SKILLS BLOG

Colorado Launches New Return on Investment Tool

By Jenna Leventoff, June 20, 2016

Last week, Colorado launched a new interactive website, launchmycareercolorado.org, in order to help future students estimate the return on investment for an array of higher education choices. The tool identifies in-demand jobs and reveals how a student’s choice of school, major, industry, or job can impact future earnings.

Using data from the Colorado Department of Higher Education and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, the tool allows users to compare the earnings potential of various career options. It also enables students to determine if a chosen career will enable them to meet their desired lifestyle goals, and determine how many working years it will take for their earnings to exceed the total net price of a particular educational program.

Additionally, the website uses survey data from Gallup to help students gauge whether their chosen career will make them happy. It provides statistics about the percentage of past graduates who are deeply interested in what they do, say they have an ideal job, and are satisfied with their personal life.

The website was launched through a partnership between College Measures (a division of the American Institutes for Research), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and Gallup Inc., and funded through a grant from USA Funds. These partners will launch similar websites in three other states, including Tennessee later this month.