Designing Your Career @ Yale

Acceptance & Life Vision Creation

Everyone has a story! What life choices have you made and how do those choices influence your career interests and potential paths?

During acceptance and life vision creation you will:

• Explore design thinking principles and how they can be used for life and career decision-making,
• Begin mining your own life to pull out the salient aspects of your story, and
• Craft three life visions that align with your story.

Unlock the Power of Brainstorming

There are many ways to explore careers and design thinking brainstorming frees the mind for less familiar choices. Get “unstuck” to explore career interests, try new experiences, and learn new skills.

During unlock the power of brainstorming you will:

• Examine adventurous problem-solving approaches;
• Strengthen generative brainstorming skills;
• Expand your personal and career interests.

Growing Your Network

Up to 80% of jobs are found through referrals, so learning how to network and build professional connections is essential to a successful career search.  

During growing your network you will:

• Examine how design thinking principles can be used for life and career decision-making,
• Begin the process of recognizing myth versus reality in networking techniques, and
• Create real referrals

Testing Your Way Forward

There is no ‘perfect’ roadmap at Yale and beyond, and it’s important to visualize many possibilities, ones beyond your major, extracurriculars, and past experiences.  During this testing phase, you will develop multiple low-risk and efficient ways to prototype new options so they become possible future pathways!

During Testing Your Way Forward you will:

• Identify and craft three versions of your future life
• Explore design thinking in relation to prototyping and building new visions
• Engage with others and crowdsource ideas on how to move forward with one of your plans

Prototyping as Vocational Wayfinding

Design Thinking focuses on building a way forward, and Prototyping is a way to engage with others with similar interests. Bounce ideas off each other and get feedback on your career wayfinding questions.

During Prototyping as Vocational Wayfinding you will: 

• Engage with others to learn the rules of brainstorming [This portion uses similar themes to Unlock the Power of Brainstorming.]
• Use Design Thinking to build your way forward
• Identify life visions that align with your values 
• Prototype one of your plans that align with your values 

Online Tool

This tool should be used at your own pace. If this is your first time accessing it, you may choose to work your way through the steps in order, but you are invited to begin whereever is most beneficial.

The Design Process is individual and yields different results for each person at different developmental stages. We encourage you to return to this process as your life and your career evolve in new directions.

Start Using the Online Tool

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DYC@Yale Participant Feedback

100% of surveyed participants think this program is valuable for Yale College students.

Reflection

“The reflection of my worldview and workview make me aware of my inner motivation. I believe I could make a more proper decision at a future crossroad.”

Community

“I really appreciated how considerate and vulnerable our instructors were. It was clear that they understood the pressure, frustration, and indecision that chains down students from taking a more proactive role in their academic studies and in shaping their careers.” 

Life Skills

“This program taught me (1) that it is alright to be uncertain about the future, (2) how to approach uncertainty and solve the problems it causes, (3) even if now is not the right time for something, the future might be, (4) how to brainstorm effectively – all of which can be applied to multiple aspects of my life.”