Challenge

My challenge was to consider alternative work and career options - it's only natural to  wonder what else is out there from time to time. The challenge was also to determine  what approaches one could take, and do so in a relatively low risk and cost effective  manner.

Mid-career changes can sometimes be risky because of the time and expense needed to  execute and because the outcome can be difficult to foresee (for example, will I like  being a lawyer). By nature a pivot does not often does not lend itself easily to  quickly exploring and comparing different avenues. A career change is often a kind of  wicked problem... there may be several options and one may not know that a decision  taken is good (or bad!) until it is ‘too late’.

Selection

The tool selected to address the challenge was the Learning Launch Tool. It was  selected because as the Video described, this approach advocated the use of relatively  quick and cheap tests and experiments. Options could be drawn up and evaluated - after  trying one option - if not appealing, move on to the next, and find out in a relatively  short period of time. The hard part would be trying to find a medium that could serve  as a testing vehicle.

Application

The insight and key that helped enable and drive this approach was the proliferation of  courses offered online. The actual application of this technique would involve  participating in various courses as desired. There are many different courses online  that are relatively short and don’t require the commitment of a full degree program and  yet often still require the same degree of rigor as a graduate program. Taking  individual courses gives one the ability to sample and try out different areas of  potential interest.

Some limitations to keep in mind are as follows. This technique would probably be less  effective for evaluating major career changes (e.g. switching from engineering to the  arts). The very nature of such a change makes a reasonably quick assessment unlikely -  certain skills require years to learn and master, for example painting or learning a  language. Learning Launch would only be applied to assessing career pivots in which  certain core skills can be transferred and used extensively (e.g. programming and  analytical skills in moving from web development to mobile programming). Also, this  technique is best suited to courses that require a certain degree of rigor and work  (i.e. projects) as opposed to more passive participation (i.e. attending lectures)

Insight

For this challenge, the key questions that had to be answered were 1) what are my  interests, 2) what invigorates me, and 3) what tools are available to confirm this. The  process of uncovering the answers required for me a combination of observation, self- awareness, and systematic thinking in order to help uncover the answers. Sometimes the  answers aren't immediately apparent and an awareness of how you feel towards certain  things and in certain situations is helpful and important.

Prior to this exercise, the default option for evaluating a career change would perhaps  have been to read a career handbook, consult a career counselor, and perhaps talk to  colleagues. Adopting Design Thinking more actively provided feedback - in my case doing  coursework is more engaging and either I can decide if I like this or not.

Approach

I would probably apply the same approach the next time. If I were starting out, perhaps  visualization might be a complementary approach to use, to help clarify and document  one's thoughts. Visualization can also be used to help brainstorm new ideas and  different avenues of exploration, or to share ideas with another person to solicit  input and advice. This approach can be applied over a period of time, to document any  thoughts or ideas that might arise - design thinking is after all a process, not a  discrete event. For future challenges, perhaps additional approaches such as  volunteering could be adopted - volunteering could be a worthwhile and productive way  to try different things not limited to activities or work only available online.

