{"id":2896,"date":"2024-11-04T08:29:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T08:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/?p=2896"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:13:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T14:13:35","slug":"design-thinking-and-your-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/2024\/11\/04\/design-thinking-and-your-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Design thinking and your career"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Design thinking and your career<\/strong>
As we\u2019re focussing this week on careers in engineering and design, I wanted to explore how a key concept in engineering \u2013 design thinking \u2013 can be used to help you navigate your career options. Using \u2018navigate\u2019 rather than \u2018plan\u2019 was a very deliberate choice \u2013 just like engineering design problems, careers are complex, hard to predict and don\u2019t always turn out the way we expect. Careers and engineering problems both involve a process of trial and error, and both need a healthy dose of creativity, adaptability and keeping going in the face of setbacks to make progress.<\/p>\r\n


In this post I\u2019m going to take each stage of the design thinking process in turn and talk through how it can be used to make the complexity of career decision-making feel a little bit easier:

Empathise<\/strong>: empathising is all about recognising the needs of the end user of a product. When it comes to your career, the end user is YOU! Our own needs can so often get drowned out in the noise of other people\u2019s views on what we should do, our own fears around what might happen, and the information we\u2019re bombarded with in the news and social media. Empathising involves taking time to reflect on what is important to you in your career and what you\u2019re good at. Ask yourself: what are my main motivators and drivers in relation to work? What is \u2018career\u2019 all about for me? What are my values? What else is important to me in life?<\/p>\r\n


If these questions feel a bit too big and abstract \u2013 which they can \u2013 try reflecting on your experiences in the last three or four years. What do these tell you about what matters to you and where you like to focus your time and energies?<\/p>\r\n


Building up a sense of what you have to offer employers is important here too. Spend some time reflecting on your strengths \u2013 the things you enjoy, naturally do well and which give you energy \u2013 as using these in your career can help you perform well and enjoy what you do.<\/p>\r\n


The resources in our start thinking about your career get started guide<\/a> will help here, particularly our Find your Future<\/a> tool.<\/p>\r\n


Define<\/strong>: defining is all about building a sense of what you\u2019re aiming for or what \u2018problem\u2019 you\u2019re trying to solve. Not necessarily \u2018what job do I want to do\u2019 but \u2018where do I want to get to\u2019 when it comes to your career. Try finishing the sentence \u2018I want a job which\u2026\u2019 This will be different for different people but could include \u2018I want a job which pays the bills\u2019, \u2018I want a job which is in sector x\u2019, 'I want a job which has opportunities to learn and develop\u2019, \u2018I want a job which is close to family and friends\u2019.<\/p>\r\n


Of course, if you have half a dozen things you\u2019d finish \u2018I want a job which \u2026\u2019 with, you\u2019ll need to put these in priority order and work out which you\u2019d be willing to compromise on. Do a priorities grid if this helps, but don't forget to listen to your gut instinct about what's most important to you.<\/p>\r\n


Ideate:<\/strong> this is (arguably) the fun bit. Go wild and list as many jobs as you think of, or ask yourself what you would do if money was no object. You could try scanning jobs on LinkedIn \u2013 regardless of level, grade or salary \u2013 pick out 10 that look interesting, and then try and\u00a0 what appeals to you about them and spot patterns. You could list jobs according to \u2018what feels realistic\u2019, \u2018what feels a bit\u2019 out of reach\u2019 or \u2018what I\u2019d do straight after graduating\u2019 and \u2018what I might do later\u2019.
If brainstorming jobs feels a bit too big and daunting, give yourself a starting point. You could look at what\u2019s available relating to your subject<\/a>, what exists within particular sectors<\/a>, or mind map career options relating to a theme that interests you, such as technology<\/a>, health<\/a>, sustainability<\/a>, or doing good<\/a> Our careers in \u2026 helpsheets<\/a> are useful starting points too.<\/p>\r\n


Prototype<\/strong>: create small scale versions of the options you\u2019re considering and try them out for size. In practice this could look like doing some work shadowing, internships (including our new micro internship programme<\/a>) or virtual internships<\/a>, or check out the engineering competition teams<\/a>. You could also contact Bath alumni<\/a> and ask what they do on a typical working day and what they like and don\u2019t like about their jobs - great for gaining insight into what career options are actually like.<\/p>\r\n


Test<\/strong>: once you\u2019ve built up more insights into what the options you\u2019re considering are like, you could talk with someone you trust (a friend, family member or careers consultant) about what you\u2019ve learned. Was anything not what you expected? Are any of the options you though you wanted to consider now firmly off the list? Remember that the beauty of the design thinking approach is that not getting it right first time is ok \u2013 most of us do experiment with a few career pathways before getting it \u2018right\u2019, and our career ideas often change over time.<\/p>\r\n


Iterate<\/strong>: this is about further reviewing and processing the learning from your prototyping, and planning next steps. Did you discover that you\u2019d need to upskill in some way to pursue a particular option? When and how will you do this? Are there any other options you want to explore or revisit?<\/p>\r\n

Further reading on design thinking and your career<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Applying the Principles of Design Thinking to Career Development | Harvard Extension School<\/a><\/p>\r\n

How to use design thinking for an extraordinary career<\/a><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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