1. ORIGINAL PROBLEM STATEMENT
We need schools to more closely match the real world job
requirements because as a student with broad interests, within certain
limits you can be motivated to pursue one or another.

2. PROTOTYPING TWO SELECTED IDEAS
(IDEA A) Have ‘college orientation’ mandatory classes in each high school
senior year. I think the primary selection of school/degree is done that early
and orientation at that age is critical to avoid embarking in the wrong field
altogether.
(IDEA B) Let junior year students do visits to workplaces they’re interested in
to see what they really need – Getting to see the day-to-day activities in a real
workplace will be an eye-opener for many people and encourage them to
either change their paths or adjust them to what they see.

3. IDEA A: HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE
ORIENTATION CLASS
Prototype the curriculum for this orientation class.

4. HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE ORIENTATION CLASS
First topic: High school options and decision chart
High
School
Option 1: I don’t have to
(i.e. my family will support
me for ever)
How to
make a
living?
Option 3: Self-employed. I
can make it on my own.
Option 2: Employment.
College
Do I like my options at this
point? Am I sure I won’t
change my mind later? Are
there other life skill I’ll miss
without college?
Lucky you!
Enjoy life.
Can I make it even better
with the extra knowledge
and skills I could pick up on
an related degree?
Firefigther?
Celebrity?
Math
tutor?

5. Second topic: College options
College
Option 1:
People
careers
What
would I
enjoy
better?
Option 3:
Mixed
Option 2:
Science
careers
Do I pursue
practical or
theoretical
matters?
HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE ORIENTATION CLASS
Option 2.1:
Applied
science
Option 2.2:
Research
science
Political
science
Medicine
science, sociol
ogyEngineering
science, sociol
ogyMathematics

6. IDEA B: JUNIOR STUDENT WORKPLACE
EXPERIENCE
Prototype the agenda for a sample of the day-long
experience a student would get with this program.

7. Welcome to the COMPANY X workplace experience day. Today you’ll tag along a software engineer as he
makes it through his day and you tag along.
Feel free to make any questions and please observe what his job really entails and what different skills
he needs to successfully complete it.
This is the agenda:
JUNIOR STUDENT WORKPLACE EXPERIENCE
7:30 AM – Get picked up at home and carpool to the office. Experience the rush hour traffic.
8:00 AM – Check email, reply and make ‘to do’ list for the day.
9:00 AM – Attend Project Status meeting. Describe manager the current status of my tasks.
10:00 AM – Install the new development board and compiler
11:00 AM – Final read to Software Requirements document.
12:00 PM – Out for lunch.
1:00 PM – Code one new requirement for the current software module.
2:00 PM – Meeting with other engineers to discuss a possible new feature.
3:00 PM – Module test a coworker module. Report bugs in bug tracking system.
4:00 PM - Pick up a bug from the bug tracking system in our module. Fix it.
5:00 PM – Head home. Experience the rush hour traffic again.

8. FEEDBACK FROM PROTOTYPES
• In my particular case, soon after High School, I was clear that I wanted to do
Engineering so the process you described matches there. Then, after Engineering it
was whether I should be going to work with the knowledge I have or pursue more in
the area of Electrical Engineering. I chose the latter.
• The second idea is something I would have definitely loved to have so that I would
have known more about industry life even before entering the industry.
• I am not sure whether there should be an intermediary field after Engineering, todo
further Research (get a MS or PhD) on the stuff you loved during Engineering. I don't
know whether you included that already in the Engineering field.
Presented the prototypes to the stakeholder used for the ‘Emphatize’
assignment. This is his feedback:

9. WRITTEN REFLECTION
I think the prototypes are good starting points towards the realization of these
ideas.
For the first idea, I would definitely explore in more details the different degrees
out there to try to categorize them better, as well as present other options.
For the second idea, I would try to mock the workplace experience with some
friends to get a better feeling for the feasibility. One thought is that the student
could be totally lost in may technical aspects of the job, but I think it would still
be a worthwhile experience.