The Career Daydream is a visualization exercise designed to help students who are undecided about their career choice. Through the exercise they create a mental image of what they want their life to be like after they have graduated and started their career. It can help students flesh out their career-related values and discover what is important to them even before researching specific careers. This article will go through the process of the Career Daydream exercise.

This exercise is often done with one facilitator and a small group of students. A modified version of this exercise can be completed by one student alone; however, it is most effective if there are at least two people present: the student and someone to facilitate the exercise so that the student can easily remain in a relaxed state.

The Career Daydream Process

Before beginning the exercise, the students should be in a relaxed state. Facilitators should use their preferred relaxation techniques to guide the students into a state of relaxation. Students eyes should remain closed throughout the exercise.

During the exercise the facilitator will read descriptions and ask the students questions. Instead of answering the questions, the students are instructed to use their imaginations to picture their life after they have entered the workforce. To be most effective, students are encouraged to be relatively realistic in their daydream.

Script to be read by the facilitator:

Imagine that you are just waking up to get ready for work. You look over at your clock, what time is it? Is it morning? Afternoon? or Evening?

Look around your bedroom and see what it looks like. After you have taken a moment to look around, select your work clothes from your closet. What kind of clothes are you wearing to work?

After you get ready for work, how will you get to work? Will you walk? Take public transportation? Drive a car? Take a moment to picture getting to work.

Imagine that you arrive at work. Take a moment to observe the place where you work. Do you work outdoors or indoors? If it’s a building, what kind of building is it? What is near where you work?

Now, enter your work area. Look around. What kind of environment is it? Is it an office? A hospital? A store? A factory? A laboratory? What objects do you see around you? Are their other people there? How many? What are they doing?

Now begin your work. What are you doing? Are you meeting with other people? Are you working outside? Are you inside an office working on a computer? Are you helping patients? What are you doing? Take a moment to picture yourself working.

After the students have had a moment to visualize beginning their workday, take them out of it and ask them to share parts of their daydream. Ask them if anything surprised them. Ask them if they think that is really what they want their life to be like?

The Career Daydream gives students a fun method to ponder their futures. It can also help to reveal some of the students’ unconscious career-related desires because of the low-pressure atmosphere.