Career Development - Discover your life purpose & ideal job
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Career Development - Discover your life purpose & ideal job
This course is part of Career Growth: find and achieve your dream career Specialization
Instructor: Chris Croft
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What you'll learn
Find a career that suits you: Understand what motivates you, explore your life purpose, and discover a job that fits your strengths and personality.
Build a successful career: Set clear goals, learn key career success factors, improve interview skills, & handle setbacks or career changes calmly
Skills you'll gain
- Growth Mindedness
- Goal-Oriented
- Entrepreneurship
- Decision Making
- Professional Networking
- Interviewing Skills
- Planning
- New Business Development
- Job Evaluation
- Negotiation
- Leadership Development
- Adaptability
- Professional Development
- Business Leadership
- Personal Development
- Lifelong Learning
- Smart Goals
- Goal Setting
- Self-Awareness
- Leadership and Management
Details to know
March 2026
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Build your subject-matter expertise
- Learn new concepts from industry experts
- Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
- Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
- Earn a shareable career certificate
There are 8 modules in this course
Chris Croft is an international speaker and author who has been teaching goal setting and career progression skills to people around the world for over 20 years. His practical and entertaining teaching style keeps learners engaged while delivering valuable, life-changing skills.
It’s incredibly common to feel like you’re not achieving enough, or that you don’t know what your life purpose is. The root of these problems is most often found in your work life, but it can be surprisingly simple to get back on track and start doing what you love. Many people underestimate how much your choice of job affects your long-term happiness. This course is specifically designed to help you identify your ideal career so you can stop dreading Monday morning. You’ll spend time honing in what your dream career and life purpose is, as well as the benefits and sacrifices required to make more money. We’ll go over the pros and cons of being self-employed and starting your own business, and look at the choice between taking risky jobs, versus those that are safe but don’t excite you. This course will delve deep into your life goals and how you view success, and whether you feel that success is something worth exchanging for stress. We’ll look at whether having a big salary is a priority to you and how to feel like you’re doing your best work every day. This course will help you find the ultimate career sweet spot, where you get to do something you are good at and enjoy, that gives you a sense of achievement and contribution to the world, while also paying the bills – the Japanese call this Ikigai. By the time you finish this course, you will feel well prepared and confident at goal setting and ready to start your job search and find your dream career, but more importantly, how to go about getting it. Whether you’re just starting out in the workforce, looking for a big career change, or just want to move up the ladder in a more fulfilling direction, this course will provide you with practical tools you can use right away in your career development.
In this first section you will be introduced to the Six Life Options to consider how your career might pan out over a lifetime, and then consider your life purpose and life goals. Finally, consider the life paths which could lead to happiness and get a plan for how you'd like to live. All in section one!
What's included
7 videos5 readings1 assignment
7 videos•Total 32 minutes
- Welcome•1 minute
- Six Life Options•4 minutes
- Which option is best for you•9 minutes
- The Meaning of life•2 minutes
- Don’t overdo either Enjoy or Achieve•10 minutes
- Career options vs Meaning of Life•5 minutes
- Wrap Up•1 minute
5 readings•Total 45 minutes
- Which option is best for you•10 minutes
- Never work a day in your life {video}•5 minutes
- What's Your Number•10 minutes
- Career options vs Meaning of Life•10 minutes
- Seven paths to happiness {podcast}•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Finalising your plans•30 minutes
Goals are the cornerstone of a happy and successful life - so this section looks deeper at how to design them, applying them to all aspects of your life (not just work!), and considering how much of a role money should play in your plans.
What's included
8 videos2 readings2 assignments
8 videos•Total 33 minutes
- Introduction•1 minute
- Goals in all areas•4 minutes
- My story part 1 – goals•6 minutes
- How goals work•5 minutes
- My story part 2 – types of career•6 minutes
- Non-Attachment•4 minutes
- Money Last•7 minutes
- Wrap Up•1 minute
2 readings•Total 30 minutes
- Setting Goals to Achieve and Enjoy•10 minutes
- The Seven Paths•20 minutes
2 assignments•Total 60 minutes
- Thinking about your goals•30 minutes
- Reviewing your goals•30 minutes
It's all too common to settle in life or a career, but this section is all about how and why you should continue the quest to find your fit. It's worth it!
