# Module 5 — Test-Drive the Work

> **App quest:** 🧪 Do a Forage Job Simulation
> **Time:** 1–6 hours (one simulation) · **Worksheet:** Career Scout Sheet (update it)

## The big idea

Reading about a job is one thing. *Doing* the actual tasks is another. Job simulations let you sit in the chair for an afternoon and find out whether the work itself feels good in your hands.

## Why it matters

Plenty of people love the idea of a field but dislike the actual tasks — the spreadsheets, the debugging, the documentation, the repetition. A simulation surfaces that *before* you enroll. It's the closest thing to a free trial of a career.

## Do this in the app

1. In your career world, open **🧪 Do a Forage Job Simulation**.
2. Go to **[Forage](https://www.theforage.com/simulations)** — it's free. Over 200 real companies (JPMorgan, BCG, PwC, Accenture, and more) publish self-paced simulations that mirror their actual entry-level work. Most take 1–6 hours.
3. Pick one that matches your career and complete it. Note what the app suggests for your specific field.

**No simulation for your field?** Trades like electrician, welder, and plumber aren't on Forage. Substitute a hands-on test-drive: a community-college intro class, a maker project, a weekend with a willing professional, or a school shop class.

## While you work, notice

- Did the tasks feel engaging or tedious?
- Were you curious to keep going, or watching the clock?
- Could you imagine doing *this specific kind of work* for years?

## Activity

Complete one simulation (or hands-on substitute). Update your Career Scout Sheet with what the real tasks felt like — this is first-hand data, the most valuable kind.

## Deliverable

A finished simulation and a few sentences on how the actual work felt. Completing this plus the two Module 4 quests earns the **🤝 Field Agent** badge.