Everyone has a plan for your life. This is where we figure out yours.
And once you're on the right path, I help you climb it.
The cost of guessing is real. The fix is choosing on purpose.
Sources: Strada Institute & Burning Glass Institute, Talent Disrupted (52% of grads underemployed one year out); Monster, 2026 State of the Graduate; National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, spring 2025 enrollment.
None of this is a reason to panic. It's a reason to choose on purpose — which is the whole point of what I do. →I start with you — then point you somewhere real.
When your next step fits who you are, performance isn't something you grind for — it's a byproduct of fit. So before I recommend anything, we figure out how you're actually wired — together.
Know yourself
A science-backed assessment stack — interests, personality, and a passion questionnaire — turned into plain language about who you are.
Map your options
Specific paths matched to your wiring — college majors, trades, careers, or starting something of your own — each with real numbers and an honest read on fit.
Know the AI shift
For every path, what AI is doing to it and how to land on the right side of the change. Almost nobody does this part.
Make the move
A 1-on-1 strategy session and your personal Trail Map — a step-by-step plan you keep and come back to as things change.
Your Trail Map.
Not a quiz result or a generic report. A personalized strategy document, written for you — and built to read on your phone.
- Your profile, in plain languageHow you're wired, where you thrive, and the through-line connecting what you love to what you're good at.
- Specific paths — not “business”A top pick plus options you'd never have considered, each with salary ranges and what it takes.
- The AI read on every pathWhat's protected, what's shifting, and the tools to learn now so AI becomes your advantage.
- A roadmap you'll actually useWeek-by-week or semester-by-semester next steps — and a living document I update as you grow.
The right path is just the start. I help you climb it.
The Trail Map points the way. The climb is the part most people get wrong alone — so the relationship keeps going, on your terms. Take one, take all three, or come back for them over the years.
Guide Sessions
A coach in your corner between the big moments — real goals, pointed toward the right role, and someone holding you to them. Committing to a coach sticks better than committing to yourself. Month-to-month, cancel anytime; or a 3-session pack.
First Ascent
The first 90 days in a new role set your ceiling — first job or fifth. Most people wing them. I build the plan to win them: reading the ladder, the conversations that matter, and getting noticed for the right reasons.
The Re-Map
Real experience changes what you know about yourself. Maybe the passion's evolved — or maybe it's the company culture, not the work. The Re-Map tells which, and sets a fresh plan from there.
Wherever you are on the climb.
First Tracks meets you where you are — three starting points, each built for a different moment.
The First Mile
The biggest decision with the least experience to inform it. College, trade, gap year, or work — we figure out the right first step, together.
The Overlook
Degree in hand, facing a job market reshaped by AI. I turn a major into a direction and a direction into a plan.
The Switchback
Already in the workforce and it's not fitting — whether you went to college or straight to work. I find the path that does, and map the move without starting over.
Over 30 and rethinking your direction? That's Second Summit — deeper work for a higher-stakes moment, by request and referral. Reach out →
Not the usual career coaching.
Passion-first, not process-first
Most coaches start with your résumé. I start with who you are — the thing that makes the rest actually work.
The AI question, answered
A clear read on how AI affects every path I recommend — the most urgent career question right now, built into the core of the work.
College isn't the default
College, trade, apprenticeship, gap year, straight into work, or building something of your own — I recommend what fits you, not what's assumed. Wired to be a founder? I'll spot it — and point you to what's next.
I coach the climb, not just the map
Most coaching ends at “here's your direction.” I keep going — how to win your first 90 days, read the path to advancement, and have the conversations that get you noticed. The part nobody teaches.
Accountability that actually moves you
A goal you commit to a coach beats one you keep to yourself. It's why a serious athlete has a trainer, not just good intentions — same idea, pointed at your career.
1-on-1, not a course
A real strategy session and a document written for you, by name. Not a cohort, not a template, not a video library.
See the work first
Every engagement starts with a free conversation. You see how I think before anything else happens.
35 years, not a certificate
Built on decades of hiring, coaching, and watching careers take off or stall at brands like Red Bull, CLIF Bar, and Equinox.
The data says fit beats salary.
Decades of research on happiness and careers point the same direction: purpose, fit, and the quality of your days predict life satisfaction far better than income alone. First Tracks isn't about talking your kid out of a good living — it's about making sure the path they pour years into is one they're actually built for. The most expensive mistake isn't the first job. It's the wrong major, the wrong four years, the wrong start.
Questions parents and students ask first.
The short versions. Anything else, ask on the form — I answer every one myself.
Is this for the student, or for the parent?
Both, and the order doesn't matter. Parents usually reach out first for the 17–19 group; the work itself is 1-on-1 with the young person, and the Trail Map is written to them. Parents get a plain-language summary and a seat at the strategy session if the student wants them there.
How is First Tracks different from a career coach or a college counselor?
Three ways. It starts with who you are — a real assessment stack, not a résumé. Every path I recommend comes with an honest read on what AI is doing to it, which almost nobody else does. And college isn't the default: trade, apprenticeship, gap year, straight to work, or building something of your own are all on the table.
What does it cost, and what do I get?
A free 15-minute intro first, always. Then a Trail Map — a personalized strategy document with your profile, specific paths with salary ranges and the AI read on each, and a step-by-step plan — at $299 (ages 17–19), $399 (20–24) or $449 (23–30). After that, Guide Sessions from $99 a month, First Ascent for your first 90 days on the job ($199–$299), and the Re-Map when things change ($149–$199).
Does it work remotely?
Yes. I'm on Long Island and happy to meet local students in person, but the assessment, the session and the Trail Map all work over video and your phone. The map is built to be read on a phone on purpose.
Everyone has a plan for your life. This is where we figure out yours.
First Tracks by Trailhead Growth Consulting — college, trade & career direction for ages 17–30.