Temple College is partnering with the Temple Chamber of Commerce to introduce a new online career tool to the Central Texas region.
LaunchMyCareerTX.org is a free, online tool that provides students information about the likely return on investment for Texas higher education institutions, and specific majors within these institutions, to help individuals make better-informed decisions about their education and career paths. The tool, made possible with support from USA Funds, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Gallup and American Institutes for Research, helps current and prospective students cut through the confusion and find programs of study that can lead to well-paying jobs and a good quality of life.
“LaunchMyCareerTX is the most comprehensive, user-friendly tool of its type,” said Rod Henry, president and CEO of the Temple Chamber of Commerce.
LaunchMyCareerTX will assist users in determining the right college program for them by sharing information on employment opportunities, potential earning, and other outcomes of past graduates. Unique to the tool is its focus on well-being data, highlighting personal and job satisfaction for graduates from different majors and fields of study.
Other key features include a lifestyle goal calculator, showing the number of years it will take for the salary from a particular occupation to meet a user’s lifestyle goals; and a “break-even calculator” that demonstrates the number of years it will take for earnings to exceed the total cost of a particular degree. Additionally, the specific design of the tool communicates what hot jobs are available and what pathways and skills lead to employment.
Texas is the third state to offer the new college comparison tool, following Colorado and Tennessee. LaunchMyCareerTX is the largest of the three sites, allowing users to access information on 109 Texas institutions, compared to 35 in Colorado and 22 in Tennessee. The Texas tool has more than 3,200 institution combinations and majors, which are necessary for generating its groundbreaking economic and non-economic return projections.
The Temple Chamber, working collaboratively with Temple College, received a grant from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to promote the website in Central Texas. The two organizations will work with the Central Texas P-20 Regional Council to get the tool into the hands of users. The Central Texas P-20 Regional Council serves five colleges, 12 counties, and 41 independent school districts comprised of 116,131 students with the main objective of connecting students to college and career readiness opportunities that lead to better employment destinations.
“The LaunchMyCareerTX tool has great potential for students at all levels who are trying to decide how to get into or back into the workforce, what education or training is involved, where they might get training, and the return on the investment the students are making in this worthwhile pursuit,” said Dr. Daniel Spencer, associate vice president of academic outreach and extended programs at Temple College. “Recent questioning about the rising costs of education versus the direct returns on the educational investment will make this a valuable tool for learners, counselors and educators alike. I applaud the Temple Chamber of Commerce for pursuing this grant opportunity and providing the Central Texas community a first chance at putting LaunchMyCareerTX in the hands of potential users.”