diff --git a/src/components/CareerSearch.js b/src/components/CareerSearch.js
index b14b715..ec8eb3c 100644
--- a/src/components/CareerSearch.js
+++ b/src/components/CareerSearch.js
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 import React, { useState, useEffect } from "react";
 import { Input } from "./ui/input.js"; // Assuming Input is a basic text input component
 
-const CareerSearch = ({ onSelectCareer, initialCareer }) => {
+const CareerSearch = ({ onSelectCareer, existingCareerPaths }) => {
   const [careerClusters, setCareerClusters] = useState({});
   const [selectedCluster, setSelectedCluster] = useState("");
   const [selectedSubdivision, setSelectedSubdivision] = useState("");
   const [selectedCareer, setSelectedCareer] = useState("");
   const [careerSearch, setCareerSearch] = useState("");
 
+
   useEffect(() => {
     const fetchCareerClusters = async () => {
       try {
@@ -62,6 +63,12 @@ const CareerSearch = ({ onSelectCareer, initialCareer }) => {
   // Get careers based on selected subdivision
   const careers = selectedSubdivision ? careerClusters[selectedCluster]?.[selectedSubdivision] || [] : [];
 
+  // Check if the selected career already has an existing career path
+  const hasCareerPath = existingCareerPaths.some(career => career.title === selectedCareer);
+
+  // Check if the selected career is the current one
+  const isCurrentCareer = selectedCareer === selectedCareer?.career_name;
+
   return (
     <div>
       {/* Career Cluster Selection */}
@@ -118,9 +125,36 @@ const CareerSearch = ({ onSelectCareer, initialCareer }) => {
         </div>
       )}
 
-      {/* Display selected career */}
-      {selectedCareer && <div>Selected Career: {selectedCareer}</div>}
+              {/* Display selected career */}
+              {selectedCareer && (
+          <div style={{ marginTop: '10px' }}>
+            <div>Selected Career: {selectedCareer}</div>
+            {!hasCareerPath && (
+                  <button
+                      onClick={() => {
+                        const matchedCareer = careers.find(
+                          (c) => c.title.toLowerCase() === selectedCareer.toLowerCase()
+                        );
+                        if (matchedCareer) {
+                          onSelectCareer(matchedCareer.title, matchedCareer.soc); // 🔥 this triggers the update upstream
+                        } else {
+                          alert("Please select a valid career from the list.");
+                        }
+                        }}
+                      >
+                        Confirm Career Selection
+                      </button>
+                    )}
+                  </div>
+                )}
+            {hasCareerPath && (
+              <p>This career already has a career path. Do you want to reload it or create a new one?</p>
+              )}
+              {isCurrentCareer && (
+            <p>You are already on this career path.</p>
+          )}
     </div>
+    
   );
 };
 
diff --git a/src/components/GettingStarted.js b/src/components/GettingStarted.js
index 1dcffca..6eca2f5 100644
--- a/src/components/GettingStarted.js
+++ b/src/components/GettingStarted.js
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ function GettingStarted() {
               <div className="premium-access">
           <h3>Already know your path?</h3>
           <p>You can skip ahead and begin planning your milestones now.</p>
-          <button className="premium-button" onClick={() => navigate('/milestone-tracker')}>
+          <button className="premium-button" onClick={() => navigate('/milestone-tracker', { state: { fromGettingStarted: true } })}>
             Access Milestone Tracker <span className="premium-label">(Premium)</span>
           </button>
         </div>
diff --git a/src/components/MilestoneTracker.js b/src/components/MilestoneTracker.js
index d5d12f8..f745d7c 100644
--- a/src/components/MilestoneTracker.js
+++ b/src/components/MilestoneTracker.js
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ const MilestoneTracker = ({ selectedCareer: initialCareer, careerClusters }) =>
   const [careerSubdivision, setCareerSubdivision] = useState('');
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);
   const [sessionHandled, setSessionHandled] = useState(false);
+  const [hasHandledCareerPath, setHasHandledCareerPath] = useState(false);
+  const [existingCareerPaths, setExistingCareerPaths] = useState([]); // To store existing career paths
+
   
 
   const handleUnauthorized = () => {
@@ -42,22 +45,27 @@ const MilestoneTracker = ({ selectedCareer: initialCareer, careerClusters }) =>
   const apiURL = process.env.REACT_APP_API_URL;
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (selectedCareer) {
-      // First check when user navigates to this page
-      handleCareerPathDecision(selectedCareer);
-    }
-  }, [selectedCareer]);
+    const fetchExistingPaths = async () => {
+      const response = await fetch('/api/career-paths'); // Replace with the actual API endpoint
+      const data = await response.json();
+      setExistingCareerPaths(data);
+    };
+
+    fetchExistingPaths();
+  }, []);
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (location.state?.selectedCareer) {
-      setSelectedCareer(location.state.selectedCareer);
-      setCareerPathId(location.state.selectedCareer.career_path_id);
-      loadMilestonesFromServer(location.state.selectedCareer.career_path_id);
-    } else {
-      console.warn('No career selected; prompting user to select one.');
-      setCareerPathId(null);
+    const fromState = location.state?.selectedCareer;
+  
+    if (fromState && !hasHandledCareerPath) {
+      setSelectedCareer(fromState);
+      setCareerPathId(fromState.career_path_id);
+      loadMilestonesFromServer(fromState.career_path_id);
+      handleCareerPathDecision(fromState.career_name);
+      setHasHandledCareerPath(true);
     }
   }, [location.state]);
+  
 
   useEffect(() => {
     loadMilestonesFromServer();
@@ -85,17 +93,19 @@ const MilestoneTracker = ({ selectedCareer: initialCareer, careerClusters }) =>
     })
     
