C17PS - Becoming a Professional

Description

The world, and especially the world of work, is constantly changing. Many authors and career experts
point to the generational change in the world of work, from the three-stage career expected by those
working in the second half of the 20th century (education, employment, retirement) to the position in the
21st century, (multiple roles, very likely some period of self-employment, lifelong learning). But change is
not something confined to the last century.X6
We will all face change as we go through our working life. Careers these days are much more likely to be
what academics call ‘protean careers’. Proteus was a Greek god who, according to legend, changed his
shape according to his wish, and so he gave his name to careers that are directed according to individual
wish, and guided by the values and beliefs of that individual. In other words, you are more likely, in the
21st century, to have your career and self-development shaped by yourself than by your employer. If you
are going to direct your own career, then it helps to have a sense of what you want to do, and achieve,
and why. In other words, your purpose.
Not only will identifying your purpose help you to know what jobs to apply for, it will help in many other
ways. It will help you to articulate yourself better in interviews. It will help you to differentiate yourself
from others in a competitive job market. We show on this course how defining your purpose allows you
to inform your CV, interview better and filter the myriad demands on your time that will be made as you
advance through your life and your career. Academics have long believed that purpose-driven
individuals, and indeed corporations, do better than those without a strong sense of what they want to
achieve.
We believe, as does our university, in purpose-driven education. That is, an education that equips
students to live out their lives in a virtuous and meaningful way (Damon, 2011). Purpose-driven
education encourages students to identify, develop, and leverage their unique talents and ideas to
positively influence society. In this course we take you through the steps that you need to complete to
identify your purpose and give you the tools to develop your career and gain professional skills. As such,
there are no subject-specific skills that you will acquire on this course. Rather, this course provided a
foundation of the soft skills that are needed in addition to the technical/subject-specific skills in order to
create a successful career. You will therefore be joined by peers across the school of social sciences (and
beyond).
This course won the 'Pioneering in Education' Award in the summer of 2022, was nominated and
shortlisted for it again in 2023, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!