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Life Design Program

School of Health and Human Sciences

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Most pertinent question on people’s mind: What SHOULD COULD I do with my life?

Through the exploration of Purpose (“Who do I want to be?”) and Meaning (“What am I here to do?”), The Life Design Program empowers students to optimize their lives and become the best version of themselves in order to make a positive contribution to the world.

Life Design Program Models

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Life Design Program Overview

• Focuses on coaching for personal growth/development and coaching for conversation (vs. coaching for performance).

• Based on premise that purpose and meaning is the foundation for student (and life) success.

• Emphasis on developing self-expertise – “You are the expert on you!”

• Empower students to take control of their educational experience through self-directed learning.

Life Design Center (222 McIver Building)

• Location for all Design Your Life Courses (listed below)

• On-Campus Life Design trainings and workshops

• Individual/group Life Design Catalyst Coaching for students, faculty, and staff on campus

• Assistance with Design Your Life Projects/Posters in all courses

• Provides resources to encourage curiosity through introspection, reflection, creativity and play, which includes Legos, adult coloring books, markers and colored pencils, building blocks, and various arts and crafts tools.

Design Your Life Courses

First-Year Courses

• HHS125: Design Your Life I - What Could I Do With My Life (1 credit)

• HHS135: Design Your Life II - Redesign a Life You’ll Love (1 credit)

Sophomore-level and higher

• HHS250: Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurship (3 credits)

• HHS275: Entrepreneurial Personal Branding (3 credits)

Additional Features

• We don’t require a textbook for our courses; we are big proponents of Open Education Resource, so students are provided course materials on-line, free of charge.

Data

• 5-year Graduation Rate (Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, and Fall 2011 first-year cohorts) = 56.8%

(UNCG rate = approx. 50.4%)

6-year Graduation Rate (Fall 2008, Fall 2009, and Fall 2010 first-year cohorts) = 63.6% (UNCG rate = approx. 55.5%)

• Retention Rate (Fall 2008-09 to Fall 2014-15 first-year cohorts) = 77.8%

(UNCG rate = approx. 76.4%)

• Retention Rate (Students enrolled in both HHS125 and HHS135 during their first-year) = 90.6%

• Learning Objectives Results (Percentage of those that chose either "Strongly Agree" or "Agree")

o 97.6% - I have a much better understanding who I am and what I am meant to do.

o 95.1% - This course has helped me understand the meaningful work that I’m here to do.

o 90.2% - I can make better decisions about my future and my life now that I have completed this course.

o 85.4% - This course helped me decide on my major and/or helped me clarify that I am in the right major.

Life Design Catalyst Coach Training Program

• Created in June 2014.

• Content-focused (vs. Practiced-based).

• Professional development through personal reflection and exploration.

• Trained over 350 Life Design Catalysts Coaches from 57 different colleges and universities internationally, as well as many on-campus departments and local community organizations.

Life Design Staff

• Life Design Program Staff (also serve as HHS Student Success Navigators and Life Design Catalyst Coaches and Training Facilitators): Bill Johnson (whjohnso@uncg.edu) and Megan Delph (mcdelph@uncg.edu)

• Life Design Program Instructors: Dr. Kathy Williams, HHS Senior Associate Dean; Jennifer Clark and Rochelle Cassidy, Student Success Navigators

Life Design Motto: Find Your Place in the World. Today.

Life Design Catalyst Coach Training

Listing of Colleges/Universities

• American University-Paris (France)

• Appalachian State University (NC)

• Arizona State University

• Bay de Noc Community College (MI)

• Bennett College (NC)

• Boise State University (ID)

• Bossier Parish Community College (LA)

• Carolinas College of Health Sciences (NC)

• Central Wyoming College

• Fanshawe College (Canada)

• Fayetteville Technical Community College (NC)

• Folsom Lake College (CA)

• Fordham University (NY)

• Fox Valley Technical College (WI)

• George Mason University (VA)

• Georgia State University

• Greensboro College (NC)

• Guilford College (NC)

• High Point University (NC)

• Los Angeles Harbor College (CA)

• Manhattanville College (NY)

• Michigan State University

• Nicolls State University (LA)

• North Carolina A&T State University

• North Carolina State University

• North Carolina Wesleyan College

• Northeast Iowa Community College

• Northern Arizona University

• Ohio University

• Palomar College (CA)

