Economic Navigation Infrastructure

Most people don't need
more information.
They need a better navigation system.

Know Degree Needed® is a Labor Market Operating System helping workers and employers navigate economic transitions with confidence, dignity, and agency.

For Workers and Job Seekers
Are you navigating a transition?
Career change, workforce reentry, retirement planning, layoff, or entrepreneurship. Share your experience.
Take the Worker Survey
For Employers and HR Leaders
Is your workforce navigating change?
Retirements, succession gaps, AI adoption, skill shortages. Share what you are navigating.
Take the Employer Survey
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The Core Insight
The problem is not information.
The problem is navigation.
The Old Question
"What job do you want?"
Most workforce systems are built around occupation matching. They assume that if you can identify the right job title, the path forward is clear. For most people navigating real transitions, it is not.
The New Question
"What transition are you navigating?"
Know Degree Needed® starts with the transition, not the occupation. A laid off logistics worker, a pre-retiree, a returning caregiver, and an AI-displaced professional may all appear to need different things. The underlying navigation challenge is often the same.
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Who We Serve
Seven transition populations.
One navigation system.
As employers, institutions, and career ladders become increasingly unbundled, individuals must absorb more responsibility for navigating economic complexity. Know Degree Needed® is the infrastructure that makes that navigation possible.
01
Career Transitioners
Changing occupations, industries, or professional direction.
02
Pre-retirees
Navigating the years between full engagement and financial independence.
03
Workforce Reentry
Returning after caregiving, illness, incarceration, or military service.
04
Displaced Workers
Responding to layoffs, automation, AI disruption, or economic shocks.
05
Entrepreneurs
Moving from employee to owner and building income beyond employment.
06
Restless Retirees
Retired but seeking purpose, contribution, and a meaningful second act.
07
Employers
Navigating retirements, succession gaps, AI adoption, and skill shortages.
Transition Intelligence Project
Building the Economic Navigation Dataset.
The Transition Intelligence Project is a research initiative documenting how people navigate career, income, retirement, and life transitions. We are conducting 25 interviews and surveys across seven transition populations to identify recurring patterns, common barriers, and shared navigation challenges.

This dataset becomes the foundation for the Know Degree Needed® Economic Navigation Engine and the annual Future of Work Intelligence Briefing.
Contribute Your Experience
25
Research GoalSurvey responses across all transition groups before SEICon III, July 2026.
7
Transition PopulationsOne framework measuring navigation challenges across every major life and work transition.
77%
Job Placement RateDocumented outcome from Genius School workforce programming in Las Vegas.
Proprietary Platform
The KDN IP Stack.
Know Degree Needed® is built on a proprietary set of tools and frameworks that translate workforce intelligence into actionable navigation for workers and employers alike.
◆
PathScout™
Career pathway discovery tool that maps transitions to outcomes rather than job titles.
◆
Skills Passport™
Portable credential and skills documentation system for workers in transition.
◆
Durability Index™
Measures the long-term resilience of employment outcomes beyond initial placement.
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Decision Readiness Score™
Assesses where a person is in their transition decision cycle and what they need next.
◆
CLEAR Method™
Cognitive Load Engineering for Adaptive Retention. A framework for workforce learning design.
◆
Living Labor Graph
A dynamic, real-time map of labor market connections, transitions, and economic mobility patterns.
Ecosystem Partnerships
Rooted in Las Vegas.
Built for every community.
Know Degree Needed® is a Genius School initiative operating in partnership with workforce, library, education, and innovation ecosystem partners across Southern Nevada.
Genius School
West Las Vegas Library
Clark County Library District
Sedway Middle School
Las Vegas Women in Business
StartupNV SERP
JFF / 75 Million Network
Black Fire Innovation Center
VisionariesNV

The navigation gap is real.
Help us close it.

Whether you are navigating a transition yourself or leading a workforce navigating change, your experience becomes part of the dataset that builds better tools for everyone.

Worker Survey Employer Survey
Trademark and Copyright
Know Degree Needed® is a registered trademark. All proprietary tools, frameworks, and content including PathScout™, Skills Passport™, Durability Index™, Decision Readiness Score™, CLEAR Method™, and the Living Labor Graph are intellectual property of Know Degree Needed LLC, a Nevada Limited Liability Company. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution is prohibited. © 2024–2026 Know Degree Needed LLC. All rights reserved.
Entity Disclosure
Know Degree Needed® is a Nevada LLC and an initiative of Genius School, a Nevada 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 84-3586536) headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. Genius School and Know Degree Needed LLC are separate legal entities. References to Genius School outcomes and partnerships do not constitute an endorsement of any commercial product or service.
Research and Data Privacy
The Transition Intelligence Project surveys collect anonymous responses for workforce intelligence research purposes only. No personally identifiable information is required to complete a survey. Contact information voluntarily provided through the opt-in feature is stored separately from survey responses and is never sold, shared, or linked to individual answers. Data is used solely to develop the Know Degree Needed® Economic Navigation Dataset and related research publications.
No Professional Advice
The information, tools, and research published by Know Degree Needed® are provided for general workforce intelligence and educational purposes only. Nothing on this website constitutes legal, financial, career, or professional advice. Users should consult qualified professionals before making employment, financial, or business decisions. Know Degree Needed LLC assumes no liability for decisions made in reliance on this content.
© 2024–2026 Know Degree Needed LLC  ·  A Genius School Initiative  ·  Las Vegas, Nevada  ·  info@knowdegreeneeded.com
Know Degree Needed® is a registered trademark of Know Degree Needed LLC. All rights reserved.