The Career Design Method™: What It Is and How It Works

Many students reach a point where they feel unsure about what fits or how to choose what comes next. The Career Design Method™ is The Career Design Studio™’s signature program, designed to give high school and university students the focus and direction most families wish they had sooner. It replaces guesswork with a structured, psychology-based process that helps each student move forward with confidence.

Why most students struggle with fit and direction

Many students reach Grade 11, Grade 12, or early university without a clear sense of what fits them or how to choose what comes next. School-based resources can help, but they are often brief, generalized, or focused on immediate tasks. Students and parents are left asking the same questions: What actually fits? How do we decide with confidence? What steps make sense right now?

The Career Design Method™ was built to answer those questions with a structured, supportive process centered on authentic fit and direction.

What is The Career Design Method

The Career Design Method is The Career Design Studio’s signature five-session program. It helps students understand who they are, explore aligned options, and leave with a clear plan. The process combines professional assessments, guided reflections, and practical planning so students can move forward with confidence.

Each session has a clear purpose. Progress builds step by step. Students are not expected to have answers at the start. The program meets them where they are and helps them move from uncertainty to direction.

What the Program Includes

• Five 60 minute Career Design sessions via Zoom with a Career Design Consultant™

• Students complete two trusted assessments: the MBTI® (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®) and the Strong Interest Inventory®

• A personalized Career Identity Report™ that integrates assessment results and session insights into one clear narrative

• A practical Career Confidence Plan™, outlining short-term and medium-term action steps

• Optional complimentary 30 minute parent consultation (with student consent)

• One follow-up email within two weeks after the final session to address questions and support next steps

The five sessions at a glance

Session 1: Discovery

Goal: Understand the student’s story, build rapport, and set up assessments.

What happens: We review intake responses, discuss what has felt unclear, highlight strengths, and outline how the program works. Students are oriented to the assessments and book Session 2 about two weeks out so there is time to complete and review results.

Homework: Complete MBTI® and Strong Interest Inventory® within one week.

Session 2: Assessment

Goal: Explore and interpret results from the MBTI® and Strong Interest Inventory® together.

What happens: We discuss what resonates, what doesn’t, and what patterns are starting to emerge. The MBTI® offers language for how students naturally approach decisions, problem solving, and environments. The Strong Interest Inventory® highlights interest themes and related career fields. We identify two to three key insights that form the foundation for the next phase of the program.

Homework: Complete the Assessment Reflection Worksheet and send it back at least 24 hours before Session 3.

Session 3: Exploration

Goal: Integrate assessments with values and begin naming themes.

What happens: We complete a guided Career Values Sort, then bring results together into early Career Fit Themes™. We start drafting preliminary Career Identity Statements™ using the student’s own words.

Homework: Light research on 1 to 2 areas of interest.

Session 4: Design

Goal: Connect themes to real options and map possible pathways.

What happens: We work through the Postsecondary Exploration Worksheet together. We look at direct entry programs, transfer routes, applied or polytechnic options, apprenticeships, or gap years. The emphasis is alignment with strengths, values, and interests. Students leave with 2 to 3 possible directions and a short list to refine.

Homework: Complete any remaining sections of the exploration worksheet and send within one week. Session 5 is scheduled about two weeks later to allow time to synthesize the report.

Session 5: Launch

Goal: Deliver the Career Identity Report™ and build the Career Confidence Plan™.

What happens: We review Career Fit Themes, Career Identity Statements, and aligned program or pathway ideas. Then we finalize short term actions for the next three months, medium term milestones, and a flexible long term view. Students finish with clarity and a plan they can adapt as they grow.

Optional supports: A complimentary parent consultation within one month with student consent, and optional paid add-on sessions within six months if extra guidance is wanted.

The role of assessments

These assessments are administered and interpreted by a qualified practitioner.

Assessments do not define the student. They provide shared language and structure.

• The MBTI® helps describe how a student takes in information, makes decisions, and prefers to work and study. It is useful for understanding energy, planning style, teamwork, and typical blind spots.

• The Strong Interest Inventory® highlights interest patterns and work themes. It points to families of roles and study areas that are likely to feel motivating.

We use these tools as a structured starting point. What matters most is the student’s lived experience and how the results connect to their values, motivators, and goals.

From insights to identity

Two proprietary tools translate results into direction.

• Career Fit Themes™ are concise statements that capture recurring patterns across personality, interests, and values. They describe the types of problems, environments, and outcomes that feel right for the student.

• Career Identity Statements™ are short, plain language summaries that students can use to guide choices and talk about what fits them. These statements reflect the student’s own words and give them a practical compass for decisions.

The deliverables that bring it all together

Students finish with two personalized guides that support them in turning insight into action:

• The Career Identity Report™ brings together assessment highlights, themes, preliminary pathways, learning environment fit, and next steps. It is written in clear language that students and parents can use to talk through options.

• The Career Confidence Plan™ turns insight into action. It outlines concrete steps for the next three months, key research or application milestones, and a flexible one to three year view. The plan is meant to be updated as life changes.

Realistic outcomes

Not every student leaves with one final answer. Both of these outcomes represent success:

• A clear choice that fits their strengths, interests, and values

• A shortlist of aligned options with a plan to test and decide

What matters is that students finish with language for who they are, a framework for deciding, and a plan they can carry forward.

Is this program right for your student

If your student is choosing programs, thinking about a change, or simply wants direction, The Career Design Method™ offers a grounded, structured way to move forward. It is designed for high school students in Grade 11 or 12 and for university students who want a practical path to confidence in their next steps.

Next Steps

• See How It Works: A short overview of the five sessions and what’s included.

• FAQ: Find answers about pricing, booking, timelines, parent involvement, and scope.

• Book Free Consult: Meet with Erica Nye, Founder and Career Design Consultant, to explore whether this program is the right fit.