{"id":"career-path-research-four-week-plan","audience":"job-seekers","category":"career","technique":"constraints","track":"writing","title":"Plan four weeks of research before switching careers","free":false,"task":"You're thinking about leaving retail to become an electrician but aren't ready to decide. Get a 4-week research plan: exactly 4 numbered lines starting \"Week 1:\" to \"Week 4:\", each one concrete action that names a source from your notes. Under 130 words, plain text, no advice on whether to switch, and skip what you already know.","materialLabel":"Your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"MY NOTES (Carlos Mendez, 29, assistant store manager, Valley Mart, 6 years)\n\nThinking about: electrician apprenticeship\n\nWhat I already know:\n- apprenticeships here are about 4 years, paid while you train\n- local union (IBEW Local 112) takes applications every spring\n- you need a high school diploma (I have one) and algebra\n\nSources I have:\n- my uncle Ray, a residential electrician for 20 years\n- Westfield Community College open house, Saturday the 14th (they have a pre-apprenticeship class)\n- the IBEW Local 112 website (aptitude test info, application dates)\n- the state labor department's apprenticeship page\n\nWhat I don't know:\n- what a normal day is like, physically\n- what the aptitude test covers\n- if I can afford the first-year apprentice pay with my rent\n- whether my bad knee is a problem\n- my coworker says \"electricians make six figures right away\" -> sounds wrong","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":4},{"type":"maxWords","max":130},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Asking the AI to decide","why":"Ask 'should I' and the AI gives you a pep talk or a pros and cons list, not a way to find out.","fix":"Ask for a research plan and add: \"Don't tell me whether to switch.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Getting generic research steps","why":"The AI says 'research online' instead of using the sources you already have.","fix":"Add: \"Each week names one of my sources: uncle Ray, the open house, the IBEW site or the state page.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Repeating what you know","why":"The AI has you look up apprenticeship length, which your notes already cover.","fix":"Add: \"Skip what I already know.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Not fixing the shape","why":"AI plans come as long phased guides with headings.","fix":"Show it: \"Week 1: Ask uncle Ray what a normal day is like.\" and \"exactly 4 lines\".","checks":["numberedItems","maxWords"]},{"title":"Forgetting where it's going","why":"AI adds bold and headings that show up as stray symbols in your phone's notes app.","fix":"Add: \"Plain text, no bold, no headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Asks for a plan, not a verdict","patterns":["plan","(don't|do not|no).{0,20}(decide|tell me whether|recommend|advice)"]},{"label":"Shows the week labels","patterns":["week 1","\\b(4|four)\\b.{0,15}week"]},{"label":"Uses your sources","patterns":["source","uncle","open house","ibew"]},{"label":"Skips what you know","patterns":["already know","skip"]},{"label":"Sets a length limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)","under \\d+"]}],"hint":"The AI can't tell you if a career fits, but it can plan how to find out. Show the week labels, point it to your sources, and ask it not to decide.","rubricLabels":["The lines start with 'Week 1:', 'Week 2:', 'Week 3:' and 'Week 4:' in order, each naming one source from the notes (uncle Ray, the college open house, the IBEW Local 112 website or the state labor department page)","Doesn't tell Carlos whether to switch careers, and doesn't state any pay figure as fact","No week is spent finding out what the notes already say (apprenticeship length, the diploma requirement, that applications open in spring)"]}