• Pamlico Community College (NC)

• Paradise Valley Community College (AZ)

• Piedmont Virginia Community College (VA)

• Quinsigamond Community College (MA)

• Savannah State University (GA)

• Shaw University (NC)

• Stanly Community College (NC)

• Tennessee Technological University

• University of California-Davis

• University of Colorado-Boulder

• University of Dubuque (IA)

• University of Illinois Laboratory High School

• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

• University of Missouri-Columbia

• University of North Carolina-Charlotte

• University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

• University of Louisville (KY)

• University of Oklahoma

• University of Wisconsin-Madison

• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

• University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

• University of Wisconsin-Platteville

• University of Tennessee-Knoxville

• University of Tennessee-Martin

• West Valley College (CA)

• Western Carolina University (NC)

Departments/Organizations - On-Campus

• ACE (Academic Recovery) Program

• Beyond Academics

• Bryan School of Business Advising Center

• Career Services Center

• Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

• Department of Counseling and Educational Development

• Department of Human Development and Family Studies

• Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education

• Department of Public Health Education

• Development Office

• Elliott University Center

• Foundations for Learning Program

• Guarantee Program

• Healthy UNCG (Staff) Program

• Human Resources

• Living Learning Communities

• Office of Intercultural Engagement

• Office of Housing and Residence Life

• Office of Service Learning and Leadership

• Office of Sponsored Programs (Research)

• Outdoor Adventures

• Program for the Advancement of Girls and Women in Sport and Physical Activity

• Residential Colleges Program

• Special Support Services

• Teaching and Learning Commons

• TEAMQUEST

• Undergraduate Admissions

Departments/Organizations - Off-Campus

• AmeriCorps Vista

• Caswell Correctional Facility (NC)

• Center for Creative Leadership (NC)

• City of Winston-Salem (NC) Recreation Department

• College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC)

• DavidsonWorks Workforce Development (NC)

• Family Services of the Piedmont (NC)

• Game Changer/EdRevolution, Inc. (NC)

• Learning to Learn, Inc. (NY)

• Lorven Child and Family Development Center (NC)

• Sage Wine and Gourmet (NC)

• University of North Carolina General Administration

Meaningful Work

This next part – Meaningful Work – will have you create a statement that defines the work that you’re here to do. If you remember, your meaningful work is work that combines the positive attributes you know about yourself and serving the needs of the world. Defining your meaningful work could be so profound, that it could help you decide your major, identify your career paths/options, create the business you want to start – and so much more. Once you create your meaningful work statement, you will take a short quiz to determine if your statement is truly your meaningful work. The goal is to create a statement that truly defines the work you are here to do!

Finding Your Spark

(From “How to Live a Good Life: Soulful Stories, Surprising Science, and Practical Wisdom” by Jonathan Fields)

This activity provides you an opportunity to reflect on the ideas that might provide you a spark. Use these questions to identify the things you’re curious about, that you find fascinating, you you’d like to learn about at a deeper level, you you’d like to master, and that allows you to serve others in a meaningful way. When you start thinking about the work that you’d like to do, these questions may help you start the process of getting clear about the work that you’d like to do – now and/or in the future.

1. Am I curios about anything in particular? Is there a big question I’d love to answer? Is there a problem I feel compelled to solve?

2. Are there things that fascinate me? Is there a topic or field or thing or pursuit or even a person that I have a deep yearning to know more about?

3. Are there activities that I get lost in? Are there things I love to do where I lose track of time and would pay to be able to do more?

4. Is there something I want to master? Is there an art or field or pursuit I’d love to be really good at, maybe even world-class great?

5. Is there some person or community or being I feel compelled to help? It doesn’t have to be human; it could be an animal, a plant, or even the planet.

Meaningful Work Statement

What if you could be clear about the work that you’re here to do? What if that work was connected to your values, your talents and gifts, and your interests? The Meaningful Work Model was developed to provide a framework to develop the “work” you are here to do, the gifts that you will share with the world, and the positive contribution you will make in serving others – all of which empowers you to become a better person. The Meaningful Work activity which follows provides an opportunity to recognize the work you are here to do, at least at this point in your life. Use this activity whenever you are at a crossroads in your life and want to explore the “work” you’d like to do.

