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Career Pathway Navigator

Learning Objective

Students evaluate different career pathways in additive manufacturing and recommend the most appropriate pathway based on personal goals (immediate employment, college degree, certification, apprenticeship).

  • Bloom Level: Evaluate (L5)
  • Bloom Verb: Recommend
  • Library: p5.js

Preview

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Specification

The full specification below is extracted from Chapter 16: Digital Workflows, Careers, Articulation, and the Capstone Project.

Type: diagram
**sim-id:** am-career-pathways<br/>
**Library:** p5.js<br/>
**Status:** Specified

Bloom Level: Evaluate (L5)
Bloom Verb: Recommend
Learning Objective: Students evaluate different career pathways in additive manufacturing and recommend the most appropriate pathway based on personal goals (immediate employment, college degree, certification, apprenticeship).

Visual layout:
- Central node: "High School AM Course Completion"
- Four branching pathways radiating outward:
  1. Direct Employment (→ Entry-level AM Operator → Senior Technician → Process Engineer)
  2. Community College Articulation (→ AAS Degree → Manufacturing Engineer)
  3. Certification Track (→ NC3/NIMS Certification → Industry Credential → Specialized Roles)
  4. Apprenticeship (→ Registered Apprenticeship → Journeyperson → Lead Technician)
- Each pathway node shows: role title, typical salary range, education required, and time to reach milestone

Interactive elements:
- Click any node: Expand info panel with role description, typical employers, key skills, and links to relevant certification bodies or programs
- "Filter by Goal" buttons: "Fastest to Income", "Highest Long-Term Earnings", "Best for College Prep", "Hands-On Learning" — highlights the most relevant pathway(s) for each goal
- Hover any arrow between nodes: tooltip shows the transition requirements ("needs: 2-year degree or equivalent certification")
- "Salary Range Chart" button: opens a bar chart comparing typical salary ranges at each role tier across all four pathways

Color coding:
- Blue: academic/degree pathway
- Green: certification pathway
- Orange: employment pathway
- Purple: apprenticeship pathway

Canvas: 700×420px diagram + 200px right info panel
Responsive: collapses to vertical layout on narrow screens.