Kathleen's School-to-Work Journey

Kathleen’s School-to-Work
Journey
Gabriela Freitas
Design Thinking – Jul-Aug/2013

Agenda
•  Kathleen’s Feedback
•  Brainstorming & Selected Ideas
•  Empathy Map
•  Problem Statement
•  Meet Kathleen
•  Career Mindset
•  Educational Journey
•  Learning Experience
•  School-to-Work Transition
•  Kathleen’s 5-years career plan

Selected Superpowers
Prototype
Kathleen’s Feedback
Instead of the changing the learning method or transporting herself to the work
environment through mediators, Kathleen prioritized abilities to improve
communication, to change herself and to transform her own reality.
Insight!
Power Sensing
Join
an
associa)on
related
to
your

area
of
interest
to
improve

networking
and
extend
knowledge

(e.g.:
ITAC
-‐
Informa)on
Technology

Associa)on
of
Canada)
“We spend a lot of time complaining about how
health care technology sucks in this country,
why not make the effort to connect with
others who are trying to come up with
solutions just like you? It reduces duplicate
efforts, if you have similar ideas, and it also
increases the possibilities of coming up with
something that will be really valuable.”!
Test

Prototype
Test
Insight!
Merging

Oﬀer
small
local
business
to
apply

what
you're
learning
in
school
to
their

business.
Both
parts
win
with
the

experience.
Connect
with
a
Health
Care

professional.
Understand
their
job,

the
challenges,
and
share
ideas.
Work

on
a
solu)on
for
a
simple
(but

relevant)
problem/need
together.

“I like these two because they make
more sense to me. How can you start
imagining a career after work if you’ve
got no real hands on experience? Same
goes with application/solutions
development, if you do not understand
the problem from a users perspective
it is impossible to come up with a
viable solution.”

Insight!
Sonic Scream
Become
a
voice
in
your
area
of
interest.

Share
informa)on,
share
experiments,

ask
ques)ons,
write
essays,
suggest

solu)ons
and
start
conversa)ons.
Get

involved,
put
yourself
out
there
and
be

open
to
connect
with
other
people.
Use

social
media
(such
as
blogs,
Facebook,

TwiRer,
LinkedIn,
etc.)
in
your
favor.

“I’m trying this out at the moment. As a
developer or IT person, the presence has to do
with the following!
"1. GITHUB- to be respected as a coder,
you’ve got to be willing to put a portfolio on
display!
"2. BLOGGING- chatting about ideas as
well as documenting your progress is very
respected by future employers!
"3. TWITTER- get lots of followers
(working on it)!
"4. Linked-in... have a full profile and get
support from friends for showcasing skills”!
Prototype
Test

Insight!
Reality Warping
Start
your
own
business
now
and

adapt
your
learning
experience
to
the

challenges
you
face
in
the
process.
“#YOLO. As someone just getting out of
school, it is the best time to start you own
business. Yes, you may make mistakes and fall
on your face but then you have a more in-depth
point-of-view about what real business
requirements are. You will be a much greater
asset to future employers with some
independent learning on your hands. Other side--
you may actually succeed and never have to
worry about finding your own job again.”!
Prototype
Test

Perception & Communication
Empathy -‐
Apply
for
volunteering
in

hospitals
or
con)nuing
care

centers
in
Toronto.

- Join
an
associa)on
related
to

your
area
of
interest.
Power
Sensing
Transportation
Summoning -‐
Ask
friends
and
family
to
involve
you
in
problem

solu)on
challenges
they
face
in
their
jobs.
Portal Creation -‐
Write
companies
asking
for
the
opportunity
to

spend
a
week
learning
from
their
professionals.
Dimensions Travel -‐
Ask
friends
and
family
to
join
them
for
a
day
at

work.
Reality Manipulation
Animation -‐
exercise:
Apply
what
was
learned
in
school
to
your

household.
Reality Warping -‐
Start
your
own
business
now
and
adapt
your
learning

experience
to
the
challenges
you
face
in
the
process.
-‐
Do
extra-‐curricular
courses.
Brainstorming
Ideate
Developing Kathleen’s Superpowers
Method Oriented
Chi
-‐
Ask
teachers
to
incorporate
real
life
case

studies
during
lectures.