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Meaningful Work Statement

The Meaningful Work Statement activity will have you construct a one-sentence statement that defines the work you’re here to do. Use the lists to identify specific features that describe how you want to serve the world, in a way that resonates with you. Over time, this activity, in conjunction with the Major/career/Calling Exploration Poster, has been extremely effective in helping students find the right major(s) in college.

Values – Choose up to 3

Your Values are the things that are most important things in your life right now. This list of values is identical to the list you created in the Value Tags activity. As with that list, you will identify your top five values, the five most important things in your life right now. As you narrow down your list to five, it will be useful to also rank order your list, where you determine the most important (#1) value, second most important value, all the way down to the fifth most important value. Write your rank-ordered top five list on the Meaningful Work Statement Worksheet.

Accomplishment/Achievement

Accountability/Responsibility

Advancement/Promotion

Authority/Power/Control

Autonomy/Independence

Balance/Stability

Challenge/Risk

Competence

Competition

Creativity/Self-Expression

Enjoyment/Happiness

Entrepreneurship/Innovation

Excellence

Expertise

Fairness/Equality/Diversity

Family

Fitness/Health

Friendship

Harmony

Honesty/Trust

Integrity

Knowledge/Learning/Education

Leadership

Leisure

Loyalty

Nature/Environment

Personal Development/Growth

Recognition/Fame/Prestige

Religion

Respect

Safety/Security

Service/Helping Others

Spirituality

Travel/Adventure

Wealth

Wisdom

Talents and Gifts

This part of the meaningful work activity will have you identify your talents and gifts. These are the things that you are both good at AND you enjoy doing. Circle, highlight, or place a check next to all that apply to you, then narrow down your list up to five (5) that fit you best. Make sure you choose only those things that you’re both good at doing AND that you like to do! Note: If something is not listed below, feel free to add it to your list! Write your top five list on the Meaningful Work Statement Worksheet.

Talents and Gifts – Choose up to 3

|Adapting |Gathering information |Playing games |

|Analyzing data |Giving advice |Playing sports |

|Appreciating things |Giving people hope |Programming |

|Arranging |Giving presentations |Public speaking |

|Asking good questions |Having conversations |Reading |

|Being adventurous |Having fun |Recruiting others |

|Being fair |Healing |Reflecting |

|Being funny |Helping/serving others |Remembering things |

|Being optimistic |Implementing |Repairing things |

|Bringing out best in others |Including others |Reporting |

|Building things |Inspiring others |Researching |

|Buying |Learning from mistakes |Resolving problems |

|Caring for others |Learning new things |Saving lives |

|Cleaning |Leading others |Selling/Marketing |

|Collecting |Listening |Showing compassion |

|Coming up with new ideas |Living in the moment |Singing |

|Compiling statistics |Making arts and crafts |Speaking languages |

|Connecting people |Making decisions |Spending wisely |

|Cooking |Making foods/drinks |Starting new things |

|Coordinating activities |Making music |Storytelling |

|Counseling |Making people happy |Taking care of people |

|Creating new things |Making people laugh |Taking pictures |

|Dealing with pressure |Managing money |Taking risks |

|Dealing with relationships |Managing people |Talking |

|Debating |Managing time |Teaching/Training |

|Decorating |Meeting people |Thinking |

|Demonstrating |Memorizing |Traveling |

|Designing |Motivating others |Understanding law/legal issues |

|Developing |Moving |Using computers |

|Driving |Networking |Using electronics |

|Eating healthy |Note-taking |Using technology |

|Encouraging people |Organizing |Working on cars |

|Enhancing beauty |Painting/Drawing |Working outdoors |

|Entertaining others |Parenting |Working with numbers |

|Exercising |Performing |Working with tools |

|Fixing things |Planning events |Working with your hands |

|Future-thinking |Playing instruments |Writing |

Interests – Choose up to 3

Your interests are the things that you’re interested in, areas you’re curious about, things that you’re passionate about, problems you’d like to solve, and things that make you angry or drive you crazy. You may also use this as an opportunity to think about areas you’d like to learn more about. For this part of the exercise, choose up to five interests. Note: If there are areas that are not listed that you’re interested in, add them to your list. Write your top five list on the Meaningful Work Statement Worksheet.

