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Career and Life-Design Certificate

 

A Brief History of Life Design

Life Design as a movement began at Stanford University’s d.school (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design) in the mid-2000s. Professors Bill Burnett and Dave Evans pioneered the original Designing Your Life course, applying design thinking principles—empathy, prototyping, and iteration—to personal and professional growth.

The course quickly became one of Stanford’s most popular electives, helping students apply design tools not just to products but to their own futures. Its impact led to the creation of the Stanford Life Design Lab, which now shares tools and practices globally, and the bestselling book Designing Your Life, which expanded these ideas beyond the university.

Today, Life Design is a global movement, empowering students, professionals, educators, and organizations to answer the question: How do I build a well-lived, joyful life?

What You Will Learn

Throughout this program, you will:

  • Understand Design Thinking for Life & Career: Apply innovation methods to shape meaningful personal and professional pathways.
  • Discover Your Unique Compass: Identify your values, strengths, and passions as the foundation of your choices.
  • Explore Multiple Possibilities: Use ideation and brainstorming to uncover diverse directions for your career and life.
  • Build Your Action Plan: Create a practical, step-by-step roadmap integrating career goals with broader life aspirations.
  • Adopt a Resilient Mindset: Develop adaptability, experimentation, and resilience as tools to navigate change and opportunity.
How to Approach the Program
  • Engage fully: Commit to each exercise and reflection.
  • Reflect deeply: Take time to connect insights to your real experiences.
  • Experiment boldly: Prototype new ideas without fear of “failure.”

Remember: there are no “perfect” answers—only opportunities to learn, iterate, and grow.

Welcome again! We are honored to walk alongside you in this journey of discovery and design. Let’s begin creating the career and life you’ve always envisioned.