As counselors/practitioners, we set out to develop a program that addressed individual differences, and in the process, we created a system. We studied the labor market structure intensely and discovered that most available programs simply restate occupational data generated by the government. They offer broad overviews of industry and occupational groupings. However, they neither hone in on actual jobs and accompanying specific information, nor do they facilitate the user in his/her personal quest to obtain a job. Their focuses are on statistics; our focus is on the individual and the process of integrating his/her needs into a system with unlimited choices.

Cool Choices begins by assessing the individual’s interests, values, educational abilities, work values, salary expectations, educational requirements, and potential industry and labor market options. We have separated occupations into job titles, included job descriptions, and listed specific training programs. We have also incorporated salaries, cost of living expenses, regional offerings, and comparisons. But most importantly, we have integrated individual assessments with all of the job specific information, and connected each user to schools, jobs, and industries. In essence, our system offers users the potential of finding satisfying career paths that they are truly suited for, and offers industries the potential to tap into a viable work force of all ages that is properly trained.