-‐
Ask
teachers
for
assignments
to
solve
real

life
case
studies.

Mentally-Based
Superhuman Memory
-‐
Summarize
the
extensive
notes
taken

during
lectures
and
experiments
into
a

short
form
reference
document
in
bullet

point
form.
It
is
a
quick
reference
material

that
can
be
useful
in
the
workplace.
Self-Change
Pheromone
Manipulation
-‐
Take
the
)me
to
create
an
aRrac)ve
professional
profile

for
yourself.
Make
sure
to
bullet-‐point
the
knowledge

acquired
over
the
years
in
University.
Telescopic
Vision
-‐
exercise:
simplify
the
thinking
process
behind
what
was

learned
in
school
applying
it
in
daily
ac)vi)es.
-‐
exercise:
every
)me
you
see
something
you
really
like,

imagine
yourself
in
a
mee)ng
room
with
all
the
people

responsible
for
making
it
a
success.
What
goes
on
there?

Exercise
your
thinking
of
needs,
resources
and
solu)ons.
X-Ray Vision
-‐
Offer
small
local
business
to
apply
what
you're
learning

in
school
to
their
business.
-‐
Connect
with
a
Health
Care
professional.
Work
on
a

solu)on
for
a
simple
(but
relevant)
problem/need

together.

-‐
Become
a
voice
in
your
area
of
interest.
Get
involved,

put
yourself
out
there
and
be
open
to
connect
with
other

people.

Use
Social
Media
in
your
favor.
-‐
Get
a
job,
any
job,
and
find
areas
where
you
could
apply

what
you're
learning
in
school
to
improve
yours
and/or

the
business'
performance.
Merging
Sonic Scream
Elasticity

Ideate
“I selected the ones I am most likely to do.”!
Insight!
Power Sensing
Join
an
associa)on
related
to
your

area
of
interest
to
improve

networking
and
extend
knowledge

(e.g.:
ITAC
-‐
Informa)on
Technology

Associa)on
of
Canada)
Reality Warping
Start
your
own
business
now
and

adapt
your
learning
experience
to
the

challenges
you
face
in
the
process.
Merging

Oﬀer
small
local
business
to
apply

what
you're
learning
in
school
to
their

business.
Both
parts
win
with
the

experience.
Connect
with
a
Health
Care

professional.
Understand
their
job,

the
challenges,
and
share
ideas.
Work

on
a
solu)on
for
a
simple
(but

relevant)
problem/need
together.

Sonic Scream
Become
a
voice
in
your
area
of
interest.

Share
informa)on,
share
experiments,

ask
ques)ons,
write
essays,
suggest

solu)ons
and
start
conversa)ons.
Get

involved,
put
yourself
out
there
and
be

open
to
connect
with
other
people.
Use

social
media
(such
as
blogs,
Facebook,

TwiRer,
LinkedIn,
etc.)
in
your
favor.

Empathy Map
Empathize
“I’m an early twenty-something trying to figure out what
exactly I want to be when I grow up.”
“I was going to learn how to save the world.”
“Face the job-force and actually contribute.”
“There is not much I have learned from University that
I would not have been able to learn outside but it will
give me a bit more respect on the other side.”
“We are only being prepared in getting the best marks on
a 50 question multiple-choice exam- that is not real life.”
- It is only natural that aspirations will change with time
and experience, but it seems fair to say that the
University contributed to structuring Kathleen’s career
goals.
- Traded Traditional, Prestigious and Academic
Education for Hands-On, Progressive,
Community oriented Education.
- The feeling that the educational organization is not
prioritizing what matters “in real life” and the lack of
engagement between institution and student turned
university into a mere formality.
- Somewhere along the line, the learning
experience ceased to be the main focus and the
certification at the end of the course became the
ultimate goal.
SAY
THINK
FEEL“Next step for me is to truly brand myself, figure out what
makes me different from every other Joe-Shmoe out there
and learn to project that to the world.”

Problem Statement
Define
A highly-personable, dynamic and culturally curious student of Commerce in IT
Management, with great confidence and strong goal orientation needs a better
way to incorporate “real life”/work and education because this could help her
understand what differentiates her from other professionals out there.

