For students navigating the complexities of career choices, and for professionals contemplating a career pivot, the journey can often feel overwhelming. Recognizing this widespread need, Yale University’s Office of Career Strategy (Yale OCS) embarked on a mission in 2015 to discover a comprehensive career assessment tool. However, finding existing tools lacking in breadth and flexibility to match the diverse interests of their student body, Yale OCS took a proactive approach. Collaborating with key partners, they developed their own innovative solution: the “Designing Your Career” online tool. This tool is not just for Yale affiliates; it’s an open-access resource, incorporating design-thinking principles to guide anyone through the career exploration process.
Jeanine Dames, the Director of Yale OCS and Senior Associate Dean of Yale College, emphasizes the tool’s accessibility: “On a practical level, we created the tool to be accessible both in terms of digital accessibility standards and, also, it is housed on an open-access webpage.” She further highlights the user-centric design, stating, “The tool’s ease of use, brevity in explanation, and interactive nature are also all aspects we hope will foster high usage.” Indeed, the “Designing Your Career” tool has become a valuable asset across Yale, integrated into advising sessions, recommended by faculty, and utilized independently by students and alumni alike.
However, Yale’s vision extends beyond its campus. “Our hope is that this tool will reach beyond Yale,” Dames explains. “As career professionals, we work with some students who are just starting to explore and others who are changing paths because of a variety of reasons. We want this tool to be one of hope for students.” The underlying message is one of empowerment and reassurance. Dames elaborates, “As they use the tool, we hope they realize that it is okay to not be sure what you want, that it is okay to change your mind, and that it is okay to try something, maybe fail at it, and step back to try something else. Our hope is no matter what stage they are in that the tool helps them chart a path forward.” The “Designing Your Career” tool is readily available on the Yale OCS website, offering a beacon of guidance for anyone seeking career clarity.
Addressing the Need for a Flexible Career Tool
The impetus for creating the “Designing Your Career” Online Career Tool stemmed from the limitations Yale OCS identified in existing commercial assessment tools. As a liberal arts institution with over 85 majors, Yale needed a tool that could accommodate a vast spectrum of interests and career aspirations. Dames points out that many commercial tools were “overly prescriptive and based primarily on skills that may be developed through a major.” This rigid approach failed to capture the fluid and interdisciplinary nature of modern career paths.
Yale sought a tool that was adaptable and allowed users to engage at any point in their career journey. Dames emphasizes that at Yale, and indeed at many institutions, a student’s major is not a predetermined career sentence. “We have economics majors working on Broadway and theatre majors working on Wall Street. Many students across majors take at least one computer science and one data science class because they see them as transferable skills,” she illustrates. This fluidity demanded a more versatile online career tool. “We needed a tool that would work with all those variables. We also wanted a tool that affirmed a student’s personal and professional career goals and aspirations, free of judgment, and that helped them map a path toward achieving those.” Ultimately, Yale OCS aimed for a tool that offered flexibility, not a “rigid pathway,” to career exploration.
Beyond Majors: Career Paths at Yale
The examples of Yale graduates forging unconventional career paths underscore the need for a dynamic online career tool. The traditional notion of a linear career trajectory, directly dictated by one’s major, is increasingly obsolete. In today’s interconnected and evolving job market, skills are transferable across industries, and passions can lead to unexpected professional destinations. Yale’s diverse student body exemplifies this shift, with individuals leveraging their liberal arts education to excel in fields seemingly unrelated to their academic focus. This reality highlighted the inadequacy of assessment tools that pigeonhole individuals based on their major, reinforcing the necessity for a more holistic and adaptable approach to career guidance – an approach embodied by the “Designing Your Career” online career tool.
Design Thinking Principles in Career Development
The foundation of Yale’s online career tool lies in design-thinking principles, a methodology popularized by Stanford University. Around the time Yale OCS was searching for a solution, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans from Stanford were finalizing their influential book, “Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life.” Dames’ meeting with Burnett sparked a pivotal connection. “I heard firsthand about the vision, the ‘Designing Your Career’ course at Stanford, and the desire to partner with other schools to expand the message,” she recalls.
