–$299

The Re-Map

When the ground shifts

Real experience changes what you know about yourself. Maybe the passion's evolved — or maybe it's the company culture, not the work. The Re-Map tells which, and sets a fresh plan from there.

$149–$199

Who it's for

Wherever you are on the climb.

First Tracks meets you where you are — three starting points, each built for a different moment.

Ages 17–19

The First Mile

HS senior · college freshman

The biggest decision with the least experience to inform it. College, trade, gap year, or work — we figure out the right first step, together.

Trail Map · $299

Then: Decision Season coaching through senior year.

Ages 20–24

The Overlook

College senior · recent grad

Degree in hand, facing a job market reshaped by AI. We turn a major into a direction and a direction into a plan.

Trail Map · $399

Then: First Ascent — win your first 90 days on the job.

Ages 23–30

The Switchback

Course correction

Already in the workforce and it's not fitting — whether you went to college or straight to work. We find the path that does, and map the move without starting over.

Trail Map · $449

Then: ongoing Guide Sessions, or step up into advancement coaching.

Over 30 and rethinking your direction? That's Second Summit — deeper work for a higher-stakes moment, by request and referral. Reach out →

Why it's different

Not the usual career coaching.

Passion-first, not process-first

Most coaches start with your résumé. We start with who you are — the thing that makes the rest actually work.

The AI question, answered

A clear read on how AI affects every path we recommend — the most urgent career question right now, built into the core of the work.

College isn't the default

College, trade, apprenticeship, gap year, straight into work, or building something of your own — we recommend what fits you, not what's assumed. Wired to be a founder? We'll spot it — and point you to what's next.

We coach the climb, not just the map

Most coaching ends at “here's your direction.” We keep going — how to win your first 90 days, read the path to advancement, and have the conversations that get you noticed. The part nobody teaches.

Accountability that actually moves you

A goal you commit to a coach beats one you keep to yourself. It's why a serious athlete has a trainer, not just good intentions — same idea, pointed at your career.

1-on-1, not a course

A real strategy session and a document written for you, by name. Not a cohort, not a template, not a video library.

See the work first

Every engagement starts with a free conversation. You see how we think before anything else happens.

35 years, not a certificate

Built on decades of hiring, coaching, and watching careers take off or stall at brands like Red Bull, CLIF Bar, and Equinox.

For parents

The data says fit beats salary.

Pushing a kid toward the highest-paying path can produce a worse life than helping them find work that fits who they are.

Decades of research on happiness and careers point the same direction: purpose, fit, and the quality of your days predict life satisfaction far better than income alone. First Tracks isn't about talking your kid out of a good living — it's about making sure the path they pour years into is one they're actually built for. The most expensive mistake isn't the first job. It's the wrong major, the wrong four years, the wrong start.