Homework ofr Design Thinking Action Lab

1. Students need a better
understanding of the areas of
employment their degree and
experiences prepare them for
because they perceive many
constraints / limitations

2. • Students need career counseling
• Read profiles of people in jobs they seek
• Create list of skills / abilities
• Create list of perceived limitations / constraints
• List their experiences and describe what job these could
prepare a student for
• Mandatory co-op during school
• Work year that is like a gap year
• Apprentice program
• Interview people in jobs they seek
• Seminar course for students in the major on job / work
opportunities
Some ideas

3. Some ideas
• Just start somewhere and learn from that
• Volunteer in a position that helps acquire skills
• Join a club that helps develop skills
• Read “What color is your parachute” and do exercises
• Job rotation program in company
• Talk to HR professionals
• Linked In groups that “mentor” new grads
• Internship
• Gov’t sponsored work year for all fields
• Concept maps that link course topics and other skills

4. Some ideas
• Subscribe to professional journals
• Attend professional conference and attend variety of
sessions
• Shadow professionals at conference
• Join local chapter of professional society and attend
meetings
• Professional societies as forum for apprenticeship
• Professional society provides help on resume
construction
• College courses presented by faculty and working
professionals

5. Some Ideas
• Student constructs description of desired job then
articulates what it takes to get that job; then critiqued by
professionals
• Read job adds and construct “map” of 5 top skills;
construct pathway to get there
• Pretend – take on persona
• Role play
• Form own company that does the work
• Group of likeminded students form group
• Create television program all about the profession

6. Top 3
• Most practical – mandatory internship. Colleges could
have a mandatory internship / co-op program that
provided all students a broader understanding of the
profession and career possibilities.
• Most disruptive – job gap after first year of college.
Requires companies to be willing to hire or at least
support students and requires colleges to accommodate
the year with no loss of degree progress
• Favorite – attend professional conference. Conferences
provide a rich source of information with many diverse
examples of the career. Attend with a professional
mentor to guide the experience.

7. Top 3
• Most practical – mandatory internship. Colleges could
have a mandatory internship / co-op program that
provided all students a broader understanding of the
profession and career possibilities.
• Most disruptive – job gap after first year of college.
Requires companies to be willing to hire or at least
support students and requires colleges to accommodate
the year with no loss of degree progress
• Favorite – attend professional conference. Conferences
provide a rich source of information with many diverse
examples of the career. Attend with a professional
mentor to guide the experience.