|Government/Politics |Business |Entrepreneurship |

|Farming/Agriculture |History |Medicine/Medical Care |

|Toys/Games |Clothing/Fashion |Writing/Publishing |

|Beauty |Languages |Hotels/Event Planning |

|Cars/Driving |Safety/Security |Entertainment |

|Electronics |Education |Computers/Technology |

|Diversity |Transportation |Mental/Emotional Health |

|Sports/Athletics |Children Issues |Home Improvement |

|Dance |Nutrition/Food |Religion/Spiritual |

|Energy (Resource vs. Spiritual) |Music/Radio |Housing/Real Estate |

|Law/Justice |Military |Math/Statistics |

|Animals/Pets |Families/Relationships |Landscape |

|Design |Exercise/Fitness |Theater/Acting |

|Disabilities |Aviation/Flying |Plants/Flowers |

|Environment/Nature |Marketing/Sales |Self-Help/Personal Growth |

|Humor |Furniture/Antiques |Social Media |

|Money/Finance |Books/Libraries |Cooking |

|Philanthropy |Recreation/Outdoors |Forensics/Death/Mortician |

|Boating/Water |Health/Wellness |Sexuality |

|Travel/Tourism |Television/Movies/Film |Photography |

|Arts/Crafts |Weather |Sciences |

Audience – Choose up to 3

Your audiences are the people/groups you’d like to help, those you could see yourself working with, and/or those individuals/groups that could benefiting from what you could share. For this part of the exercise, choose up to five audiences. Note: If there are people/groups that are not listed that you’d like to be involved with, add them to your list. Write your top five list on the Meaningful Work Statement Worksheet.

|Business Owners |Entrepreneurs |Athletes |

|Young Children |Communities/Neighborhoods |Deaf/Hearing Impaired |

|Special Needs – Mentally |Special Needs - Physically |Disaster Victims |

|High School Students |Infants/Babies |College Students |

|Creative People |Blind/Visually Impaired |High Level Executives |

|K-12 Education (Teachers, Staff) |Families (includes your own) |Higher Education (Faculty, Staff) |

|Specific Medical Issues |Specific Ethnic/Racial Groups |Substance Abusers |

|Poverty/Rural Areas |“Do-It-Yourself” (DIY) People |Religious Organizations |

|Mothers and/or Fathers |People from Other Countries |Single Parents |

|Delinquents |People in Emotional Crisis |Elderly/Seniors |

|Females/Males |At-Risk Groups |Gangs/Gang Members |

|Homeless People |Farmers |Entertainers/Celebrities |

|Children in Foster Care |Animals |Pregnant Teens/Adults |

|Unhealthy People |Orphans/Runaways |Physically Abused |

|Artists/Performers |Prisoners |Immigrants |

|Veterans/Military |Marriages |Single People |

|Adults |LGBTQA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Asexual) |

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Action – Choose up to 3

Action words describe what you will do to help others, the process of how you will provide your help, or how you interact with others. Your action words may also describe what you the action that your audience will take when working with you. Action words describe action, to DO SOMETHING! As you choose your action words, think about the connection between your action words and your values, talents and gifts, interests, and audience. For this part of the exercise, choose up to five action words. Note: If there are action words that are not listed that you’d like to include, add them to your list. Write your top five list on the Meaningful Work Statement Worksheet.

Advise

Advocate

Assist

Build

Change

Coach

Collaborate

Connect

Construct

Contribute

Coordinate

Counsel

Create

Cultivate

Deliver

Demonstrate

Design

Develop

Direct

Discover

Dream

Educate

Eliminate

Employ

Empower

Enable

Encourage

Engage

Enlist

Entertain

Evaluate

Examine

Explain

Explore

Express

Facilitate

Feed

Foster

Free

Freedom

Gather

Guide

Heal

Help

Imagine

Improve

Influence

Inform

Inspire

Instruct

Invite

Lead

Lift

Listen

Live

Love Make

Mentor

Motivate

Nurture

Optimize

Prepare

Promise

Promote

Provide

Pursue

Reclaim

Rejuvenate

Restore

Savor

Share

Show

Study

Support

Surrender

Teach

Train

Transform

Unlock

Uplift

Worship

Impact/Change – One or two phrases

And for this last part, take a few minutes to write one or two phrases in the space below that briefly describes the impact you believe you will make, the changes that will occur for the people/groups you serve, the benefit others will have from your work, and/or how the lives of your audience will improve as a result of your help. Use the space below to jot a few ideas for your phrase(s); write your final phrase (or two) on the Meaningful Work Statement Worksheet.

