Workshop Promise By the end of this workshop, participants will: • Understand how meaningful careers actually develop • Identify their strengths, interests, and values • Learn how careers emerge at the intersection of skills, passion, and market demand • Design three possible career pathways • Identify one concrete step they can take in the next 30 days

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Workshop Structure The workshop follows the MAP Method™. Mirror → Architecture → Path This reflects how direction actually develops. You first understand yourself. Then you design possible futures. Then you begin moving toward them.

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Part 1 — The Transition No One Prepares You For (5 minutes) Open with a relatable insight. Suggested framing: For most of your life, the path was clearly defined. Elementary school → middle school → high school → college. Then graduation happens… And suddenly you're expected to design your entire life. Explain the core problem: Graduates are not failing. They are navigating a transition no one teaches them how to navigate. Introduce the idea that careers are designed, not discovered.

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Part 2 — The MAP Method™ (3 minutes) Introduce the framework that will guide the workshop. Mirror → Architecture → Path Explain briefly: Mirror Understanding who you are. Architecture Designing possible futures. Path Taking action to create momentum. Tell participants: Today we’ll move through all three stages.

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Part 3 — MIRROR Understanding Your Foundation (15 minutes) Explain that direction starts with self-awareness. Ask participants to reflect on three areas.

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Strengths Prompt: What are you naturally capable of doing well? Consider: • academic abilities • communication skills • analytical strengths • interpersonal skills Reflection question: Where do people consistently rely on you? Participants write for 2–3 minutes.

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Interests Prompt: What topics or activities naturally capture your attention? Examples: • problems you enjoy solving • industries you follow • ideas you like discussing Reflection question: What kinds of work would you willingly spend time thinking about? Participants write for 2–3 minutes.

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Values Prompt: What matters most in the life you want to build? Examples: • creativity • independence • stability • impact • financial security Reflection question: What kind of life do you want your career to support? Participants write for 2–3 minutes.

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Key Insight Explain: Your direction rarely appears randomly. It emerges when your strengths, interests, and values begin to align. Transition: But personal identity is only one part of the equation. Careers also exist in the real world.

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Part 4 — ARCHITECTURE How Careers Actually Work (10 minutes) Introduce the second framework. Careers develop at the intersection of: Skills Passion Market Explain each briefly.

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Skills Capabilities you can demonstrate. Examples: • analytical ability • writing • coding • leadership

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Passion Work that energizes and motivates you.

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Market Problems organizations are willing to invest resources to solve.

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The Six Misalignments Explain that frustration often happens when one element is missing. Examples: • Passion without skills or market is a jeremiad. • Skills without passion or market is Sisyphean drudgery. • Market without passion or skills is a robot. • Passion and skills without market make for lonely artistry. • Passion and market without skills make for inefficient charity. • Skills and market without passion is just a job. Ask participants: Which of these have you already experienced? This moment creates recognition.

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Part 5 — Designing Your Three Possible Futures (15 minutes) Now participants design three potential pathways. Explain: Instead of searching for the perfect career, we design several possibilities. Participants draw three columns: • Practical Path • Curiosity Path • Bold Path

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Path 1: The Practical Path Skills + Market Prompt: Where do your current skills already meet market demand? Participants write: • possible roles or industries • skills they could strengthen Action steps: List three practical moves, such as: • informational interviews • job applications • researching companies

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Path 2: The Curiosity Path Passion + Skills Prompt: Where do your interests and abilities naturally overlap? Participants write: • areas they want to explore • skills they could apply Action steps: • start a project • take a short course • collaborate with someone in the field Explain: Passion and skills without market can feel like lonely artistry. But exploration often reveals new opportunities.

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Path 3: The Bold Path Passion + Market Prompt: What problem in the world excites you enough to pursue? Participants write: • the opportunity • why it matters to them Action steps: • speak with someone already doing this work • join a community or initiative • start a small experiment Explain: Passion and market without skills may begin as inefficient charity — but skills can be built.

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Part 6 — PATH Your 30-Day Direction Experiment (10 minutes) Final insight Clarity rarely comes from thinking alone. It emerges through action. Ask participants to choose one experiment to pursue in the next 30 days. Examples: • schedule three informational interviews • apply to a role in a new field • start a project • attend an industry event Participants write: My 30-Day Direction Experiment • What will I do? • When will I begin? • Who can help me?

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Closing Insight Meaningful careers emerge when skills, passion, and market needs gradually align. But that alignment rarely appears all at once. It is discovered through experimentation, curiosity, and movement. You don’t need to know the entire map. You only need enough clarity to take the next step.

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Close with: If you'd like deeper guidance designing your direction and building momentum, that’s exactly what we do in The Direction Lab, a 12-week program helping graduates move from uncertainty to clarity and a real-world plan.