Pathways for Career Changers

Pathways for Career Changers was created to support individuals preparing for their next career by becoming employment-ready through resources, mentoring, and community-based advocacy. Career changers bring a wealth of unique value to any organization. With diverse professional backgrounds, they offer fresh perspectives, adaptability, and a strong drive to learn and grow. These individuals often bring transferable skills—such as leadership, communication, problem-solving, and resilience—that enrich team dynamics and innovation. Their choice to pursue a new career path reflects courage and intentionality, signaling a proactive mindset and a strong commitment to their next chapter.

Read the ASCEND Ethos

Skills First Hiring Platform

As part of our process, we invite you to create a free skills profile. With our AI Powered Skills Matching Platform, we will start matching you to employment opportunities based on the skills that you have and would like to use in your next career. This platform is available for use to all Service Members, Veterans of all eras and branches, Guard and Reservists.

Video on How to Create a Skills Profile

7 Powerful Ways to Use Your Skills Profile

Create Your Skills Based Profile

No Resumes, No Job Boards

We do not pull jobs from the internet or an employer’s job board. We don’t send you to a job board to “apply”. We match candidates directly with employers, hiring managers or decision makers who are looking for your skills.

Get The Career You Want With The Respect You Deserve

Your experience, no matter how it was earned, is valuable. You earned it. You have highly transferable skills from that experience. Not just in jobs comparable to your previous title. Careers – where your skills are valued and your experience is needed.

The Compass Discovery Channels

At The ASCEND Collective, we believe success starts with understanding your potential. Through our partnership with the Foundation for Talent Transformation, participants embark on a personalized Compass Discovery Channels — an interactive experience that helps uncover their strengths, preferences, and motivations.

This isn’t a test — it’s a guided exploration of what makes each person unique. The insights gained translate into practical, skills-first career direction, showing how natural talents align with real-world opportunities across industries. Participants receive a personalized strengths profile and career navigation map, empowering them to make informed, confident choices about their professional future.

Whether transitioning from military service, re-entering the workforce, or seeking a more fulfilling career path, the Compass Discovery Channels offer clarity, confidence, and direction. It’s not about finding just any job — it’s about discovering where your skills, values, and purpose align.

From there, participants can continue their development through Northern Compass Academy’s career readiness tools — including personalized coaching, interview preparation, and access to The ASCEND Collective’s AI-powered matching platform, which connects talent to employers who value skills over resumés. Together, these resources provide a full-circle pathway to success, transforming insight into opportunity and potential into purpose.

Discover. Align. ASCEND.