# Module 1 — Why Most People Pick Wrong

> **XP unlocked in the app:** none yet — this module sets up the mission.
> **Time:** 45–60 min · **Worksheet:** Reflection (below)

## The big idea

Most people choose a major or career the same way: a parent's suggestion, a favorite class, a TV show, or whatever their friends are doing. Then reality arrives — and it's expensive to change course.

The facts back this up:

- About **one-third of bachelor's students change their major** at least once. ([NCES](https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018434/index.asp))
- Only about **64% finish a bachelor's within six years** — not four. ([NCES](https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=40))
- Average private-college tuition is around **$45,000 per year**, and Americans owe **$1.84 trillion** in student debt. ([College Board](https://research.collegeboard.org/trends/college-pricing/highlights), [Federal Reserve](https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/))

A wrong guess isn't just a bad grade. It can be an extra year of tuition, a pile of debt for a field you leave, or a decade in a job you never test-drove.

## Why it matters

You wouldn't buy a car without a test drive or sight-unseen. Yet most people commit four years and a six-figure cost to a career they've never actually experienced. This course fixes that. The goal isn't to avoid college — for most people a degree pays off well — it's to choose your path **on purpose**.

## The CareerQuest method

Three moves, repeated for any career you're curious about:

1. **Scout the world** — what is the job really like, day to day?
2. **Meet the locals** — talk to people who already do it.
3. **Follow the money** — what does the path cost, and what does it pay?

Then deliver a **verdict**: pursue, maybe, or pass.

## Activity

Open the app (`/app`) and just look at the eight career worlds. Don't pick yet. Notice your gut reactions.

## Reflection worksheet

Answer honestly in a notebook or doc:

1. How did you *think* you were supposed to choose a career until now?
2. Name one career you assume you'd like. What's that assumption based on — real experience, or a guess?
3. What would it cost you (time, money, stress) to find out you chose wrong *after* enrolling?
4. Finish this sentence: "By the end of this course, I want to be able to confidently say…"

## Deliverable

A short written reflection (the four answers above). This is your baseline — you'll revisit it in Module 8.