Build Momentum in Your Early Career With Confidence
CareerPhases is a career intelligence and income management platform for early-career professionals. We help you benchmark your salary, plan debt payoff, map promotion paths, and build budgets that adapt to your first career years.
- Compare your salary against BLS market data by role and metro area
- Model student loan and credit card payoff strategies with timeline projections
- View promotion paths and skill requirements from O*NET occupational data
- Track financial health metrics and build budgets for career starter scenarios
Career Starter Dashboard: Salary $68k (Market: $72k) • Debt Payoff 3.2yr • Next Role: Senior Analyst
Screenshot coming soon
Tools and Insights for Your First 3 Career Years
CareerPhases provides early-career planning tools powered by government labor and economic data.
Salary Benchmarking
Compare your compensation against BLS data for your role and metro area.
Debt Strategy Planning
Model student loan and credit card payoff strategies with timeline projections.
Promotion Roadmap
View typical promotion paths and skill requirements from O*NET occupational data.
Financial Health Score
Track financial metrics across debt-to-income, savings rate, and emergency fund coverage.
Your First Years Set the Trajectory
The financial and career decisions you make in your first 3 years can compound over decades. CareerPhases helps you explore salary benchmarks, debt payoff strategies, and promotion paths so you can make informed decisions early.
- Salary benchmarking helps you understand where your compensation falls relative to BLS market data.
- Debt modeling tools show how different payoff strategies affect your timeline and interest paid.
- Promotion path data from O*NET shows typical skill requirements and career progressions for your field.
- Financial health tracking helps you monitor progress toward emergency fund and savings goals.
Core Capabilities for Early-Career Planning
CareerPhases provides career intelligence and income management tools designed for professionals in their first 3 years. Explore salary data, model debt strategies, and plan your next career move.
Salary Benchmarking
View how your salary compares to BLS data for your role, metro area, and experience level. Salary data is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. Market comparisons are informational tools to help you research compensation ranges.
Debt Strategy Planning
Model avalanche (highest interest first), snowball (smallest balance first), or hybrid payoff strategies. See projected timelines and interest calculations based on your inputs. Debt modeling is an educational tool to help you compare different approaches. Consult a financial advisor for personalized advice.
Promotion Roadmap
View typical promotion paths from your current role to senior positions in your field. Skill requirements and career progressions are sourced from O*NET occupational data. Career path information is general guidance based on industry patterns. Individual experiences vary.
Financial Health Score
Track your progress across key metrics: debt-to-income ratio, emergency fund coverage, savings rate, and net worth trends. Your financial health score is a self-assessment tool to help you monitor progress toward your own goals. Scores are based on the data you provide.
Budget Templates
Pre-built budget templates designed for early-career scenarios: Aggressive Debt Payoff, Balanced Growth, Emergency Fund Sprint, and Side Hustle Booster. Templates are starting points you can customize. Track spending categories and adjust allocations as your priorities change.
CareerPhases AI Coach
Ask CareerPhases AI Coach questions about your career and financial planning. Get AI-generated scenario modeling based on your data and industry benchmarks. AI coaching provides educational guidance and conversation support. It does not replace professional financial or career advice.
How Career Starters Use CareerPhases
Example scenarios showing how early-career professionals use CareerPhases tools. Individual results vary based on circumstances, effort, and market conditions.
Researching Salary Benchmarks
A junior developer wanted to understand how their $60k salary compared to market rates for their role and metro area. They had no baseline data to evaluate their compensation.
Using CareerPhases, they accessed BLS salary data for their role, experience level, and location. The benchmarking tool showed P25, P50, and P75 salary ranges. They used this data to research market rates and prepare for a compensation discussion.
With market data in hand, they felt more informed going into salary conversations. The tool helped them understand where their compensation fell relative to industry benchmarks.
Modeling Debt Payoff Strategies
A marketing coordinator with $35k in student loans and $8k credit card debt wanted to compare different payoff approaches. They were paying minimums and didn't have a clear strategy.
CareerPhases modeled three approaches: avalanche (highest interest first), snowball (smallest balance first), and hybrid. Each strategy showed projected timelines and interest calculations based on their inputs.
The modeling tools helped them visualize different scenarios and make an informed decision about their payoff approach. They chose a strategy that aligned with their financial goals and risk tolerance.
Exploring Promotion Paths
A business analyst wanted to understand typical career progressions in their field. They weren't sure what skills or experience were commonly required for senior roles.
CareerPhases provided O*NET occupational data showing typical promotion paths from Business Analyst to Senior Analyst. The tool displayed common skill requirements, salary ranges, and career progression patterns for their industry.
With clearer visibility into career path data, they could identify skill gaps and research relevant learning opportunities. The information helped them have more informed conversations with their manager about development goals.
What Users Say About CareerPhases
"The salary benchmarking tool helped me understand where my compensation fell relative to BLS market data. Having that information made me feel more confident researching my options."
"The debt payoff calculator let me model different strategies and see projected timelines. It helped me choose an approach that made sense for my situation."
"The promotion path data from O*NET helped me understand what skills are typically required for senior roles. It gave me a clearer picture of what to focus on."
Your Career Starter Timeline
A general framework for planning your first 3 years. Individual timelines vary based on your situation, industry, and goals.
Year 1: Establish Your Foundation
Focus areas typically include: building an initial emergency fund, understanding your compensation relative to market data, and tracking your spending patterns. Use CareerPhases to benchmark your salary against BLS data for your role and location. Start monitoring your debt-to-income ratio and identify spending categories where you may want to adjust. Document your work achievements for future reference.
Year 1-2: Build Financial Stability
Common goals include: working on high-interest debt payoff, growing your emergency fund, and beginning retirement contributions. Use CareerPhases to model different debt payoff strategies and see projected timelines. Review promotion paths for your field using O*NET data. Identify skill gaps between your current role and target positions. Track your financial health score over time.
Year 2-3: Plan for Growth
Typical focus areas include: accelerating debt payoff, increasing retirement contributions, and preparing for career advancement. Use CareerPhases to review your promotion readiness based on skill requirements. Research salary ranges for senior roles using BLS benchmarking. Consider how different career moves might affect your financial plan using scenario modeling tools.
Your First Years Matter. Start With a Clear Plan.
CareerPhases provides career intelligence and income management tools to help you explore salary benchmarks, model debt strategies, and plan your next move. Start free and see if it's right for you.
CareerPhases is an educational platform providing career and financial planning tools. We do not guarantee specific outcomes. Data is sourced from BLS, O*NET, and FRED. Consult qualified professionals for personalized advice.