Career exploration is often a journey of trial and error, but for David, it all started with a single ride-along. In high school, he had the opportunity to shadow a police officer—a role model who embodied the kind of career and purpose David was searching for. That experience left a lasting impact, solidifying his passion for law enforcement. There was something about being out in the field, witnessing firsthand the dedication, challenges, and rewards of the job, that made him certain this was the path he wanted to take.

In 2019, David turned that passion into reality when he officially joined law enforcement. He was eager to serve his community, make a difference, and grow in his career. As time went on, the job started to make it harder to maintain a good work-life balance. He began thinking about other career options that might offer more flexibility and better fit his long-term goals. Like many professionals at a crossroads, he began exploring other career paths.

The turning point

However, what he quickly realized was that outside of law enforcement, there were few opportunities to experience a job before fully committing to it. He couldn’t simply “ride along” with an engineer, a marketer, or a software developer the way he had with a police officer. He wanted to see what these careers were like firsthand—what the day-to-day responsibilities entailed, what challenges professionals faced, and what made them passionate about their work. But there was no easy way to do that.

That frustration sparked an idea: What if there was a platform that made job shadowing accessible across all industries? What if people could connect with professionals in different fields and gain real-world insight before investing years of their lives into education or training?