2. Agenda
• Empathy Map
• Problem Statement
• Meet Kathleen
• Career Mindset
• Educational Journey
• Learning Experience
• School-to-Work Transition
• Kathleen’s 5-years career
plan
3. Empathy Map
Empathize
“I’m an early twenty-something trying to figure out what
exactly I want to be when I grow up.”
“I was going to learn how to save the world.”
“Face the job-force and actually contribute.”
“There is not much I have learned from University that
I would not have been able to learn outside but it will
give me a bit more respect on the other side.”
“We are only being prepared in getting the best marks on
a 50 question multiple-choice exam- that is not real life.”
- It is only natural that aspirations will change with time
and experience, but it seems fair to say that the
University contributed to structuring Kathleen’s career
goals.
- Traded Traditional, Prestigious and Academic
Education for Hands-On, Progressive,
Community oriented Education.
- The feeling that the educational organization is not
prioritizing what matters “in real life” and the lack of
engagement between institution and student turned
university into a mere formality.
- Somewhere along the line, the learning
experience ceased to be the main focus and the
certification at the end of the course became the
ultimate goal.
SAY
THINK
FEEL“Next step for me is to truly brand myself, figure out what
makes me different from every other Joe-Shmoe out there
and learn to project that to the world.”
4. Problem Statement
Define
A highly-personable, dynamic and culturally curious student of Commerce in
IT Management, with great confidence and strong goal orientation needs a
better way to incorporate “real life” and education because this could help
her understand what differentiates her from other professionals out there.
5. Name: Kathleen Gatti
Age: 23
Status: student at Ryerson University
Lives in Toronto/ON, Canada
Personality: highly personable, dynamic and
culturally curious.
Lifestyle Segmentation Profile: “Succeeder”*
Brief description:
“I’m currently working on my Bachelors of Commerce
in IT Management. I chose to pursue this degree
because it is the most applicable University degree to
what I want to be doing when I graduate. I would like
to own or manage a product development company
specializing in the Health Care field. This is why I am
working on a certificate in Health Informatics at the
same time, also at Ryerson.” “I’m an early twenty-something trying to figure out
what exactly I want to be when I grow up.”
* Meaning: Strong goal orientation, confidence, and need for control. Based on 4 C’s - Young & Rubicam’s Psychographic Segmentation Tool. For
more information, please visit: http://bit.ly/18ZCdEl
Imagesource:FacebookPersonalpage
Meet Kathleen
Empathize
6. Career Mindset
“I am more aware at this point of what kind of human capital we need in this world right now. I am currently
pursuing a degree that, I hope, will give me more concrete skills to face the job-force and actually contribute.”
“I was going to learn how to save
the world.”
“I seriously considered entering college first to learn plumbing or another craft, something that would always
be in demand. After spending a year abroad I decided to study International Development at McGill.”
Before University:
After University:
“Face the job-force and actually
contribute.”
Imagesource:GettyImages
Imagesource:GettyImages
It is only natural that aspirations will change with time and experience, but it seems
fair to say that the University contributed to structuring Kathleen’s career goals.
Insight!
Empathize
7. “After three years at McGill, I learned what true University Bureaucracy was and decided that it wasn’t
for me. When deciding where I would go to next, Ryerson was by far my top choice. Ryerson offers
the designation of being a University but with the hands on perks of being a College.”
“Ryerson is Canada’s leader in
innovative, career-focused education and
a university clearly on the move. It is a
distinctly urban university with a mission
to serve societal needs, and a long-
standing commitment to engaging its
community.” *
“McGill University is one of Canada's best-
known institutions of higher learning and
one of the leading universities in the world.
With students coming to McGill from some
150 countries, our student body is the most
internationally diverse of any research-
intensive university in the country.” *
Traditional, Prestigious, Academic
Hands-
On, Progressive, Community
Oriented
* Information retrieved from each University official website’s “About” pages.
traded for
Insight!
Educational Journey
Empathize
8. “I am not a typical student, I struggle learning through normal classroom delivery which means most of
my learning is done independently. I am hoping that this year, my final year, I will be able to learn
things which are a bit more applicable to my field. It helps that I now have a more concrete grasp on
what I would like to do after graduation.”
Somewhere along the line, the learning experience ceased to be the main focus and
the certification at the end of the course became the ultimate goal.
Insight!
Learning Experience
Empathize
9. “We are only being prepared in getting the best marks on a 50 question
multiple-choice exam- that is not real life.”
The feeling that the educational organization is not prioritizing what matters “in real
life” and the lack of engagement between institution and student turned university
into a mere formality.
Insight!
“Give me real life
challenges; how to
hire someone, fire
someone, how to
adjust fix my
accounting books or
how to find a bug in
my software and I
would say that
university was very
beneficial.”
“If I were a bit better
at networking and
stuff I would probably
say (it helps) for sure.
Because I spend most
of my time away from
the University
Organized events I
would have to say
no.”
Empathize
School-to-Work Transition
10. Kathleen’s 5-years career plan
“ By the end of the next five years I
see myself owning my own product
management firm, even if I am the only
employee. I am currently working at
getting there by taking every
opportunity I can, independent from
school, to learn everything there is to
know about Continuing Care and
Health Informatics alongside some
interesting tech things.
Next step for me is to truly brand
myself, figure out what makes me
different from every other Joe-Shmoe
out there and learn to project that to the
world.
Wish me luck!”
Empathize
