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Unit 1: What are Students Interested In?

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Mini Course Home: College and Career Planning in High School: A Mini Course Home

Portfolio: Matthew Sodano's Portfolio Page

Introduction

Ikigai is a Japanese term that translates to "a reason to live"; iki meaning to live while "gai" meaning reason. It is a feeling one gets for being fulfilled in life. As sad as it sounds, most of adult life is spent working, so it is important to enjoy what you do for a living. Most teachers tell their students to lean into their interests and to follow their passions, but unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to a lack of direction or a murky path to that goal. Students should continue to set the bar high for themselves, and always dream big, but we as educators need to help our students develop a realistic plan to reach those goals and that starts once they leave high school.

Ikigai is the combination of what you love, what you are good at, what you can be paid for and what the world needs. Finding a profession that is at the center of all of that criteria not only fills a societal need, but also leads to a happy and balanced lifestyle.

Lesson

Read: Read the following articles that describe ikigai and what each section specifically entails.

Article link: Ikigai – the Secret to Making Good Career Decisions

Watch: Watch the following video that also describes what Ikigai is and how it is applied to finding a profession

Load video
YouTube

Discuss: With a partner or group, discuss:

  • What are things in your life that currently bring you joy or happiness? This can range from a school subject to a hobby that you enjoy doing
  • Why is it important to find value in what you do and enjoy what you do?
  • Rank the macro sections (Passion, Profession, Vocation, and Mission) of the ikigai diagram in order of importance and share it with a partner or your group. Explain your rankings and why one section is more important that the other.

Do:

  1. Draw your own ikigai diagram and fill in each macro section: what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for
  2. Research and discover at least 3 different professions that are in each overlapping section of the diagram: passion, mission, profession and vocation
  3. Discover at least 3 different professions that are in your ikigai section.
Figure 2: Ikigai template [2]


Reflect:

  1. Looking back at your macro section rankings , is there a particular profession that you might prefer over one that is in ikigai? If so, what does that reveal about your priorities?
  2. What are some potential careers that have your own ikigai? What is the best path to get into that profession; college or workforce?

References

[1] Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R.R. (1999). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. (Chapter 6). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

[2] Chillaih, V. (2020, June 27). Ikigai: A Japanese philosophy for finding your purpose. YouTube. https://youtu.be/rOZtBlrMvek

[3] Larson, M. B., & Lockee, B. B. (2020). Streamlined ID: A practical guide to instructional design. Routledge.

[4] Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a joyful life. The Government of Japan - JapanGov -. (2024, February 29). https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/2022/03/ikigai_japanese_secret_to_a_joyful_life.html

Navigation

Next: Unit 2: Finding Colleges or Careers that Match Career Goal and Interest

Look Ahead: Unit 3: Establishing Options to Accomplish Goals

Mini Course Home: Mini Course Home Page Author Portfolio: Matthew Sodano's Portfolio Page
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