Name: Kathleen
Age: 23
Status: student at Ryerson University
Lives in Toronto/ON, Canada
Personality: highly personable, dynamic and
culturally curious.
Lifestyle Segmentation Profile: “Succeeder”*
Brief description:
“I’m currently working on my Bachelors of Commerce
in IT Management. I chose to pursue this degree
because it is the most applicable University degree to
what I want to be doing when I graduate. I would like
to own or manage a product development company
specializing in the Health Care field. This is why I am
working on a certificate in Health Informatics at the
same time, also at Ryerson.”
“I’m an early twenty-something trying to figure
out what exactly I want to be when I grow up.”!
* Meaning: Strong goal orientation, confidence, and need for control. Based on 4 C’s - Young & Rubicam’s Psychographic Segmentation Tool. For
more information, please visit: http://bit.ly/18ZCdEl
Imagesource:FacebookPersonalpage
Meet Kathleen
Empathize

Career Mindset
“I am more aware at this point of what kind of human capital we need in this world right now. I am currently
pursuing a degree that, I hope, will give me more concrete skills to face the job-force and actually contribute.”
“I was going to learn how to
save the world.”!
“I seriously considered entering college first to learn plumbing or another craft, something that would always
be in demand. After spending a year abroad I decided to study International Development at McGill.”
Before University:
After University:
“Face the job-force and
actually contribute.”!
Imagesource:GettyImages
Imagesource:GettyImages
It is only natural that aspirations will change with time and experience, but it seems
fair to say that the University contributed to structuring Kathleen’s career goals.
Insight!
Empathize

“After three years at McGill, I learned what true University Bureaucracy was and decided that it wasn’t
for me. When deciding where I would go to next, Ryerson was by far my top choice. Ryerson offers
the designation of being a University but with the hands on perks of being a College.”
“Ryerson is Canada’s leader in
innovative, career-focused education and
a university clearly on the move. It is a
distinctly urban university with a mission
to serve societal needs, and a long-
standing commitment to engaging its
community.” *
“McGill University is one of Canada's best-
known institutions of higher learning and
one of the leading universities in the world.
With students coming to McGill from some
150 countries, our student body is the most
internationally diverse of any research-
intensive university in the country.” *
Traditional, Prestigious, Academic
Hands-On, Progressive,
Community Oriented
* Information retrieved from each University official website’s “About” pages.
traded for!
Insight!
Educational Journey
Empathize

“I am not a typical student, I struggle learning through normal classroom delivery which means most of
my learning is done independently. I am hoping that this year, my final year, I will be able to learn
things which are a bit more applicable to my field. It helps that I now have a more concrete grasp on
what I would like to do after graduation.”
“Being completely honest, thereis not much I have learned fromUniversity that I would not havebeen able to learn outside but itwill give me a bit more respecton the other side.”!
Somewhere along the line, the learning experience ceased to be the main focus and
the certification at the end of the course became the ultimate goal.
Insight!
Learning Experience
Empathize

“We are only being prepared in getting the best marks on a 50 question
multiple-choice exam- that is not real life.”!
The feeling that the educational organization is not prioritizing what matters “in real
life” and the lack of engagement between institution and student turned university
into a mere formality.
Insight!
“Give me real life
challenges; how to
hire someone, fire
someone, how to
adjust fix my
accounting books or
how to find a bug in
my software and I
would say that
university was very
beneficial.”
“If I were a bit better at
networking and stuff I
would probably say (it
helps) for sure.
Because I spend most
of my time away from
the University
Organized events I
would have to say no.”
Empathize
School-to-Work Transition

Kathleen’s 5-years career plan
“ By the end of the next five years
I see myself owning my own
product management firm, even if I
am the only employee. I am
currently working at getting there
by taking every opportunity I can,
independent from school, to learn
everything there is to know about
Continuing Care and Health
Informatics alongside some
interesting tech things. !
Next step for me is to truly
brand myself, figure out what
makes me different from every
other Joe-Shmoe out there and
learn to project that to the world.!
!
"" "" "" ""Wish me luck!”!
Empathize

Kathleen's School-to-Work Journey

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