You will use your results from the Values, Talents and Gifts, Interests, Audiences, and Action categories, as well as your Impact/Change phrase, to develop your Meaningful Work Statement.

After you've come up with your list of “words” from the various activities, it’s time to come up with ONE sentence that sums up your Meaningful Work – the work you’d like to do, who you'd like to help, how you’d help them, and the impact you will have and/or the change that will occur. Your meaningful work statement is a declaration that defines your contribution, your positive impact on others, and how your work will make you a better person. You may also decide to create multiple statements, especially if you have multiple interests and/or multiple audiences. Multiple statements may provide you an opportunity to select one statement to start with right away or find ways to combine/connect multiple statements into one. Remember to limit your statement to just ONE sentence to make this process easy for you. Below are several templates that may help you construct your statement; feel free to modify as you see fit – or combine statements that suit your needs. The best way to start this activity is to take your first choice of words in each category (talents, and gifts, interests, audience, and action) and see if you can come up with statement to start with, then modify accordingly. As you construct your meaningful work statement, keep these three questions in mind:

• What do I do?

• Who do I help?

• Why does it matter?

Meaningful Work Statement Worksheet

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Meaningful Work Statement Sample Templates - fill in the template(s) blanks with at least one choice from each of the areas listed above. Feel free to choose one or both templates below):

• Because I value __________ (value) and have an interest in __________ (interest), I will use my __________ (talents and gifts) to __________ (action) __________ (audience) so that __________ (impact/change).

• My meaningful work is to use my skills in __________ (talents and gifts) to __________ (action) __________ (audience) so that __________ (impact/change), because I value __________ (value) and have an interest in __________ (interests).

Meaningful Work Statement Sample Open-ended Sentence Starters (Note: If you use one of the open ended starters, you’ll need to make sure to incorporate at least one item from each of the six items from the worksheet above):

• I am here to…

• I will serve others (or serve the world) by…

Bill’s Example:

• Because I value wisdom and personal growth/development and have an interest in self-help and well-being, I will use my talents and gifts in group facilitation and connecting people to empower students, faculty, and staff in higher education AND people at a crossroads in life to optimize their lives to make a positive contribution to the world and become better people.

Use the space below (or a separate sheet of paper) to come up with your final statement. Feel free to construct multiple statements if you have multiple interests, multiple audiences you wish to serve, etc. We will test you on your Meaningful Work Statement in the next class.

Potential Meaningful Work Statement Checkup

As you try to decide on the ONE Meaningful Work Statements, here’s a way to test whether this statement is aligned with your values, talents and gifts, interests, audience, and impact/change. Use the questions and the scale below to determine the right meaningful work statement for you:

3 = a lot 2 = some 1 = a little 0 = none

1. How much is this meaningful work tied to my personal core values and/or desired work values? _____

2. How much would I be able to include my talents and gifts in doing this meaningful work? _____

3. How much is my interest(s) tied to this meaningful work? _____

4. How much empathy do I have for this particular audience if involved in this meaningful work? _____

5. How much of an impact/change will I really be able to make doing this meaningful work? _____

The highest score you could obtain is 15 (higher is better); you would want to at least score a “10” to consider this your meaningful work. If your score is not a “10” or more, what change in your statement (a change that resonates with you) would you have to make to get your score to a “10?” Does your statement need to be more aligned with your values? Do you need to take more advantage of your talents and gifts? Do you need to work with an audience where you can have a greater impact?

Meaningful Work Statement Quiz

The last part of this activity will have you take the Meaningful Work Statement Quiz, a Quiz that challenges how much your statement resonates with your life. Is your meaningful work truly the work that you’re here to do in this world? The six questions in this Quiz will provide you with one more test to see if this is your meaningful work. It’s a very simple Quiz – you must answer either “YES” or “NO” to each of the questions; MAYBE is not allowed.

