Designing Your Future
An online program built on the ‘Life Design’ model from Stanford University. Grounded in design thinking concepts and techniques it supports students and graduates to assess strengths, plan their future career and begin taking the necessary steps to achieve their goals.
Linking People to the Future of Work
Defining Your Future is an innovative, Australian-first online program that will help you develop the skills you need to create a thriving and fulfilling career. Design thinking is a creative problem-solving approach which can be used in teaching practice or in real-world situations.
It was co-created in collaboration with leaders from the ‘Life Design Lab’ at Stanford University and is specifically delivered for an Australian job and career context.
Who is it for?
For anyone looking to upskill, reskill, enter or re-enter the workforce.
This program will give you insights into the future of work and help you identify new career pathways and opportunities to improve your skills.
How does it work?
The Designing Your Future online program is split into three separate stages (or modules), delivered by expert academic and practitioner staff across the Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN).
Stage 1 is offered as a self-paced free online module.
Stages 2 and 3 are offered together as a deeper dive and are eligible for academic credit points at ATN Universities.
Program details
Offered fully online by the following ATN Universities: Curtin University, RMIT and University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
Stage 1
Designing Success
About
Stage 1, Designing Success, introduces design-thinking mindsets, invoking curiosity, radical collaboration and reframing. This is an opportunity to apply design thinking to your life and work to achieve success or choose a more rewarding career.
During this stage you will:
- define what matters to you in terms of life and work
- use the tools and methods of design thinking to generate ideas on how to succeed in your personal life and career, and test those ideas
- apply a toolbox of tools and techniques to solve problems (and take this toolbox with you into your new future!).
Stages 2 & 3
Designing For You and Designing Your Career
About
Stages 2 and 3, Designing For You and Designing your Career, dives deeper into how you can apply design thinking to explore your preferences and strengths to achieve a sustainable and meaningful future.
You will use design thinking principles and tools to reflect on, realise and refine your ideas and understandings of what makes a successful career. Using this knowledge, you will build a personalised career plan that will enable you to progress in a complex and challenging work landscape.
To successfully complete Stage 2 you will need to submit the following assessments:
- Assessment 1 – Energy mapping
- Assessment 2 – My three futures
To successfully complete Stage 3 you will need to submit the following assessments:
- Assessment 1 – Future skills development plan
- Assessment 2 – An interview with your future self
§Price subject to change. Please check price with the University delivering the modules at time of purchase.
Any Questions
Who can enrol in these modules?
Anyone ready to take the next step in their career.
Is there a cost for undertaking Designing Your Future modules?
It depends.
Stage 1 Designing Success is free for everyone.
Stages 2 and 3 are costed. The exact price is dependent on the University delivering the modules. It’s best to check with your chosen institution before committing to these stages.
Is there more information about what Stages 2 and 3 include?
Yes!
Stage 2 topics include:
- Topic 1 – Getting started
- Topic 2 – Using the journey
- Topic 3 – Preparing for the future
- Topic 4 – Collaborating with others
- Topic 5 – Finding states of flow
- Topic 6 – Energy mapping
- Topic 7 – Using positive psychology
- Topic 8 – Revisiting world and work views
- Topic 9 – Revisiting ideation
- Topic 10 – Learnings and unlearnings.
Stage 3 topics include:
- Topic 1 – Getting started
- Topic 2 – Continuing acceptance and empathy
- Topic 3 – Understanding opportunities
- Topic 4 – Prototyping
- Topic 5 – Informational interviewing
- Topic 6 – Valuing networking
- Topic 7 – Dealing with challenges
- Topic 8 – Enhancing your digital presence
- Topic 9 – Storytelling
- Topic 10 – Continuing design & being accountable.
Are Stages 2 and 3 really a 120-hour commitment? It sounds a lot.
Stages 2 and 3 do indeed involve 120 hours of online resources, readings, activities and assessments. That’s 120 hours total for both modules, not per module. You can complete these at your own pace within 12 months.
However, to pass the assessments and earn the eligible academic credit points, you may need to commit further time.
It may sound like a lot, but the impact on your career and life will be worth it!
Can you tell me more about the academic credit eligibility of Stages 2 and 3?
Absolutely!
On successful completion of Stages 2 and 3 you will also earn academic credit points in line with Australian Qualification Framework Level 8 criteria.
The number of credit points earned is dependent on the University with which you choose to complete the program – they will be equivalent in nature across all six ATN Universities, just different in number based on the university’s credit framework.
For example, at Curtin University, successful completion of Stages 2 and 3 are eligible for 25 credit points. This is equivalent to a quarter of the credit points towards a Graduate Certificate at Curtin University (100 credit points are required to earn a Graduate Certificate at Curtin University).
Get involved
Designing Your Future will open across ATN throughout early 2022, with admissions available through individual ATN universities (Curtin University, Deakin University, RMIT University, The University of Newcastle, University of South Australia and University of Technology Sydney).