Offered By

The Career Design Lab: Change your Job, Change your Life

University of California, Santa Cruz

About this Course

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If your work isn’t fulfilling, now is the time to change direction and design a life you love. This course is for people at any life stage who want a job they enjoy and a career aligned with their values. If you’re languishing at work or feel like quiet quitting is your only option, why not change careers and flourish professionally?
University of California Santa Cruz life design educator Remy Franklin will guide you through the career design process from start to finish in 4-8 weeks. You will define what is important to you in life, discover your core strengths and values, sketch out several possible career paths, and learn authentic networking strategies to help you find your next professional opportunity. Along the way, you will learn insights from design thinking, positive psychology, and career coaching that will help you maintain a positive mindset and make progress with your job search. If you’re ready to change jobs and change your life, this is the course for you.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Beginner Level

Approx. 21 hours to complete

English

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What you will learn

The difference between a job, a career, and a calling, and how to design a professional life that is meaningful and fulfilling.
How to use your strengths, values, skills, and beliefs as a guide to explore new career directions and decide which path to pursue next.
Authentic job search strategies that help you make important professional connections and find your next opportunity.

Skills you will gain

Career Development
Life Design
Personal Wellbeing
Positive Psychology & Mindfulness
Career Transitioning

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Beginner Level

Approx. 21 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Remy Franklin

Lecturer

College Nine

1,215 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

University of California, Santa Cruz

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

4 hours to complete

⚙️Welcome to the Career Design Lab

4 hours to complete

15 videos (Total 87 min), 7 readings, 3 quizzes

15 videos

Who is this course for?3mMeet Your Instructor4m✍️ Get your Design Journal2mThe Story of Three Bricklayers2mOverview of the course4m The Big Quit: Is it Time for a Change?12mWhat do we want out of work?5mWhere your deep gladness meets the world's deep hunger5mShould you follow your passion?7mAvoid the Pitfalls of "workism"4m🐒 Meet your Monkey Mind 9mHow to reframe: Shifting your focus8mYou're in the Driver's Seat7mWhich Habits do you Want to Work on?2m⏰ Tips for Time Management5m

7 readings

How does this course work?5mJob vs. Career vs. Calling10m✍️ WellBeing Batteries Design Journal Activity15m🌈 "What if it's too late?" (and other thoughts your brain likes) 15m✍️ Design Journal Activity: Received Beliefs15m🌈 Five Essential Career Design Habits10m👉 A Message from your Instructor and Further Reading (Week 1)5m

3 practice exercises

✅ Finding your passion in work15m✅ Accept/Release Received Beliefs about Work10m✅ Summary Quiz20m

Week2

Week 2

7 hours to complete

⚙️⚙️ Using Coherence as your Career Guide

Before you design a career you love, you need to know what you want. This week you’ll do lots of activities that help you write down what’s important to you in a concrete, specific way. You’ll discover your top strengths, virtues, and skills and write short statements about your life philosophy and what it means to do meaningful work. You’ll learn how to use this self-awareness as a “compass” that guides the rest of your career design process.

7 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 54 min), 9 readings, 4 quizzes

11 videos

Welcome to Week Two2mMindset Matters: The benefits of Gratefulness 5mDon't Pursue Happiness3mFocus on Coherence Instead4mGet To Know Yourself2m✍️ Core Virtues Design Journal Activity6m✍️ Guiding Identities Design Journal Activity5mIt's Time to Ask Big Questions3mYou are here to make a positive difference7mWhat Makes you Come Alive?4m"Flow" is Total Engagement 9m

9 readings

🌈 Want to be Happy? Be Grateful. 20m✍️ Gratefulness Design Journal Activity 10m🌈 Coherence Summarized10m✍️ Top Strengths Design Journal Activity1h✍️ Life and Work Philosophy Design Journal Activity1h✍️ Theory of Change Design Journal Activity45m✍️ Energy Resume Design Journal Activity30m✍️ Transferable Skills Design Journal Activity25m👉 Message from your Instructor and Further Reading 5m

3 practice exercises

✅ Who Are you?15m✅ What do you Believe?5m✅ What do you do?10m

Week3

Week 3

5 hours to complete

⚙️⚙️⚙️ Defining Your Next Career Move(s)

What career paths are you considering? If you’re feeling stuck, how can you come up with creative new ideas? And once you have some great ideas, how should you decide which to pursue? This week you’ll get a crash course in design thinking and plan out three different professional paths you could take next. Then you’ll learn how to explore those paths through authentic conversations that help you decide what you want while building your professional network.

5 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 62 min), 5 readings, 3 quizzes

10 videos

Welcome to Week Three2m😁 Learn to Think Like a Designer9mTips for Approaching the "wicked problem" of Career Design4m✍️ How to Think Outside the Box8m✍️ Warm up your Brain8mWhy Three Paths are Better Than One7mPutting the Authentic back into Networking4mTwo Reasons to do Informational Interviews6mTwo Ways to get Informational Interviews5mIMPORTANT: Schedule Two Informational Interviews2m

5 readings

✍️ Career Brainstorming Design Journal Activity1h✍️ Your Three Paths Design Journal Activity1h 30m🌈 How to Prototype your Future10m✍️ Informational Interviews Design Journal Activity30m👉 A Message from your Instructor and Further Reading (Week 3)10m

3 practice exercises

✅ Design Thinking10m✅ Three Paths Checkpoint10m✅ Defining Your Next Career Move10m

Week4

Week 4

6 hours to complete

⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️ Strategies for Getting a Job

Week 4 is about strategies for getting a job. This is the last module of the course and it’s packed with helpful strategies for succeeding at your job search. You’ll learn how long your job search should last, how to think like a hiring manager, tips for sites like LinkedIn, and how to approach resumes, interviewing, and salary negotiation like a career designer. At the end of Week 4 we’ll talk about staying focused on what matters and how to make hard choices.

6 hours to complete

15 videos (Total 95 min), 10 readings, 4 quizzes

15 videos

Welcome to Week Four6m✍️ The Keys to a Successful Job Search10mPursue Possibilities, Not Jobs5mHow Long Should your Job Search Last?7mA Note for Entrepreneurs and other "free agents"4mThink Like a Hiring Manager5mLook for a Fit, Not a Sale3mThe Energy of Money9mTips for Sites like LinkedIn7mYour Perfect Resume and Cover Letter5mWhen you are Overwhelmed, Watch This5mA Better Way to do Pros and Cons Lists10mThe Advantages of Closing Doors5mShould you Listen to your Intuition?5m👉A Parting Note from your Professor1m

10 readings

🌈 Your Job Search in 7 Steps10m✍️ Your Job Search Timeline Design Journal Activity30m🌈 Job seekers and employers have different priorities 10m🌈 4 Tips for Salary Negotiation15m🌈 Checklist for job interviews15m🌈 The Advice that Changed How I approach Every Job Interview...10m🌈 Remy's Top 10 Resources for the Job Search Process10m✍️ Decision Matrix Design Journal Activity30mHow to Choose Between Equally Good Options20m👉 A Message from your Instructor and Further Reading (Week 4)5m

3 practice exercises

✅ How to Empathize with Hiring Managers10m✅ How to Make Hard Choices10m✅ Submit Your Informational Interview Trip Report 30m

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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The Career Design Lab: Change your Job, Change your Life

The Career Design Lab: Change your Job, Change your Life

About this Course

What you will learn

Skills you will gain