1. __________ 2. __________ 3. __________ 4. __________ 5. __________ 6. __________

Major/Career/Calling Exploration Poster

Do you have interest in one particular area?  In multiple areas?  Can't decide on any one particular major/area to focus on?   What are your options - as far as majors, minors, and concentrations?  What should you really pursue while in college?  It is our goal to help you find/create work that matters and to understand the difference between a job, a career, and a calling, which we have the listed below (from Job, Career, Calling: Key to Happiness and Meaning at Work? - ):

• Job Orientation: Individuals who fall into this category tend to view their work as a means to an end. They work to receive the pay and/or benefits to support their hobbies, family, or life outside work. They prefer jobs which do not interfere with their personal lives. They are not as likely to have a strong connection to the workplace or their job duties. The job serves as a basic necessity in life.

• Career Orientation: An individual with a “career” orientation is more likely to focus on elements related to success or prestige. This individual will be interested in the ability to move upward in his or her career, to receive raises and new titles, and to achieve the social standing which comes from the career. Careers which have a clear upward “ladder’ are appealing to those with a career orientation.

• Calling Orientation: Individuals with a calling orientation often describe their work as integral to their lives and their identity. They view their career as a form of self-expression and personal fulfillment. Research conducted by Wrzesniewski and colleagues find that individuals with a calling orientation are more likely to find their work meaningful and will modify their duties and develop relationships to make it more so. They are found to be more satisfied in general with their work and their lives.

This week, you will put together a "poster" (must be a minimum of 18" X 24") about your major/career/calling options, to include the following:

1. List your meaningful work statement.

2. A list of at least two (2) and up to four (4) potential majors/concentrations aligned with your meaningful work statement.  You may also choose these majors based on your personality type, your values, your strengths, your talents and gifts, your interests, your audience – or a combination of all of the above.  The goal is to provide you with at least a Plan A and Plan B for your future. If you aren’t sure that to choose, check out this "List of UNCG Majors - ” - to see the many options for majors/concentrations at UNCG.  If you can't narrow down your options because you don’t know or have to many, choose from two to four that sound most interesting - it's always better to have more options than less, especially if you're pursuing a “competitive” major.  If you have an interest in pursuing multiple majors, list these on your poster as well. You will need to list these major(s)/concentration(s) options on your poster.

3. For each of the majors that you choose (even if it’s just one), make sure to identify the specific entrance requirements to get into the major, such as GPA requirements, prerequisite courses, application forms/deadlines, and any other specific entrance requirements.  Make sure to list these entrance requirements on your poster.

4. If you have or have an interest in one or more minors, make sure to list the minor(s) and the requirements to complete the minor(s), such as number of credits, courses that you plan to take to complete the minor(s), and any other useful minor-related information on your poster. Find a list of minors here: list of uncg minors, 10-18-16.doc

5. If have interests in courses not related to major requirements but will enhance your college experience (such as courses in speaking, photography, media studies, art, music, theater, business, etc.), include those options on your poster as well.  For this category (list as “Interesting Courses”), list classes that you might take that would actually be FUN. You can review UNCG's Undergraduate Bulletin () to see the list of courses (and their descriptions) offered at UNCG.  This list of courses may also provide some information to help you choose the major that fits you best.  

6. For this next part, you will need to visit the two links below:

• What Can I Do With a Major In -

• Majors That Pay You Back () -

• Use the links above to write down the following information on your poster:

▪ Specific areas and employers related to your major choices and/or meaningful work.

▪ Information, strategies, requirements, and/or experiences you need to obtain to pursue this work further or enhance your chances of finding/creating a position (graduate school, certificates, observation hours, etc.).

▪ Average starting salary for your major - include both bachelors and, if necessary, graduate/professional degrees - in your major/meaningful work/area of interest.

7. On your poster, write down your list of courses you plan to take for the following (Spring 2017) Semester.  If you're not sure what to take, visit department web sites to see if they have suggested four-year course sequences for their majors.  

• Programs of Study in the School of Health and Human Sciences:

8. Include a four-year plan of study of what you should take for the rest of your college career to finish out your degree. These can be found on most department websites.

9. If you have an interest in graduate school, use the link below to get a list of graduate programs in your area of interest and/or programs in a particular location/state.  On your poster, write down your graduate school interest(s), as well as a list of at least three graduate school programs that have your major/area of interest.  For example, if you want to get a list of graduate-level Physical Therapy programs in the state of North Carolina, use the link below and type in physical therapy and North Carolina for a list of schools.

