How do I choose the best entry-level career?

Nearly everyone has struggled to figure out what career interests them and whether they can actually land a job. Here's the simple formula you can use:

1. Identify

Look at all your different entry-level career options to compare them side by side. When doing this, it's important to figure out which careers are actually entry-level and in-demand so you're not wasting your time choosing a career path you won't be able to break into.

At CourseCareers, we only teach entry-level careers that don't require a degree or previous experience. You can see all of them on our home page.

Once you know your different options, you then want to learn about what the career actually involves and see if it's a good fit based on your interests and career goals, such as pay, remote work, career progression, difficulty, time to land your first job, etc.

We have free introduction courses for all of our careers, which will teach you everything you need to know about the career before you decide to pursue it.

2. Learn

Once you've chosen a career, you then want your education to match the job description of entry-level positions, which will make you more qualified than other candidates. This is how you'll break in and land your first job without previous experience or a degree.

To do this, you can go on job boards such as Indeed or LinkedIn and read 10-20 different job postings for the position, then identify the most common requirements that employers look for in terms of skills and knowledge. Once you know what you need to learn, you can then use online education to learn everything you need to know.

At CourseCareers, we build our courses around what employers ask for in entry-level job postings.

Our courses are built for people starting from scratch and teach the skills entry-level employers ask for. They also include valuable support around creating a LinkedIn profile and resume, applying for companies, common interview questions, interview practice, and much more. You can also book optional, paid 1:1 support from a coach who's currently working in the industry, giving you insider information on what employers are looking for and how to break in.

3. Test

Even after you've chosen a career and started learning it, you might realize it's not the right fit for you. The good news is that every CourseCareers course has a 14-day refund period. Within 14 days of purchase, as long as you haven't taken the final exam, you can switch to a different career path at no cost or get a refund (one refund per course).

Once you graduate, you'll be ready to apply for entry-level jobs in your chosen career. We can't guarantee you a job, but once you're in your first role, you'll see firsthand how much you enjoy it and whether it's a career you could see yourself doing long-term.

Our courses cost $499 (or four payments of $150), so if you later decide you want to pursue a different career, you can choose another one to learn with CourseCareers.

Download a free copy of The Lean Career, written by the Founder & CEO of CourseCareers, to learn more about this career decision-making process.