User Guide

Overview

Future Me, Answered is a 5-stage career discovery and decision-making platform designed to help students find their ideal path.

Scout — AI Assistant

Goal: Get instant help and guidance throughout the application.

  • Access: Click the chat bubble icon in the bottom right corner of any page.
  • Voice Input: You can speak directly to the assistant instead of typing. Click the microphone icon to start recording your question.
  • Context Aware: The assistant knows about the user guide and can direct you to the right tools.

Stage 1: Career Fit Profile

Goal: Discover your core values, interests, and strengths.

  • How it works: You can choose between an AI-Guided Interview or Advanced Mode.
  • AI-Guided Interview: A conversational approach where an AI coach asks you questions one by one.
  • Advanced Mode: A faster, form-based approach for users who already know what they want.
  • Output: A compiled profile that summarizes who you are.

Stage 2: Option Cards

Goal: Explore and normalize potential career or education paths.

  • Creating Cards: Use the "View AI Suggestions" button to generate cards based on your Stage 1 profile.
  • Path Types:
    CollegeTradeMilitaryWork
  • Features: Verification against real-world data, actionable next steps, and job/program search links.

Stage 3: Compare

Goal: Objectively rank your options.

  • How it works: Select at least 2 option cards to compare.
  • Weights: Customize the importance of factors like Cost, Time, Pay, and Environment Fit.
  • Scoring: The AI scores each option against your criteria.
  • Stress Test: The system simulates a "stress test" to see if your top choice holds up under scrutiny.

Stage 4: Experiments

Goal: Test your assumptions in the real world.

  • Concept: Before committing, run small "experiments" (e.g., job shadowing, interviewing a professional).
  • Logging: Record your findings to refine your decision matrix.

Stage 5: Final Decision

Goal: Commit to your path and generate your official decision history.

  • Action Plan: Generate a detailed 5-year execution plan including milestones, skills, and networking strategies.
  • Decision Document: Create a formal record of your journey.
  • Keep/Pause/Pivot: Finalize your primary goal and secondary backup options.

Admin & Counselor Features

  • Admin Dashboard: Manage users, templates, and view system analytics.
  • Counselor Dashboard: Track student progress and assign action items.
  • Issue Reporting: Report bugs or feedback directly from the application.