• Petersons Graduate School Research -

10. Also list student organizations and/or professional organizations that could enhance your experience in the major/area of interest.  List at least three student organizations and/or professional organizations that are associated with your major/area of interest. Campus Activities and Programs:

11. Feel free to include anything other information regarding your interest(s) in majors, careers, calling, and meaningful work that's pertinent to this assignment.

FOR SENIORS ONLY: If you are a junior or senior taking this course, use this as an opportunity to reflect on your undergraduate experience.  You will put together a poster that includes:

1. Your meaningful work statement, as well as your major(s)/concentration(s), minors (if any), and a list of the most interesting courses you’ve taken, at UNCG and/or other places. You can also include any special training/certifications you’re obtained to enhance your education.

2. What you are doing (and what you have done already) to prepare yourself for life after graduation. List graduate school you plan to apply to (or have applied to), potential companies/fields you plan to explore (or received job offers), a small business/side gig you plan to create (or created), or anything else pertaining to your future educational and/or work goals. List the specific areas of interests and employers related to your field, as well as the average starting salary for a degree in your major.

3. A list of student/professional organizations you’ve been involved in during your academic career, regardless of whether they were within or outside your major. Include any internships, apprenticeships, study abroad, part-time/full-time work, or any other experiences that were important and/or valuable in developing your academic/work career.

4. Briefly share your answers to each of the following questions (no more than two sentences for each question):

• How do you feel about your choice of a major? Are you happy with it or would you have chosen something else?

• If you had an option to start your college experience all over again, what would you do differently?  

• List the experiences have been most meaningful and rewarding?  

• What has been your biggest challenge regarding your major/career choice?

• Feel free to add another sentence or two about anything else that addresses the positive or negative experiences about college, i.e. choosing on a major, working with an advisor, etc.

This is no particular design that’s required for these posters. If you are sure what to do, click on this link - to see examples of posters from previous classes.

The purpose of this homework assignment is to get you to explore and understand your options for majors, minors, graduate school, student organizations etc., as well as to provide you with the resources to make informed decisions about your future. Remember, this is to be completed as a poster project, not as a written report.

Calling Connection Worksheet and MindMap

(Adapted from the book, “Build Your Dreams: How to Make a Living Doing What You Love” by Alexis Irvin and Chip Hiden)

The Calling Connection is a process to help you identify potential opportunities to pursue based on your meaningful work in a variety of areas. It is important that you create a meaningful work statement in order to complete this exercise. It may also be useful to link your talents and gifts to future opportunities as well. Categories include Business, Creative, Scientific/Research, Social/Political, and Teaching. Use the blank box next to each listed category to identify specific things you could pursue to get started on your meaningful work.

|Business | |

|Name(s) of specific job/title/employment you could obtain… | |

|Name(s) of a business you could start/own… | |

|Name(s) of a product(s) you could create… | |

|Name(s) of a service(s) you could offer … | |

|Name(s) of a professional organizations and/or associations you could join, create, | |

|and/or be involved in… | |

|Name(s) of consultant work you could do… | |

|Name(s) work that you could do as/with an outside contractor, supplier, or vendor… | |

|Name(s) of marketing and/or sales work you could do promoting this work… | |

|Name(s) of an invention you could make… | |

|Name(s) of an area where you want or could be an expert… | |

|Name(s) of an internship/apprenticeship you could get… | |

|Name(s) an app that you could create… | |

|Creative | |

|Name ways you could write about this area (i.e. blog, magazine, newspaper, or book)… | |

|Name ways you could use pictures, drawings, or illustrations… | |

|Name ways you could incorporate dance or some type of movement… | |

|Name ways to use of TV, movies, video, podcasts, and/or film… | |

|Name ways to incorporate other type(s) of art, such as painting, photography, pottery, | |

|jewelry, etc.… | |

|Name ways incorporate music, such as live music, through radio, playing music, etc.… | |

|Name types of designs or decoration that could be used… | |

|Scientific/Research | |

|Name ways to evaluate facts and/or opinions in this area(s)… | |

|Name ways to collect data and/or gather information… | |

|Name(s) of type of testing, analysis, and/or experimentation that could be done… | |

