Pointed in the right direction. Proven by real work. Made real by people.
Career Catalyst Collaborative (C3) — connects students, schools, and employers through real-world experiences that reveal passion, build proof, and create the relationships that lead to careers that truly fit.
Students shouldn't have to guess their future — they should discover it through experience.
Employers shouldn't have to guess who to hire — they should know them first.
Schools shouldn't have to do it alone — they should be connected to real opportunities.
A student starts pointed in the right direction.
First they get a compass. Not a test — a direction. What they love, what they're good at, what the world needs, what they can be paid for. It forms a starting direction, not a final answer.
Then they test it. Through C3, they step into real companies, meet people doing the work, try small pieces of it without pressure. Each experience feeds back into the compass, sharpening the picture until passion becomes clear — not through thinking, but through doing.
Then they prove it. Real projects. Real feedback. A portfolio that shows what they've actually done. Skills validated by employers who've seen their work and share their vision.
Then they belong. Not just to a job — to a community. Mentors who believe in them. Peers who understand them. Employers who've already seen their vision and values align. When the right opportunity comes, it doesn't feel like a cold application. It feels like the next natural step.
You don't think your way to the right career. You experience your way to it.
Discover
- See real workplaces
- Try without pressure
- Explore early projects
- Meet mentors + peers
Prove
- Real projects
- Employer feedback
- Portfolio built
- Vision + values tested
Belong
- Trusted by mentors
- Known by employers
- Shared vision confirmed
- Profession emerges
Ikigai — a guide for life
Ikigai is a Japanese concept sitting at the intersection of four things: what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. We don't own the idea — it belongs to the world. But we use it as the compass that points students in the right direction before experience sharpens it.
Most people try to think their way to the right career. Ikigai helps you experience your way to it.
What you love
Surfaces through See and Try — what pulls your attention in real environments.
What you're good at
Surfaces through Do and Prove — what you do well when the work is real.
What the world needs
Surfaces through employer interaction — where your strengths meet real demand.
What you can be paid for
Surfaces through Belong — where passion, proof, values, and opportunity converge.
How the whole thing fits together.
The journey for a student is simple. The system underneath is more intricate — because it has to serve students, employers, schools, and guidance providers at the same time. Here's the full picture.
The same platform serves four audiences because the same proof matters to all of them — just from different angles. A student's portfolio is a school's evidence, an employer's shortlist, and a guidance counselor's signal. C3 is the system that generates that proof and makes it legible everywhere.
Career Catalyst Collaborative (C3) isn't a one-time event. It's a platform being built with the people who will use it.
Now
Volunteer to shape it
1 hr/week · 8 weeks · online · students, schools, employers, parents
Employers post opportunities
"What it's like to work here" events via workshop
Stay connected
Join the community, follow progress
Next — Building now
Job shadowing
Real observation program launches
Mentors + community
Support network integrated into platform
Ikigai AI activates
Personal compass guides every step
Future
Real projects
Hands-on work with employers
Proven ability
Feedback + portfolio + validation
Trusted relationships
Aligned opportunities emerge
Two ways to participate today.
We're building C3 together. Here's exactly what that means right now.
Volunteer to help build the platform
Give us one hour a week for eight weeks. Students, schools, employers, and parents — we need your input to build this right. Volunteer through our partner program at Impactful Giving.
Sign up at impactfulgiving.org
Scan the QR code or click below to join the volunteer program. Takes about 3 minutes.
Go to ImpactfulGiving.org ↗Stay connected — join the community
Not ready to volunteer? Stay in the loop. Get updates as we build, and be first to access new experiences as they open up. Tell us who you are so we can send you what's relevant.
COMING SOON...Employers — post a "what it's like to work here" experience
Join one of our posting workshops to learn how to create a compelling opportunity on EventShip. We'll walk you through it as a group. Prefer a 1-on-1? Book a call instead.
Join our next posting workshop
A 60-minute session where we walk you through EventShip and help you post your first opportunity live.
↓ Experience proves it.
↓ Belonging makes it real.
C3 — building now, 2026