Career navigation is rarely – if ever – a linear journey. It involves actions that enable progress toward career success. Improving career navigation for workers and learners presents a compelling opportunity to tangibly address one of many structural barriers that perpetuate occupational segregation.

We met with workers in Wichita, Boston, San Francisco, Birmingham, Milwaukee, and Chicago to better understand the reality of people’s career journeys. Everyone had a different story to tell; the challenges faced, and opportunities presented were all unique. But when we look at them in the whole, we can see the path forward.

How might we rethink our assumptions for the work we do? How do we shift the career navigation narrative in our field? What will it take to fully recognize the necessity of making systemic change to address occupational segregation, while simultaneously addressing job quality? Our work does not stop here, it is only just beginning.

Explore the Career Navigation Journey Maps and hear directly from workers on how they have navigated their career journeys below.