Thinking like a designer

The name Careeriosity is a portmanteau of career + curiosity. As a career coach, I have seen time and time again that curiosity is a powerful tool for career success. It is also one of the mindsets that allow you to approach your life by "thinking like a designer."

This idea, from the bestselling book Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, reminds us that designers approach every challenge with the following five core mindsets:

Curiosity: Be curious. Curiosity invites exploration, while minimizing the anxiety of “getting it right.” If something sparks your curiosity and enthusiasm, it's great to follow that impulse and see where it leads.

Bias to action: Try stuff. Feed your curiosity with action, and build your way forward. As the saying goes, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Try brainstorming how you might act on the things that interest you.

Radical collaboration: Ask for help. In your career planning, you'll be amazed how many people will want to see you succeed and will be willing to help if asked. Whether you reach out to family, friends, peers, alumni of your university, faculty, mentors — asking for support and advice can uncover possibilities you could not see before.

Reframing: Try a new angle. Sometimes when you’re stuck, it can help to come at it from a new angle. The act of reframing a negative thought or belief into a positive one can unlock the motivation needed to move forward and generate new possibilities.

Awareness: Know it's a process. Perhaps most importantly, in learning to think like a designer you must remember to let go of the end goal and to embrace the process. As the guests on the Careeriosity podcast often share, career paths are rarely linear! When you get comfortable with the idea that “not all who wander are lost,” you can remain open to the possibility that opportunities often come from unexpected places.

When exploring the path forward in your career, know that self-awareness and self-reflection can be powerful tools for clarifying what the right next steps will be. If you learn to “think like a designer,” it will help you cultivate action-oriented reflection practices that propel you throughout your career.