Vocations · Certifications · Career pathways

One credential
at a time,
toward a degree.

Short credentials get you working sooner, and many carry college credit. Lay them out in order to see when each ends, what the ladder costs and how close it gets you to a degree.

Plan my ladderWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Job search kit, $29 for 34 items.

The stackable credentials planner

The worked example uses example programs, prices and wages. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

Vocations · Certifications$5

What you finish with
A dated ladder of credentials with the finish date, total cost and weeks, credits toward your goal and still to earn, and the pay ladder with the yearly value of the raise. It prints as a summary and downloads as a spreadsheet.
Who it is for
Adults and students in career and technical programs who want to work while they climb, and career changers mapping a route to a degree.
Format
Browser planner for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Job search kit ($29) and the Vocations Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Certifications space in Caveat Vocations.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. List the credentials in the order you would earn them.
  2. Type each one’s length in weeks and its cost.
  3. Ask the college how many credits each carries toward its degree.
  4. Add the hourly pay each one leads to from local postings.
  5. Print the ladder and take it to the college’s advising office.

Plan my ladder

How the ladder is counted

Back-to-back dates, running totals and a work year of 2,080 hours.

The worked example: a health care ladder started in January 2027Nursing assistant6 wk$18.00/h+ Phlebotomy10 wk4 credits+ Medical assistant32 wk24 credits= The ladder28 of 60$8,500 in allThe worked example: a health care ladder started in January 2027Nursing assistant6 wk$18.00/h+ Phlebotomy10 wk4 credits+ Medical assistant32 wk24 credits= The ladder28 of 60$8,500 in all
Each credential pays off on its own and adds credits toward the next.

What stacking means

A stackable credential is one of a sequence: each can be earned on its own and leads to a job, and together they build toward a larger credential or a degree. Community colleges often award credit for industry certifications through articulation agreements or credit recommendations.

The numbers

Each step starts the day after the last one ends, so the finish date assumes no gap. Cost and credits are running totals. The pay change is the last pay you typed less your pay now; times 2,080 hours, it becomes a yearly figure before tax.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. Stackable credentials and career pathways (cte.ed.gov).
  2. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act training services (dol.gov/agencies/eta/wioa).
  3. American Council on Education. ACE Learning Evaluations: college credit recommendations for workplace training and certifications (acenet.edu).
  4. U.S. Department of Labor, CareerOneStop. Certification Finder and Salary Finder (careeronestop.org).

The worked example’s programs, prices, credits and wages are examples, not any school’s or employer’s figures. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.