Higher education is supposed to help students develop skills, explore new possibilities, and design a brighter future. Instead, most students are forced to choose majors without fully understanding themselves or their options. Then, they’re shipped out on a career conveyor belt, ending up in careers they despise – all at a six-figure price tag.

Dr. Farouk Dey is on a mission to challenge our restricted and traditional education system. He is leading the charge through his work at the Johns Hopkins’ Imagine Center for Integrative Learning and Life Design, empowering students to design their lives and redefine the purpose of education itself.

Dr. Dey has over two decades of experience in higher education and talent development, having served in executive leadership and board roles at Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, and the National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE), among others. He has been named one of LinkedIn’s Top Ten Voices in Education and is the Vice Provost of the John Hopkins’ Imagine Center.

In this episode, Dart and Farouk discuss:
- The Imagine Center for Integrative Learning and Life Design
- How economic shifts drive national career changes
- The growing need to develop minds, not just careers
- Changing the outdated career service models of American universities
- Balancing competition and curiosity when choosing a career
- The importance of experiential learning for life design
- How universities can give students a higher return on their investment
- Farouk’s advice for companies who want to build a life design center
- How to construct your passion, rather than "find it"
- And other topics…

Dr. Farouk Dey is the Vice Provost for Integrative Learning and Life Design at Johns Hopkins University. With over two decades of experience in higher education and talent development, Dr. Dey leads a newly created division of 15 departments and centers that bridge curricular and experiential learning with professional ambitions for students and alumni across the university’s nine schools.

Before Johns Hopkins, Dr. Dey served in executive leadership and board roles at Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, the National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE), and others. He has also served as a keynote and TEDx speaker, consultant, and professor across the world. Dr. Dey holds a PhD and EdS in Educational Leadership, MBA and MEd in Counseling Psychology, and a BBA in Finance.

Resources mentioned:
Work For Humans, Ep. 53 – Designing Your Life: How to Use Design Principles to Get What You Want in Work and Life | Bill Burnett: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1949517/13012061

Connect with Farouk:
Imagine.jhu.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faroukdey/ 
Twitter and YouTube: @faroukdey

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.