Career Path DECIDE Returns

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At a time of evolving workforce realities, accelerated reskilling and education disruption, one of the nation's most trusted tools for career exploration and decision support is back online.

Vantage Point Consulting Inc., in conjunction with the American Council on Education (ACE), is proud to announce the official re-launch of the commercial version of Career Path DECIDE (CPD), the platform that has helped over 1.5 million military-affiliated users find clarity in their career and education journeys over the past seven years.

Now freely available to learners as a commercially-run platform, thanks to generous philanthropic support from Walmart, the Schultz Family Foundation, and the Tullman Family Office provided to ACE along with strategic partnership support from ACE and Student Veterans of America (SVA), CPD is available to empower an even wider population of learners - from Service members and Veterans to early-career explorers and adult career changers - to navigate and set future career goals with confidence and maximize the return on the education investments that will prepare them for those goals.

Back by Popular Demand

Originally licensed by the Department of Defense and widely used by Service members, Veterans, and military-affiliated families since its initial launch 2017, Career Path DECIDE was temporarily taken offline earlier this year as part of Federal Government budget cuts.

For thousands of CPD users navigating their transitions out of the military and seeking to optimize the use of Tuition Assistance dollars, the loss of CPD as a Government licensed resource exposed a deeper need for data-informed systems that support the mobility, readiness, and resilience of learners everywhere, both within and outside of the Military Service.

The platform's awesome impact for learners and transitioning servicemembers was well-documented: before the federal government-funded license was discontinued in April 2025, CPD was used by 55,000+ learners each month, helping individuals explore the ins and outs of high-value careers, evaluate potential degrees and credentials to prepare for their next steps, and connect their aspirational goals to the real-world pathways needed to achieve them.

Among those learners:

• 38% using the platform did not have a specific career goal before coming to CPD.
• 22% came in with an initial goal, but changed to a new goal based on their exploration of data-rich career pathways and labor market data about salaries, job growth, and risk of automation or AI-disruption.
• And 63% of active-duty Service Members using CPD leveraged the platform's capabilities to set a career goal different from the job they were currently doing in the military - and received a personalized goals report pinpointing the optimal education investments to prepare for that different career path.

Today, CPD is back online and free for learners to use, reimagined for long-term impact.

"As a Navy Veteran who struggled while in service to know how to optimize my Tuition Assistance benefits to prepare for my transition, I feel passionate that CPD is more than a tool-it's a lifeline for those who need to make confident decisions about how to prepare for their futures. We're proud to bring it back, stronger and more accessible than ever," said Cristine Carpenter, President and Founder of Vantage Point Consulting

CPD retains its core purpose to support informed, confident decision-making around career goals and education investments while expanding access to serve not only military-affiliated learners, but students, early-career explorers, career changers, and lifelong learners navigating an increasingly complex landscape.

Designed by and for the Community It Serves

Developed and refined over the past eight years based on continuous feedback from Service members, Veterans, and military education counselors, CPD has become a trusted bridge from military life to civilian career success.

Whether you're a transitioning service member mapping out civilian pathways, a student exploring college options, or an adult learner considering a new direction, CPD offers:

• AI-powered exploration tools that surface personalized career and education pathways based on a user's skills, interests, values, and job market demand to help learners decide on their desired career goal
• Data-driven decision support on the optimal education opportunities to achieve that career goal, including projected ROI of degrees, job outlook, time-to-completion, and education program alignment
• No-cost access, with relaunch made possible by the generosity of our sponsors and mission-aligned collaborators to ensure all learners and transitioning workers can take advantage of Career Path DECIDE without cost, with premium licensing options available to companies, workforce development organizations and education providers

"This re-launch doesn't just restore access. It enables our company to continue to focus on our core mission of helping learners and workers discover and maximize their future potential through personalized advising powered by labor market and education provider data augmented by thoughtful use of AI," said Dr. Jeffrey Carpenter, Executive VP of Vantage Point Consulting

Building for What's Next

Now successfully re-launched and available to all learners, Career Path DECIDE will continue to evolve to meet the moment for our users' career and education needs through strategic partnerships and innovative new features on the horizon, including:

• Brand new AI-guided conversation flows to support your exploration, offering real-time career & education thought partnership - a planning "co-pilot" right by your side.
• Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) data integration, through a collaboration with the American Council on Education (ACE) to help users maximize recognition for their life and work experience in real, tangible credits toward their desired credential and faster time-to-completion.
• Purpose-built, adaptable tools for the community supporting learners along their journey, including education counselors, academic institutions, employers, workforce boards and more

"I'm thrilled that Walmart, Shultz, and Tullman are investing in Career Path DECIDE and the power of the U.S. learning ecosystem-a democratic network of education, workforce, and community resources that thrives on openness, choice, and opportunity. Their support affirms CPD as a trusted tool that empowers learners to navigate complexity with confidence," said Michele Spires, Assistant Vice President of One Dupont Ventures, National Service and Defense Solutions

Explore Freely, Decide Confidently

As Vantage Point Consulting reintroduces CPD to learners across the country, the mission remains unchanged: To democratize access to expert-level career and education guidance, at no cost, for everyone.

Whether navigating the military-to-civilian transition, choosing a major, making a mid-career leap, or supporting others in their journey, CPD is your personalized, no-cost roadmap to opportunity.

Get started today at https://www.careerpathdecide.org.

Media Contact for Vantage Point:Wendy Garcia, Director of Business Development & [email protected] 706-562-1727

Media Contact for American Council on Education:Jon Riskind, Executive Director of Public Affairs and Policy [email protected]-939-9453

About Vantage Point Consulting Inc.

Vantage Point Consulting Inc. is a veteran and woman-owned small business with over 20 years of experience in helping deliver public sector innovation, education design, and data-driven technology solutions to government, education, and non-profit partners. With expertise in career pathway design, user-centered technology, and data-informed decision tools, Vantage Point empowers individuals and organizations to build brighter futures.

To learn more, visit www.vantagepoint-inc.com or contact [email protected].