A software engineer rethinks her future after her company begins piloting AI tools. A retail manager looks to pivot into supply chain. A new parent wants to reenter the workforce — on their own terms.
All are asking the same question: what should I learn next?
The answer isn’t always clear. As career paths grow more unpredictable and job roles evolve rapidly, many adults face a decision-making gap: too many options, too little guidance. That’s where Arizona State University’s new CareerCatalyst Navigator comes in.
This AI-enabled tool connects a learner’s goals and background to curated, workforce-aligned course options drawn from ASU’s extensive portfolio of learning offerings. Each recommendation comes with a rationale — what the course covers, why it matters for that specific learner and how it supports the learner’s next step.
“The CareerCatalyst Navigator is part of a broader system designed to help learners move forward with clarity and confidence,” said Marco Serrato, vice president of ASU’s Learning Enterprise. “It removes barriers to decision-making and connects people to the right opportunities at the right time in their lives, leveraging ASU’s broad portfolio of learning offerings, faculty expertise and college/school leadership.”
Matching learning to labor market needs
The timing is critical. According to the World Economic Forum, AI and automation are projected to significantly impact up to 22% of jobs globally by 2030. In the U.S., that translates to more than 90 million workers who may need new skills or complete career shifts in the next few years.
The CareerCatalyst Navigator responds by using AI to analyze each user’s inputs — job function, aspirations and past experience — and returns a curated set of relevant, high-value learning options. It draws on course metadata, skill frameworks and current job trend data to ensure recommendations are both strategic and personalized.
This learner guidance system is part of ASU’s commitment to expanding universal access to opportunity and aligning learning to real workforce needs.
Built for scale, centered on individuals
ASU designed the Navigator to serve working adults, career changers and learners who may not be familiar with traditional education systems. It’s easy to use, free to access and requires no transcripts or prerequisites.
The recommendations come from ASU’s broader CareerCatalyst ecosystem, which includes hundreds of microcredentials, certificates and short-form professional programs across high-demand sectors such as AI, health, sustainability and business. Each learning experience is developed in collaboration with ASU’s schools and colleges, businesses and others – drawing on the university’s deep academic expertise and real-world insight.
ASU is already a global leader in career-connected learning, having served nearly 900,000 learners through its career and professional programs to date. The Navigator builds on that foundation to make learning pathways more personalized, visible and actionable for more people.
“Career navigation should be as personalized and adaptive as the workforce itself,” Serrato said. “Tools like this, paired with ASU’s deep knowledge and drive for principled innovation, help ensure that opportunity isn’t limited by background or access. The learning recommendations will be enriched in the upcoming academic year through new offerings developed by ASU's schools and colleges.”
Explore what’s possible
The CareerCatalyst Navigator is available now at careercatalyst.asu.edu. There is no cost to explore and no wrong time to begin.
As workplace expectations shift and learning becomes a lifelong process, tools like the Navigator offer something increasingly rare: clarity. For learners navigating change, that clarity can be the difference between standing still and building momentum.
