Directory / Use cases / Free tools for job seekers
Salary data, offer comparisons, and career-change math for the job hunt.
Most job seekers negotiate with one hand tied behind their back: the employer knows the market rate and you are guessing. I have watched friends accept offers $15,000 under market because the number sounded big in isolation. The single highest-ROI move in any job search is ten minutes of salary research before you name a number, and the tools below make that fast.
Start with the salary-by-metro dataset, because geography changes everything. A $75,000 offer in Cleveland can beat a $95,000 offer in Seattle once cost of living is factored in. Look up your occupation across metros before you decide what remote work is worth or whether to relocate. Then, when offers arrive, compare them properly. A $95,000 contract role and an $80,000 salaried role are closer than they look once you account for both halves of self-employment tax, health insurance, and paid time off. The 1099 vs W-2 calculator does the full take-home comparison.
If you are considering a bigger pivot, run the ROI math before you enroll. Trade school programs cost $5,000 to $20,000 and lead to fields paying $50,000 to $80,000, which beats many four-year degrees on payback period. The trade school ROI calculator compares program cost against expected earnings so you can see the break-even year. And if trucking appeals to you, the paid CDL training directory lists company-sponsored programs that pay you while you train, which means no tuition debt at all.
One underrated option for interim income: notary signing work. Signing agents routinely earn $75 to $200 per appointment, and the income reference below breaks down gross versus net realistically, including the slow ramp most people experience in year one.
One more thing: do the salary research before the first interview, not before the negotiation. Knowing the market number changes how you answer the expected-salary question in round one, and that answer anchors everything that follows. Employers negotiate from data every single day. Ten minutes of research lets you do the same.
Is trade school worth it? Compare cost vs expected earnings.
Open the tool →Company-sponsored CDL training programs that pay you while you learn.
Open the tool →Look up your occupation and metro in salary datasets, then adjust for total compensation: add the value of health insurance, retirement match, and PTO to salary before comparing. A $80,000 offer with full benefits often beats a $95,000 contract with none. Get the market number before you negotiate, not after.
Often yes on pure ROI. A $12,000 trade program leading to a $60,000 job pays for itself in months, while a $100,000 degree leading to a $55,000 job takes a decade. The ROI calculator compares your specific program cost against expected earnings in the field.
Contracts pay higher gross rates but shift taxes, insurance, and downtime onto you. As a rough rule, a contract rate needs to be 25 to 40 percent above the equivalent salary hourly rate to break even. Run both offers through the 1099 vs W-2 calculator with your actual numbers.