The appeal of design thinking was its open and iterative nature, perfectly suited to the complexities of career exploration. “The openness of the design-thinking process and its application to the career journey was fascinating to us at Yale OCS,” Dames states. Yale OCS embraced this approach, sending staff to Stanford for training and seeking funding to develop a unique program at Yale. Design thinking offered a refreshing alternative to prescriptive career assessments, emphasizing creativity, experimentation, and adaptability – core tenets integrated into the online career tool.
Key Steps of the “Designing Your Career” Tool
Yale OCS distilled the essence of Stanford’s design-thinking course into five actionable steps within their online career tool:
- Accept: Acknowledging the current situation and embracing the ambiguity of career exploration.
- Empathize: Understanding oneself, values, interests, and the needs of the world of work.
- Define: Clearly articulating career goals and challenges based on self-reflection and research.
- Ideate: Brainstorming a wide range of career possibilities and exploring unconventional paths.
- Prototype: Testing out ideas through internships, informational interviews, and real-world experiences.
Dames explains, “In making the online tool, we focused on these five steps and further broke down actionable exercises in each one for the user.” The design-thinking framework provides a structured yet flexible roadmap for users to navigate their career journey, encouraging them to embrace experimentation and learn from both successes and setbacks.
Collaborative Partnerships and Development
The creation of Yale’s online career tool was a collaborative endeavor, heavily influenced by Stanford University’s Life Design Lab. “Stanford University has been an amazing partner throughout this entire journey. The Stanford Life Design Lab has been a thought partner on our ideas and a mentor to our many advisers who have gone through their training,” Dames acknowledges. Yale OCS licensed Stanford’s original work, adapting it to create a unique tool tailored to their students’ needs and a broader audience.
Funding also played a crucial role. The Hastings Foundation, a long-time supporter of Yale OCS, provided the financial backing necessary to bring the vision to life. “The Foundation generously gave us a gift to start this exploration, and as we further built the vision, they increased their gift, allowing us to create a more sustainable structure,” Dames explains. This funding enabled Yale OCS to not only develop the online career tool but also to host workshops and training programs, further extending its reach and impact.
Stanford’s Influence and Hastings Foundation’s Support
The partnership with Stanford’s Life Design Lab was instrumental in shaping the philosophical and practical underpinnings of Yale’s online career tool. Stanford’s expertise in design thinking and career development provided invaluable guidance throughout the development process. Simultaneously, the Hastings Foundation’s generous financial support transformed the project from a concept into a tangible and accessible resource. This combination of intellectual collaboration and philanthropic investment underscores the commitment to creating a high-quality and impactful online career tool for a wide audience.
Accessibility and Broader Impact
A core tenet of Yale’s mission is to democratize access to knowledge and resources. Yale OCS embodies this principle by making its online career tool freely available to the global community. “Yale OCS is proud to further this mission, and our entire website is open for public use unless we are linking to proprietary information,” Dames emphasizes. This commitment to open access ensures that individuals worldwide can benefit from Yale’s expertise in career strategy, regardless of their affiliation with the university.
“We invite the world to use Designing Your Career, and we believe it will be helpful to any individual ready to start their career journey or reevaluate their existing path,” Dames states. The tool is designed to be versatile, catering to individuals at any stage of career exploration, whether used independently or with the support of advisors, mentors, or family. The “Designing Your Career” online career tool stands as a testament to Yale’s dedication to fostering career development and empowering individuals to navigate their professional paths with confidence and clarity. Persistence, collaboration, and a commitment to sharing expertise were crucial in bringing this valuable resource to fruition. As Dames concludes, “Getting back on track was key, and we are grateful for our many partners along the way.”
Designing Your Career is accessible via the Yale OCS website. For inquiries or suggestions, Jeanine Dames can be contacted at [email protected].
