10 Jun 2026
In a rapidly changing society and an increasingly uncertain career landscape, career education in higher education is shifting from traditional approaches of “assessment, matching and fixed pathways” towards a stronger emphasis on students’ career interests and self-development. How to awaken students’ inner motivation for career development, better understand themselves and the world of work, and design their own career paths has become an important topic in employability education and talent development.
Recently, the Student Development and Support Team (SDS) at International Business School Suzhou (IBSS), Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, organised the “Design Your Career Map” workshop. The workshop was co-facilitated by Xiaoyu Zhang and Hailu Hou, both certified Global Career Development Facilitators (GCDF) by Beisen. Through career cards, magazine collage and group discussion, the workshop guided students to draw their own career maps through both structured reflection and creative expression.
From the perspective of postmodern career construction theory, career development is not about finding a single “correct” path. Instead, it is a process of gradually constructing one’s own career story through exploration, expression and action. Rather than offering ready-made answers, the workshop combined structured reflection with creative expression to help students think more openly about their careers. Career cards helped students clarify their interests, skills and values, while images, colours and collage encouraged them to imagine possible futures in work and life.
1. Using Structured Tools to Help Students Understand Themselves
The first step in career exploration is not rushing towards a fixed career outcome, but returning to fundamental questions such as “Who am I?”, “What matters to me?”, “What skills do I already have?” and “What skills to develop?”.
In the first half of the workshop, the two facilitators used Beisen career planning cards to guide students in exploring their future career possibilities from three dimensions: interests, skills and values. By browsing and selecting different career cards, students gradually identified the career directions they felt drawn to, the abilities they already possessed, and the skills they hoped to further develop.
During the discussion, Hailu Hou shared that career values are constantly evolving, shaped by different life stages, personal experiences and external environments. In the face of future uncertainty, it is especially important to stay open-minded, embrace change and continue developing one’s capabilities.
Students explored the career cards and recorded their reflections.
2. Using Artistic Creation to Activate Career Imagination
The workshop also introduced magazine collage as a creative approach to career exploration. Compared with traditional assessments commonly used in career planning courses, magazine collage enables students to express their ideas about future careers and lifestyles more intuitively through images, words and colours.
During the facilitation process, Xiaoyu Zhang drew on her experience in career counselling and art coaching to share the complementary roles of rational analysis and emotional awareness in career exploration. She noted that career planning is not only about using logic to identify the perfect option, but also about using images, metaphors and stories to explore the deeper expectations, emotions and life themes that emerge when students reflect on career questions.
Through one hour of collage creation, students gradually transformed their ideas about future work and life into visible and tangible expressions. One student shared: “It felt like I finally entered a flow state of creation again.” Another student said; “My collage matched the values cards I chose very closely.” Some students also mentioned that the workshop helped them gain clearer ideas about their internship and practical plans for the coming summer.
【Photo 3-7 Carousel】
Workshop moments and students’ collage artworks.
For universities, career education is not only a preparatory stage for employability guidance, but also an important way to help students strengthen self-awareness, career adaptability and think about future career possibilities. The “Design Your Career Map” workshop was an exploratory attempt to combine structured career exploration with creative expression.
Looking ahead, the Student Development and Support Team will continue to supporting students in understanding themselves, exploring the wider world, and designing their own career paths in a rapidly changing era.
By Xiaoyu Zhang
Edited by Thomas Durham
10 Jun 2026