     .then(data => {
-      if (data && data.id) {
+      if (!location.state?.selectedCareer && data && data.id) {
         setCareerPathId(data.id);
-      } else {
-        setCareerPathId(null); // No existing career path for new user
+        setSelectedCareer({
+          career_name: data.career_name,
+          career_path_id: data.id,
+        });
       }
     })
     .catch((error) => {
       console.error("Could not fetch latest career path:", error);
       setCareerPathId(null);
     });
-  }, []);  
+}, []);
   
   const authFetch = async (url, options = {}) => {
     const token = localStorage.getItem("token");
@@ -129,8 +139,11 @@ const MilestoneTracker = ({ selectedCareer: initialCareer, careerClusters }) =>
   };
 
   const handleCareerPathDecision = async (careerName) => {
+    if (hasHandledCareerPath || !careerName || careerName === 'Not Selected') return; // ✅ already processed, do nothing
+    setHasHandledCareerPath(true);    // ✅ prevent duplicate handling
     setLoading(true);
     const token = localStorage.getItem('token');
+
     const response = await authFetch('/api/premium/planned-path', {
       method: 'POST',
       body: JSON.stringify({ career_name: careerName }),
@@ -142,6 +155,8 @@ const MilestoneTracker = ({ selectedCareer: initialCareer, careerClusters }) =>
     const data = await response.json();
     setLoading(false);
   
+    const fromGettingStarted = location?.state?.fromGettingStarted;
+
     if (data.action_required === 'reload_or_create') {
       const decision = window.confirm( `A career path for "${data.title}" already exists.\n\nClick OK to RELOAD the existing path.\nClick Cancel to CREATE a new one.`);
   
@@ -153,8 +168,12 @@ const MilestoneTracker = ({ selectedCareer: initialCareer, careerClusters }) =>
     } else if (data.action_required === 'new_created') {
       setCareerPathId(data.career_path_id);
     }
+    if (fromGettingStarted) {
+      navigate(location.pathname, { replace: true, state: {} }); // clear state
+    }
   };
   
+  
   const reloadExistingCareerPath = (careerPathId) => {
     console.log('Reloading career path with ID:', careerPathId);
     setCareerPathId(careerPathId);
@@ -217,26 +236,9 @@ const MilestoneTracker = ({ selectedCareer: initialCareer, careerClusters }) =>
   useEffect(() => {
     if (selectedCareer) {
       fetchAISuggestedMilestones(selectedCareer?.career_name);
-      prepopulateCareerFields(selectedCareer?.career_name);
-
     }
   }, [selectedCareer]);
 
-  const prepopulateCareerFields = (career) => {
-    if (!careerClusters) return;
-    for (const cluster in careerClusters) {
-      for (const subdivision in careerClusters[cluster]) {
-        if (careerClusters[cluster][subdivision].some(job => job.title === career)) {
-          setCareerCluster(cluster);
-          setCareerSubdivision(subdivision);
-          return;
-        }
-      }
-    }
-    setCareerCluster('');
-    setCareerSubdivision('');
-  };
-
   const handleAddMilestone = async () => {
     if (!careerPathId) {
       console.error('No career_path_id available for milestone.');
@@ -328,7 +330,6 @@ const MilestoneTracker = ({ selectedCareer: initialCareer, careerClusters }) =>
   const handleCareerSelection = async (career, socCode) => {
     setSelectedCareer(career);
     setSelectedSocCode(socCode);
-    prepopulateCareerFields(career);
   
     const token = localStorage.getItem('token');
     try {
@@ -558,18 +559,20 @@ const MilestoneTracker = ({ selectedCareer: initialCareer, careerClusters }) =>
       <div className="career-search-container minimized">
           <p>Not sure about this career path? Choose a different one here.</p>
           <CareerSearch 
-            onSelectCareer={handleCareerSelection} 
+            onSelectCareer={handleCareerSelection}
+            existingCareerPaths={existingCareerPaths}
             initialCareer={selectedCareer} 
             cluster={careerCluster} 
             subdivision={careerSubdivision} 
           />
 
-        {selectedCareer && !careerPathId && (
+        {selectedCareer && (
           <>
+          {selectedCareer !== selectedCareer?.career_name && (
             <button onClick={() => setShowModal(true)} style={{ marginTop: '10px' }}>
               Confirm Career Selection
             </button>
-
+          )}
             {showModal && (
               <div className="modal-overlay">
                 <div className="modal">
diff --git a/user_profile.db b/user_profile.db
index 7f48a8f..ac1c9fc 100644
Binary files a/user_profile.db and b/user_profile.db differ