Student Cost & Career Planner - Free Career Match

Interactive tool to explore career, college, and financial information for optimal career and college choices - plus bonus: impact of AI in the coming decade for each career

Choose Career

Pick a career to explore (there are 1,000+ total).
Optional: Filter by RIASEC. Enter your top 2–3 scores and check Use Personality Filter.
Optional: Filter by length of additional training.
Use the drop-down to see careers that match your filters.
Not sure? Leave filters off to browse all 1,000+ careers.

Filter options (RIASEC, 4+ years, etc.)

Personality filter

Use Personality Filter

Top RIASEC

#2 RIASEC

#3 RIASEC (optional)

School length

4+ years school2 years or less

Top RIASEC #1 Top RIASEC #2 Top RIASEC #3 (optional)

Career

Starting salary is 25th percentile of chosen career.

⭐ Impact of AI in next decade

Student & Program

Student Name Institution Program / Major

Most careers have more than one major suitable to prepare you. Not every school offers every major. To find the major for the career chosen above, either do a web search, or open College Navigator (below), click on Browse Programs, then pick a keyword that fits your chosen career. This will identify schools that offer training in that major. Enter that major in the “Program/Major” box above so you’ll remember which major you used to find the cost information you’ll enter in the “Annual Costs” section (below).

Open College Navigator

Find all numbers for Annual Costs section at this site

Annual Costs (from College Navigator)

Tuition & Fees Books & Supplies Food & Housing Other Expenses Transportation Personal / Misc

Annual Awards

(visit your chosen school’s website for published award information)

Scholarships (annual) Grants (annual)

Savings & Income

College Savings (includes 529 plans)

Hours/Week (school year) Hourly Wage (school year)

Summer Weeks Summer Hours/Week Summer Hourly Wage

Tithe 10% of gross work income

7.65% FICA automatically deducted

School year assumes ≈32 working weeks.

Loan & Program

APR (%) Term (years)

Accrue interest during school + grace Use grace period (6 months)

Savings are applied first each year before borrowing; loans are assumed disbursed at the start of each academic year.

Years of Study

# years at ICC (0–2) Peoria Promise eligible

ICC annual cost assumed $9,000; if Peoria Promise is checked, ICC cost = $4,200.

After Graduation

Starting Salary (national average - modify for local or company variation) Monthly Living Costs (modest estimate - modify for your own personal circumstances)

Results

Annual Cost of 4 yr school

Annual Awards

Annual Work Income (net after FICA + tithe)

Annual deficit or surplus

Total Debt at start of repaying loans

Monthly Loan Payment

Loan Payment as % of Take‑Home

Take‑home ≈ 70% of gross / 12

Monthly amount left after paying Living Expenses and Loan Payment