Case Study: Defined Careers
Online Learning Platforms
Defined Careers operates in the K–12 EdTech space. It offers a comprehensive college and career readiness platform for schools and districts across the United States. The solution connects project-based learning, career exploration, and real-world readiness. Students can explore hundreds of careers and build future-ready skills long before graduation. The platform has become a reliable learning infrastructure for large educational institutions that need consistent, high-quality experiences at scale.
5 experts
delivering the full platform
600+
career-connected
400+
across 79 pathways
1,000+
districts served by the broader Defined learning ecosystem
The project for Defined focused on a custom online learning platform module. Ten experts at Selleo designed and built this core module. We developed the MVP of Defined Careers from scratch in Ruby on Rails and React. Then we integrated it with other Defined systems to create one experience for students, teachers, and admins. We also created a dedicated design system with typography, color tokens, and reusable components to keep the interface consistent as the product grows.
Today, Defined Careers brings together more than 600 hands-on projects, over 400 careers, and 79 structured career pathways. Everything operates within one organized environment that supports career exploration, assessment, and planning. District leaders and learning teams gain a centralized, data-informed view of student progress, while educators receive ready-to-use materials that fit naturally into formal curricula, classroom projects, and local initiatives. The platform helps educational institutions translate abstract career readiness goals into concrete, measurable learning outcomes.
The same architectural decisions now support additional learning scenarios beyond K–12 education. The product patterns developed for Defined Careers are ready for HR and L&D teams seeking a scalable e-learning platform with reporting, analytics, and clearly defined development paths. This solution demonstrates how a modern online learning platform can combine rich educational content, structured learning flows, and actionable data. The result is an all-in-one environment designed to support long-term career advancement and professional development programs.
The Client
Defined Careers Educational Platform at a Glance
Defined is an EdTech company that builds a full ecosystem of online learning platforms for K–12. Under the Defined brand sit multiple learning platforms for project-based learning, computer science, STEM and career readiness. Defined Careers is their dedicated college and career readiness module. It connects classroom learning with real-world pathways into study and work.
At its core, Defined Careers is an educational platform that helps students explore, experience and plan future careers. The product turns abstract aspirations into structured online learning journeys. Students move through hands-on projects, career profiles, assessments and planning tools. Teachers and counselors use the same space to guide exploration and capture evidence of progress.
The mission behind Defined Careers is to transform learning environments so every student can discover their potential. The platform focuses on future-ready skills, postsecondary success and practical career readiness. For districts and schools, it becomes a valuable resource that brings together content, tools and data in one place. This reduces fragmentation and gives leaders a clearer picture of student readiness.
Defined now partners with more than 1,000 districts and several statewide initiatives across the US. Large systems such as New York City or Tennessee use the wider Defined ecosystem to scale authentic learning at district level. Defined Careers is a key part of that infrastructure and a proof point for modern online learning platforms at scale. This is the client context we stepped into as Selleo.
Helping students recognize and own their future careers
Defined Careers is a multidimensional career assessment and learning platform designed for individual students.The Problem
Challenges & Core Problems in Defined Careers
For this project we stepped into the domain of K–12 career readiness. Districts needed the right online learning platform to help students explore careers without adding more manual work to teachers and counselors. Our challenge at Selleo was to turn that need into a scalable, day-to-day product workflow.
Students had to move through hundreds of careers, pathways and real-world projects. The platform needed to keep this content structured and easy to navigate. Each experience had to feel like a clear journey, not a pile of disconnected activities.
Schools and districts also needed proof of impact. They wanted to see which careers students explore, which projects they complete and how readiness changes over time. The value of any online learning platform depends on reliable data, so reporting and analytics became a core problem to solve.
We also had to respect real constraints in schools. Staff have limited time and existing systems they already use. The solution had to fit into their daily work, integrate with the wider Defined ecosystem and stay stable as more districts came on board.
