I am an adult developmental psychologist by training and a career counselor by trade, currently the Director of the Gordon Career Center at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. In this course, I draw from my decades of experience as well as research from the fields of psychology, organizational behavior, and sociology to help you understand best practices for making career decisions. This content will help you develop the tools you need to make the right choices for you, from deciding an area of study to exploring potential lines of work to pursue—and knowing when to pivot at any time in your career.
![Wesleyan University](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera-university-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/13/7948a0d50011e58bd959a86470a32c/ACM15324_Coursera_SquareLogo_0112_SF.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=28&h=28)
![](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera_assets.s3.amazonaws.com/images/1a4589dccee10648821b7ea23e5fca9a.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&q=80)
![Wesleyan University](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera-university-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/39/bff340d50211e59b43674c82b4e388/ACM15324_Coursera_WideLogo_CourseDescriptionandExperience_0216_DM-01.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&h=45)
Career Decisions: From Insight to Impact
![Sharon Belden Castonguay](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera-instructor-photos.s3.amazonaws.com/56/ec37d043f511e8b8c40b31b3e0ba36/SBC-thumbnail.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=75&h=75&fit=crop)
Instructor: Sharon Belden Castonguay
Sponsored by Coursera for Reliance Family
32,931 already enrolled
(376 reviews)
Details to know
![](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera_assets.s3.amazonaws.com/images/31ebcba3851b87d1d8609abf15d0ff7e.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=24&h=24)
Add to your LinkedIn profile
8 assignments
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
![Placeholder](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera_assets.s3.amazonaws.com/images/74c8747e8210831049cf88dd4eefe26c.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&blur=200&px=8&max-w=320)
![Placeholder](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera_assets.s3.amazonaws.com/images/de1a6556fbe605411e8c1c2ca4ba45f1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&blur=200&px=8&max-w=259)
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV
Share it on social media and in your performance review
![Placeholder](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera_assets.s3.amazonaws.com/images/de1a6556fbe605411e8c1c2ca4ba45f1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&blur=200&px=8&max-w=333)
There are 4 modules in this course
This module will introduce you to the course and ask "What is insight? Why is it important? What impact can personal insight have on your academic or professional goals?" We will also look at why people tend to prematurely foreclose on career options due to choice paralysis and occupational stereotypes. The exercises will help reveal how you go about making decisions.
What's included
6 videos1 reading2 assignments1 peer review
This week we will explore how cultural norms, such as the American definition of "success", affect how we think about our academic and career choices. We will consider the role of family and friends in our decision making and how personal insight can help us distinguish our personal interests and goals from the expectations others have for us. We will also explore how our personal identities can affect how easily (or not) we navigate change in our lives. The exercises this week will reveal how you personally define success, as well as how your concepts of personal identity may be affecting how you experience change in your life.
What's included
4 videos2 assignments1 peer review
What is more important: Passion for what you do or developing marketable skills? Can you get smarter if you work harder? What does academic research tell us about well-being and the role of finding meaning in our work? We will explore all these questions this week, and you will complete exercises that will allow you to consider the skills you have and need to develop as well as take stock of what you devote your time to now and what that reveals about your motivations.
What's included
6 videos2 assignments1 peer review
This week we'll use a design thinking framework to learn how to broaden your exploration for possible working identities. You will also implement practical steps for making professional connections and learning more about specific fields of interest. Finally, you will complete a capstone project that pulls together all the concepts from the course and help you make your case for how you can make an impact on the world.
What's included
8 videos2 assignments1 peer review
Instructor
![Sharon Belden Castonguay](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera-instructor-photos.s3.amazonaws.com/56/ec37d043f511e8b8c40b31b3e0ba36/SBC-thumbnail.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=75&h=75&fit=crop)
Offered by
Why people choose Coursera for their career
![](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera_assets.s3.amazonaws.com/growth_testimonials/passionate_learner/Felipe_Moitta.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=64&h=64&fit=crop)
![](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera_assets.s3.amazonaws.com/growth_testimonials/passionate_learner/Jennifer_John.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=64&h=64&fit=crop)
![](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera_assets.s3.amazonaws.com/growth_testimonials/passionate_learner/Larry_Tao_Wang_1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=64&h=64&fit=crop)
![](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera_assets.s3.amazonaws.com/growth_testimonials/passionate_learner/Chaitanya_Anand.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=1&w=64&h=64&fit=crop)
Learner reviews
376 reviews
- 5 stars
77.39%
- 4 stars
17.55%
- 3 stars
3.19%
- 2 stars
0.53%
- 1 star
1.32%
Showing 3 of 376
Reviewed on May 3, 2021
Great discussions. Also love how wholesome my mooc-mates in this class are. They gave valuable reviews of my assignments.
Reviewed on Jul 25, 2021
Despite the criticality of the subject "career decisions" yet the course itself delivered so many complex concepts, ideas and phlosiphy in easiest way to absorb
Reviewed on Apr 26, 2021
Best MOOC i have ever had. Better in content, resources, assessment and evaluation. I highly recommend it for aspiring teachers and lecturers.
Recommended if you're interested in Personal Development
California Institute of the Arts
Arizona State University
Yale University
![Placeholder](https://d3njjcbhbojbot.cloudfront.net/api/utilities/v1/imageproxy/https://coursera_assets.s3.amazonaws.com/images/7a1c0e2e779c1ff27cae62480adfe003.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&blur=200&px=8&max-w=120)
Open new doors with Coursera Plus
Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Advance your career with an online degree
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy