The experimental career methodology
The experimental career methodology, as the name suggests, is founded on a belief that we discover more about ourselves and what works best through small ‘test and learn’ iterations.
The 3A’s
- Assess: Start with an idea – a best guess – about what’s going to work best for you based on your interests and constraints. Reflect on your past and present experiences. What have you loved? What haven’t you enjoyed? What patterns can you identify that might help you think about a possible next step. Remember, it doesn’t need to be a ‘big bet’. Small bets (e.g., changes within your current role) are also great! Sometimes you may want to take a few small experiments before making a really big change.
- Act: Figure out the first step towards the goal, or maybe the first few steps, Take those steps. See what happens. Take the time to look for cues or other evidence about what’s working or what’s not
- Adapt: Make adjustments to your plan of attack so that your next steps are informed by the lessons you’ve learnt – doing more of what’s resulting in positive change, and doing less of what’s not working. These might just be minor tweaks, or really big changes.
Experimental Career 