What it takes to compete with the best online course platform options:
Career data model for 400+ careers
Scalable project and pathway structure
Multi-role UX for students, teachers, and admins
Analytics to track career readiness at scale
Integration with the wider Defined ecosystem
Performance and stability for district-wide rollouts
Every decision in architecture, content model, and UI had to support this flow. Student work moves from projects and assessments into portfolios, class views, and district dashboards. If any link failed, counselors and leaders would lose trust in the platform and stop using it in everyday work.
design system
Styleguide
We have developed a comprehensive design system encompassing meticulously curated fonts, an aesthetically pleasing color palette, and elegantly designed web components.
Typography
Colors
Components
The Solution
Solution: An All in One eLearning Platform for Students, Teachers and Admins
We designed Defined Careers as an all in one platform that connects learning, careers and planning in one place. It works as an elearning platform for K–12 that feels more like a real career lab than a static website. Districts get a single online training platform instead of many disconnected tools. The result is one environment that can grow with new programs, subjects and career pathways.
On the product side, students, teachers and admins share one learning management system. Students explore careers, complete projects and build portfolios. Teachers handle course management, assignments and assessment flows in the same space. Admins see progress across schools and manage access without extra overhead. For day-to-day work it behaves like a focused training platform, not a heavy enterprise system.
Technically, Defined Careers is a custom web app built with Ruby on Rails and React. The platform supports assessments, portfolios, projects and reporting in a single architecture. We added built in tools for search, filtering and role-based views so each user sees only what they need. The stack is ready for new modules and advanced features like richer analytics or extended video hosting.
From the experience perspective, the platform treats careers as structured learning journeys. Students move from career discovery to virtual internships, mock interviews and planning tasks. Teachers see the same flow as lessons and activities they can reuse. Defined Careers becomes an elearning platform that guides people step by step instead of dropping them into a content library.
Business-wise, the solution is designed for scale and long-term use. District leaders get a stable base they can roll out across many schools without rewriting processes every year. The system can plug into the wider Defined ecosystem and mirror patterns used in corporate learning. It shows how an all in one platform with the right training platform logic can support both classroom goals and strategic workforce readiness.
Our role
Scope of Our Work on the Defined Careers Online Learning Platform
We started by understanding how Defined Careers fits into the wider ecosystem of learning and management systems used by districts. We mapped the journey from student log-in to district dashboard. We looked at roles, permissions, and data handoffs across the whole flow. This discovery phase gave us a clear picture of what the platform must support at scale across many schools and districts.
Next, we turned these findings into concrete UX, UI, and architecture decisions. The product team prepared concepts and a complete design system with screens, components, and navigation patterns. This let us use the entire team's skills in a focused way, with designers, developers, and QA working from one shared product language. It also shortened feedback loops and made it easier to extend career modules, assessments, and reporting.
When the design was stable, we moved into development and integration with other Defined products. Ruby on Rails and React became the base for the MVP and the later feature set. We added projects, portfolios, and analytics on top of this core. Strong project management kept delivery aligned with ongoing system management so the platform could evolve without disrupting live schools and districts.
The results
Career-Ready Outcomes & Learning Impact in Defined Careers
The project delivered a stable platform that supports real career-ready outcomes. Students now move through 600+ projects and explore over 400 careers in 79 pathways and 16 clusters. This turned career exploration from a one-off activity into a repeatable learning journey. Districts can rely on Defined Careers as a core part of how they introduce future options to young people.
The platform now supports a continuous path from projects and assessments to plans and portfolios. It fits into formal education without replacing teachers or local programs. Students meet career content inside normal classes instead of in isolated sessions. This helps schools connect curriculum, projects, and planning in one environment.
Our work also enabled reporting and dashboards that districts can trust. Leaders see how many projects students complete, which careers they explore, and how readiness grows over time. These views give educational institutions a clearer picture of career readiness across grades and schools. They also create space for new advanced functionality such as deeper analytics or segmented insights in the future.