|Name areas of further inquiry, exploration, or investigation… | |

|Name(s) safety, liability, or other issues that might need to be addressed… | |

|Name(s) of a new method to do this (based on results)… | |

|Name(s) of specific types of clinical work opportunities… | |

|Name benefits/drawbacks of this work… | |

|Name best practice(s) in this area… | |

|Name(s) of types of reports you could write/produce… | |

|Social/Political | |

|Name ways to serve as activist or lobbyist… | |

|Name affected laws and policies involved in this work… | |

|Name(s) of work you could do with non-profits and/or charities… | |

|Name opportunities within the local community… | |

|Name opportunities at the state, national, or international level… | |

|Name opportunities within government… | |

|Name(s) of a new legislative process… | |

|Name economic issue(s) that might be tied to this work… | |

|Name(s) of groups or specific populations that could be affected by your work… | |

|Name(s) of a campaign/movement you could create… | |

|Name allies/mentors that could assist you… | |

|Teaching | |

|Name ways to provide instructions/teach to others… | |

|Name strategies to be successful or to do the same thing… | |

|Name programs/activities you could create and/or develop… | |

|Name classes you could provide… | |

|Name opportunities to develop a school or educational program… | |

|Name ways to provide coaching, guidance, or mentoring… | |

|Name alternative means to deliver learning opportunities, such as on-line, MOOC’s, etc…. | |

|Name apprenticeships and/or internships opportunities that you could create… | |

|Name workshops and/or trainings you could provide… | |

|Bill’s Example |

|Business |Creative |Scientific/Research |

|Start a self-help company; open a local self-help |Write reviews of best self-help practices or |Research benefits/drawbacks of self-help program;|

|bookstore; work with local agencies to promote |self-help books; create a self-help blog; create |research best and most successful self-help |

|self-help work; create a new self-help process; |self-help videos; write a self-help book or |programs; test/write reports on success/failure |

|connect with self-help organizations; organize a |e-book; develop different types of creative, |of self-help programs; acquire data to support |

|self-help event week; start a local or on-line |artistic methods to learn about self (i.e. vision|establishment of self-help program; |

|self-help group. |boards) | |

|Social/Political |Teaching |

|Create a self-help manifesto; start a campaign to develop self-help |Teach self-help strategies to others; develop self-help workshops; host |

|program in colleges and universities; organize revolution to incorporate |classes that incorporate self-help; conduct a seminar on the benefits of |

|self-help as part of curriculum; start a non-profit self-help group. |self-help; develop a training program for others to learn self-help |

| |process. |

Calling Connection Mind Map

A Mind Map is a visual diagram that uses words and pictures to create themes around a basic idea. The best way to visualize a mind map is to think of an old tree with many, many braches. Mind maps allow users to graphically display information on a topic; people will tend to use them to creatively brainstorm ideas. Here’s an example of a Mind Map:

[pic]



For today, we will have you create a mind map around your meaningful work. To start, write a synopsis of your meaningful work statement as your central theme in the middle of the paper. For this mind map activity, we will draw five branches from this theme: Business, Creative, Scientific/Research/ Social/Political, and Teaching. We will use the thought-provoking prompts within each of category to help extend the branches our map. Your answer to the prompts would become a branch from the main category. For example, one of the prompts for Business is ‘name a job/employment opportunity…”; you could create a branch from Business that identifies a specific job that you could obtain in that area.

[pic]

Contact Information

Bill Johnson

Student Success Navigator, Life Design Catalyst Coach and Lead Facilitator, Instructor

Life Design Center/Advising and Personal Development Center

School of Health and Human Sciences

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Office e-mail: whjohnso@uncg.edu

Office/Business phone: 336-207-6795

Bill’s Dream Dean Blog:

Megan Delph Cayton

Student Success Navigator, Life Design Catalyst Coach and Facilitator, Instructor

Life Design Center/Advising and Personal Development Center

School of Health and Human Sciences

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Office e-mail: mcdelph@uncg.edu

Office/Business phone: 614-284-1443

Megan’s Blog:

Work web site:

Life Design Catalyst web sites:

• Home:

• Resource list:

• Facebook Group: Life Design Catalyst Coaching

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