Challenge 

 My challenge was to consider alternative work and career options - it 's only natural to   wonder what else is out there from time to time . The challenge was also to determine   what approaches one could take , and do so in a relatively low risk and cost effective   manner . 

 Mid - career changes can sometimes be risky because of the time and expense needed to   execute and because the outcome can be difficult to foresee ( for example , will I like   being a lawyer ) . By nature a pivot does not often does not lend itself easily to   quickly exploring and comparing different avenues . A career change is often a kind of   wicked problem ... there may be several options and one may not know that a decision   taken is good ( or bad ! ) until it is ‘ too late ’ . 

 Selection 

 The tool selected to address the challenge was the Learning Launch Tool . It was   selected because as the Video described , this approach advocated the use of relatively   quick and cheap tests and experiments . Options could be drawn up and evaluated - after   trying one option - if not appealing , move on to the next , and find out in a relatively   short period of time . The hard part would be trying to find a medium that could serve   as a testing vehicle . 

 Application 

 The insight and key that helped enable and drive this approach was the proliferation of   courses offered online . The actual application of this technique would involve   participating in various courses as desired . There are many different courses online   that are relatively short and do n’t require the commitment of a full degree program and   yet often still require the same degree of rigor as a graduate program . Taking   individual courses gives one the ability to sample and try out different areas of   potential interest . 

 Some limitations to keep in mind are as follows . This technique would probably be less   effective for evaluating major career changes ( e.g. switching from engineering to the   arts ) . The very nature of such a change makes a reasonably quick assessment unlikely -   certain skills require years to learn and master , for example painting or learning a   language . Learning Launch would only be applied to assessing career pivots in which   certain core skills can be transferred and used extensively ( e.g. programming and   analytical skills in moving from web development to mobile programming ) . Also , this   technique is best suited to courses that require a certain degree of rigor and work   ( i.e. projects ) as opposed to more passive participation ( i.e. attending lectures ) 

 Insight 

 For this challenge , the key questions that had to be answered were 1 ) what are my   interests , 2 ) what invigorates me , and 3 ) what tools are available to confirm this . The   process of uncovering the answers required for me a combination of observation , self- awareness , and systematic thinking in order to help uncover the answers . Sometimes the   answers are n't immediately apparent and an awareness of how you feel towards certain   things and in certain situations is helpful and important . 

 Prior to this exercise , the default option for evaluating a career change would perhaps   have been to read a career handbook , consult a career counselor , and perhaps talk to   colleagues . Adopting Design Thinking more actively provided feedback - in my case doing   coursework is more engaging and either I can decide if I like this or not . 

 Approach 

 I would probably apply the same approach the next time . If I were starting out , perhaps   visualization might be a complementary approach to use , to help clarify and document   one 's thoughts . Visualization can also be used to help brainstorm new ideas and   different avenues of exploration , or to share ideas with another person to solicit   input and advice . This approach can be applied over a period of time , to document any   thoughts or ideas that might arise - design thinking is after all a process , not a   discrete event . For future challenges , perhaps additional approaches such as   volunteering could be adopted - volunteering could be a worthwhile and productive way   to try different things not limited to activities or work only available online . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Challenge 

 My challenge was to consider alternative work and career options - it 's only natural to   wonder what else is out there from time to time . The challenge was also to determine   what approaches one could take , and do so in a relatively low risk and cost effective   manner . 

 Mid - career changes can sometimes be risky because of the time and expense needed to   execute and because the outcome can be difficult to foresee ( for example , will I like   being a lawyer ) . By nature a pivot does not often does not lend itself easily to   quickly exploring and comparing different avenues . A career change is often a kind of   wicked problem ... there may be several options and one may not know that a decision   taken is good ( or bad ! ) until it is ‘ too late ’ . 

 Selection 

 The tool selected to address the challenge was the Learning Launch Tool . It was   selected because as the Video described , this approach advocated the use of relatively   quick and cheap tests and experiments . Options could be drawn up and evaluated - after   trying one option - if not appealing , move on to the next , and find out in a relatively   short period of time . The hard part would be trying to find a medium that could serve   as a testing vehicle . 

 Application 

 The insight and key that helped enable and drive this approach was the proliferation of   courses offered online . The actual application of this technique would involve   participating in various courses as desired . There are many different courses online   that are relatively short and do n’t require the commitment of a full degree program and   yet often still require the same degree of rigor as a graduate program . Taking   individual courses gives one the ability to sample and try out different areas of   potential interest . 

 Some limitations to keep in mind are as follows . This technique would probably be less   effective for evaluating major career changes ( e.g. switching from engineering to the   arts ) . The very nature of such a change makes a reasonably quick assessment unlikely -   certain skills require years to learn and master , for example painting or learning a   language . Learning Launch would only be applied to assessing career pivots in which   certain core skills can be transferred and used extensively ( e.g. programming and   analytical skills in moving from web development to mobile programming ) . Also , this   technique is best suited to courses that require a certain degree of rigor and work   ( i.e. projects ) as opposed to more passive participation ( i.e. attending lectures ) 

 Insight 

 For this challenge , the key questions that had to be answered were 1 ) what are my   interests , 2 ) what invigorates me , and 3 ) what tools are available to confirm this . The   process of uncovering the answers required for me a combination of observation , self- awareness , and systematic thinking in order to help uncover the answers . Sometimes the   answers are n't immediately apparent and an awareness of how you feel towards certain   things and in certain situations is helpful and important . 

 Prior to this exercise , the default option for evaluating a career change would perhaps   have been to read a career handbook , consult a career counselor , and perhaps talk to   colleagues . Adopting Design Thinking more actively provided feedback - in my case doing   coursework is more engaging and either I can decide if I like this or not . 

 Approach 

 I would probably apply the same approach the next time . If I were starting out , perhaps   visualization might be a complementary approach to use , to help clarify and document   one 's thoughts . Visualization can also be used to help brainstorm new ideas and   different avenues of exploration , or to share ideas with another person to solicit   input and advice . This approach can be applied over a period of time , to document any   thoughts or ideas that might arise - design thinking is after all a process , not a   discrete event . For future challenges , perhaps additional approaches such as   volunteering could be adopted - volunteering could be a worthwhile and productive way   to try different things not limited to activities or work only available online .
### Output: 