About StartRight

Our Mission

StartRight was created to help individuals, especially young people, make informed career decisions by providing easy access to comprehensive, data-driven career information.

What We Offer

StartRight provides:

  • 300+ Career Profiles: Detailed information on occupations across all industries
  • Degree Search: Explore hundreds of college majors/programs with real graduation, debt, and salary data
  • Real Government Data: Current salary, employment, and growth statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, College Scorecard, and IPEDS
  • Personality Matching: Career recommendations based on Holland Code (RIASEC) personality types from O*NET data
  • Smart Filtering: Search by salary, education, automation risk, work-life balance, accommodations, and more
  • Accommodation Compatibility: Informational tool to help explore careers based on typical accessibility considerations (mobility, vision, hearing, etc.) - meant to assist, not limit your options
  • Career Assessment: Free access to the official O*NET Interest Profiler
  • Comparison Tools: Side-by-side career and degree comparisons to inform your decisions

Our Data Sources

All career and degree information on StartRight comes from authoritative U.S. government sources:

  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): Official employment and wage data from the Occupational Outlook Handbook
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network): Comprehensive occupational data sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor
  • College Scorecard: U.S. Department of Education data on graduate earnings, student debt, and completion rates
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System): National data on degree completions and program size

Why Trust StartRight?

  • Unbiased Information: We present factual data without pushing specific career paths
  • Youth-Focused: Designed specifically for students and young adults exploring their options
  • Free Forever: Career exploration should be accessible to everyone

Important Note

StartRight is an informational tool, not a substitute for professional career counseling. We encourage you to:

  • Speak with school counselors or career advisors
  • Research specific employers and local job markets
  • Gain hands-on experience through internships or job shadowing
  • Continue learning about industries that interest you

Regarding Accommodation Compatibility: Our accommodation filters are informational tools calculated from O*NET work context and abilities data, reflecting typical job requirements. They are meant to assist, not limit, your career exploration. Every workplace is different, and with proper accommodations, people with disabilities succeed in all types of careers. Don't be discouraged from pursuing any role that interests you. Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For personalized guidance, consult with vocational rehabilitation specialists.

Continuous Improvement

We're constantly working to improve StartRight with new features, updated data, and better tools to support your career journey.

If you notice any data issues or have accessibility concerns on the site, please let us know via our contact page. Your feedback helps us make StartRight better and more accessible for everyone.

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