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Da VIP Academy / Money & career mode

Get the credential. Then get paid.

Money skills nobody taught us, plus the pathways that turn a credential into a check. Free forever.

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Money skills

Your first paycheck

  • Gross vs. net pay
  • Reading a pay stub
  • What taxes come out and why
  • Direct deposit basics

Banking without getting robbed

  • Checking vs. savings
  • Overdraft fees and how to dodge them
  • Second-chance bank accounts
  • Check-cashing traps

A budget you'll actually keep

  • The 50/30/20 split
  • Tracking one week of spending
  • Cutting one bill this month
  • Building a $500 cushion

Credit, debt, and scores

  • What a credit score really measures
  • Secured cards
  • Payday loan math
  • Getting your free credit report

Big money moves

  • Renting: deposits and leases
  • Buying a used car without getting flipped
  • Insurance in plain English
  • Saving for a home

Legit hustle & taxes

  • 1099 vs. W-2
  • Setting aside self-employment tax
  • Pricing your work
  • Opening a business bank account

Career pathways

Real wages, real training timelines, real next steps. Your advisor can walk any of these with you.

Skilled trades (electrical, HVAC, plumbing)

$22–$45 / hour once licensed

Registered apprenticeship, 3–5 years, earn while you learn

HSE credential required

  • Finish your HSE credential — almost every apprenticeship requires it
  • Take the pre-apprenticeship math brush-up in the Academy
  • Ask your advisor for local apprenticeship application dates

Healthcare (CNA, phlebotomy, medical assistant)

$17–$28 / hour to start

4–12 week certificate program, then a state exam

HSE credential required

  • Earn your HSE credential
  • Strengthen science and reading — both are on the certification exams
  • Ask your advisor about tuition-free CNA cohorts

CDL & logistics

$55,000–$85,000 / year

CDL school, 4–8 weeks, plus a road test

Credential helps, not required

  • Be 18+ (21+ for interstate driving)
  • Work the reading-for-information lessons — the CDL manual is dense
  • Ask your advisor about CDL scholarship partners

IT support & tech

$20–$32 / hour to start

CompTIA A+ or Google IT certificate, 3–6 months

HSE credential required

  • Earn your HSE credential to unlock employer tuition help
  • Do the digital literacy path in the Academy
  • Build one small portfolio project with your advisor

Culinary & food service

$16–$26 / hour, faster with certifications

ServSafe certification plus on-the-job training

Credential helps, not required

  • Get ServSafe certified — DaVIP can cover the fee
  • Practice fractions and ratios for recipe scaling
  • Shadow a shift on the Taco2sDays truck

Community college & beyond

Varies — associate degrees average $8k/year more

Two-year degree or transfer track

HSE credential required

  • Earn your HSE credential
  • Take the college placement prep lessons so you skip remedial classes
  • File the FAFSA with your advisor — it is free

Ready to move?

Tell us which pathway you want and we'll line up the training, the paperwork, and the fee help.

Talk to a DaVIP advisor →