What's included
4 videos1 reading1 assignment
4 videos•Total 13 minutes
- Introduction•1 minute
- Risk redundancy•6 minutes
- Restless search•2 minutes
- “What if I’m content?”•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Should you quit your job?•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Recapping this section•30 minutes
Every career path plan should include at least a consideration of being self employed. It's not the right choice for everyone but you'd be remiss to discard it without looking at your own goals, priorities and resources first. This section is full of practical information should you choose to become self employed now or in the future.
What's included
4 videos6 readings1 assignment
4 videos•Total 18 minutes
- Introduction•1 minute
- Pros and cons•7 minutes
- How to get started•4 minutes
- My top tips•7 minutes
6 readings•Total 60 minutes
- The upside of self-employment•10 minutes
- The legal side•10 minutes
- Writing a business plan•10 minutes
- Sell your Skills•10 minutes
- Top Tips for Starting a Business•10 minutes
- A comprehensive list of everything to think about•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Is self-employment right for you?•30 minutes
Having set out a long term career path we now look in more detail at which specific job that means for you right now, and in the future.
What's included
9 videos10 readings1 assignment
9 videos•Total 31 minutes
- Introduction•0 minutes
- The three circles•3 minutes
- Ikigai•2 minutes
- How to find your life’s purpose•7 minutes
- Why not a computer?•5 minutes
- Which subject area? A: Analysis•4 minutes
- Which subject area? B: People•6 minutes
- If you can’t get in to what you want•4 minutes
- Wrap Up•0 minutes
10 readings•Total 100 minutes
- Introduction to Ikigai {video}•10 minutes
- Your Perfect Job•10 minutes
- Japanese view of Ikigai•10 minutes
- Your Life’s Purpose•10 minutes
- Unlocking your life purpose {video}•10 minutes
- Career questionnaires•10 minutes
- Strengths and Weaknesses•10 minutes
- What Jobs Interest You•10 minutes
- A bit of fun {video}•10 minutes
- Ikigai personal example•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Have you got your answers?•30 minutes
The goal of this section is to shake off any sunk cost fallacy and remind you that change can be exciting and liberating rather than scary. Don't give up your dreams and settle.
What's included
8 videos3 readings1 assignment
8 videos•Total 22 minutes
- Introduction•0 minutes
- It’s OK to want to move•4 minutes
- Should I settle?•5 minutes
- That risky option•2 minutes
- Should you leave?•3 minutes
- Self development always•4 minutes
- Bad bosses•3 minutes
- Wrap Up•0 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
- Follow your dreams {video}•10 minutes
- Side gig pros and cons [optional]•10 minutes
- Everything to know about future careers•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Reviewing your next steps•30 minutes
Deciding to move job is one thing, but HOW you do it is another challenge. So here we evaluation ways to make sure you always have plenty of options to move into if you choose to.
What's included
5 videos1 reading1 assignment
5 videos•Total 11 minutes
- Introduction•0 minutes
- Contacts•4 minutes
- Are Qualifications Worth It?•2 minutes
- Accountability•2 minutes
- Opportunities within the organisation•3 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- An AMA about career choices•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- The best routes to a new career•30 minutes
This final section is all about assessing your current position and assessing how to move from there into your exciting new future.
What's included
12 videos12 readings1 assignment
12 videos•Total 30 minutes
- Introduction•0 minutes
- Six success factors in a career•4 minutes
- The inputs and outputs of success•5 minutes
- Greyhound•2 minutes
- Mountain Goat•2 minutes
- Tortoise•2 minutes
- Koala•3 minutes
- Kangaroo•3 minutes
- Eagle•3 minutes
- Why there aren’t any others•2 minutes
- Fill in your gaps•2 minutes
- Congratulations•2 minutes
12 readings•Total 120 minutes
- Success Factors•10 minutes
- Take the Animals Questionnaire {compulsory}•10 minutes
- Animals Summary•10 minutes
- Greyhound feedback {eBook extract}•10 minutes
- Mountain Goat feedback {eBook extract}•10 minutes
- Tortoise feedback {eBook extract}•10 minutes
- Koala feedback {eBook extract}•10 minutes
- Kangaroo feedback {eBook extract}•10 minutes
- Eagle feedback {eBook extract}•10 minutes
- What Each Animal Needs to Do•10 minutes
- More Detail on The Six Animals•10 minutes
- 6 Animal Types Inputs and Outputs•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Final review•30 minutes
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