Beyond metrics, the platform changed how teams talk about careers. Counselors, teachers, and leaders now work in one shared system. They can align expectations, track progress, and plan interventions using the same data. Defined Careers helps schools build a culture where career conversations happen early and often, not just at the end of school.
| Hard result | Impact on the Project |
|---|---|
| 600+ career-connected projects | Ready-to-use learning experiences that fit into daily lessons |
| 400+ careers in 79 pathways and 16 clusters | Broad exploration space in one system instead of many tools |
| 1,000+ districts using the wider Defined ecosystem | Proven scalability for large educational institutions |
| Unified student portfolios and readiness reporting | Clear visibility into progress and outcomes at student, school, and district level |
Testimonials
Trusted by Districts, Recognised Across K–12 Education
Defined Careers is recognised in K–12 EdTech as a leading career readiness platform. It has won recent awards from Tech & Learning and the EdTech Awards. These honours show that its learning experience and educational content meet a very high standard. District leaders view the platform as a long-term partner, not a short test.
Schools use Defined Careers to deliver online courses that connect lessons with real careers. Many projects include video courses and interactive tasks. Students explore options at their own pace, similar to self paced learning inside core classes. This mix of individual courses and multiple courses creates structured learning while keeping space for choice.
Teachers and counselors work with rich course materials and projects. They can run training programs for specific pathways by selecting and creating courses in the platform. The system supports course creation workflows for internal course creators who adapt content to local needs. This proves that Defined Careers is ready for everyday classroom use, not only for pilots or demos.
District teams rely on dashboards to track learner progress over time. These insights help them refine programs and focus support where it matters most. The success of Defined Careers is now a visible part of Selleo’s work on complex learning platforms and educational content solutions. It strengthens our position with clients who expect proven delivery in EdTech.
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metrics
Key Defined Careers Metrics and Project Highlights
| field | value |
|---|---|
| Client | Defined / Defined Learning – Defined Careers module |
| Country | USA |
| Industry | K–12 EdTech / e-learning / college & career readiness |
| Product Type | Online learning and career readiness platform (LMS / LXP type) |
| Primary Use Case | Career exploration and experiences for K–12; preparing students for postsecondary education and workforce entry |
| Services Provided | E-learning development, UX/UI design, Custom Software Development, QA, System Management |
| Team Size | 5 members |
| Career-Connected Projects | 600+ hands-on, career-connected projects |
| Careers & Pathways | 400+ careers across 79 pathways and 16 career clusters |
| District Adoption | 1,000+ districts in the wider Defined ecosystem |
| Grade Levels Covered | K–12 (with a strong focus on grades 6–12) |
| Key Features | Career Matching Assessment, Future-Ready Planning, Financial Literacy courses, Student Portfolios, Workforce Readiness tools (mock interviews, simulated job board), Reporting & Analytics, Career Success Toolkit |
| Frontend Stack | React |
| Backend Stack | Ruby on Rails |
| Integrations | Other Defined products and ecosystem services; school and district systems (per configuration) |
| Key Business Outcomes | Scalable career-connected learning across the US; higher engagement in career exploration; better visibility into student readiness for future paths |
| Target User | K–12 students, teachers, counselors, school and district admins, state-level education teams |
system management
User Types
Defined Careers is an eLearning platform dedicated to students and teachers to bring real-world experience into the classroom. The educator platform trains tutors to teach toward success, while the one for students provides them access to a portfolio of courses.
Gallery
Outcome Gallery
Lesson View
Student Screens
FAQ
Defined Careers Online Learning Platforms
Defined Careers is built for district-scale use. It supports thousands of schools with one consistent system. The platform is proven in real K–12 environments.
No, it is not a MOOC platform. Learning happens inside guided school programs. Teachers and counselors stay involved at every step.
Students work on hands-on class projects. Each project connects learning with real-world careers. This supports problem solving and creative thinking.
Yes, career pathways include areas such as web development and data science. Students explore these fields through structured projects. Content is adapted to school level needs.
Course content is grouped into careers, pathways, and projects. Students see clear learning journeys. Teachers reuse materials without extra setup.
The platform offers ready-to-use training materials. Many projects include video lessons and interactive tasks. Schools can adapt them to local programs.
All class projects flow into portfolios and dashboards. Schools see progress at student, class, and district level. Data supports long-term planning and reporting.
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