The tools and principles I had learned from this course made me be at peace with my shortcomings and failures more than anything else in my life has. The work has done wonders for my productivity and motivation and I will be forever grateful for having this opportunity to work on my career and personal development at this time in my life and while I’m at school. The principles I’ve learned from the modules and chapters have made me reconsider things I struggle with within my personal life and gave me perspective and made me view ‘negative’ events as learning experiences. Not to mention the job I found as a result of my interviews for this project. Breaking from the status quo and a planning mindset was scary at first when I first started working on this project, but I learned to embrace it, and this changed my whole outlook on events happening in my life and the world. I appreciate the initiative I found within myself to take control as a result of ECLD and think more people at Ryerson and even people well into their careers should go through the workbook and videos.
Before completing this design challenge, I would have been engulfed with fear and anxiety in regards to where I am and what my future will be. Fortunately through adopting the principles of personal empowerment and possessing more than 3 years of entrepreneurial studies, I will come out of this with a sense of resilience, grit, and perseverance. I am taking this chaotic moment in history, and re-framing it to a time for making positive changes and self-reflection. I am hopeful and will be proactive.
I just want to say thank you for bringing the ECLD assignment into my life and here is why: Coming into my fourth year of university my whole life was on cruise control… I felt that I didn’t have much purpose and things just didn’t have meaning to me as much as they maybe should have… So when I embarked on doing the ECLD assignment I was extremely excited because it was a chance to be honest with myself and become a better individual. I have become a way better individual, a well-rounded individual and someone who has become more curious about the world which has helped me so much…
The ECLD made me realize that life is all about seeking the best in the worst situations, I have been extremely productive, open to trying new things and have learned a lot about myself which is important to my self development. I could have easily been like my friends if I didn’t discover the ECLD which is someone who wakes up at 12, plays video games all day, and ubers in junk food. I mean Hey! Whatever makes you happy, but I feel good about myself and where I am at so thanks Steve!
“Through completing all the Life Design Interviews and Prototype experience… I finally have come to an understanding that things never really go as planned, your situation is always changing, and it is up to you to just control what you can control…. I personally am so glad that I finally have a great understanding of this and it couldn’t come at a better time in my life especially when the whole world is shut down and I have every reason to be negative…but I choose not to be, I choose to control my own destiny and I choose to be happy and continue to pursue being happy. Life is not easy, and nobody ever said it was…”
“When I first came to Ryerson University four years ago I never would have thought that I would have cruised through 3 years of university, everything was just kind of easy to me and I was making friends, getting decent grades and enjoying my time. I can honestly say that this project has changed my whole life…Like I never realized how much I didn’t care about myself and care about becoming a better individual every single day until this project. I mean I have been successful in getting A’s on the first three assignments, but the letter grades don’t even account for how much this project has changed my life. It has allowed me to critically think about my life in all aspects and find ways to keep becoming a better individual.”
“… I just feel ready, I feel prepared for the next chapter of my life and I care so much about learning, growing and trying my best every day. I feel comfortable in my own skin, I feel confident, I am a lot more curious about the world…maybe the right word is mature? Yes, I guess maybe I have grown up and I’m excited for what’s to come: a family, a career, and nothing short of amazing growth. So, Steve…from the bottom of my heart ‘Thank You’ I will cherish this learning experience for the rest of my life and keep this textbook and continue to learn off of it every day. I am ready to take control of my life.”
“I am extremely honoured that you will be using some of my quotes. Just reading them now gives me some goosebumps. I’ve had an extremely productive summer working my dream job, making connections and meeting new people. I still look back on all the little things I learned from ENT class as I have kept my journal with some notes on the principals I really thought applied to my life. This project changed my life in the best way possible.”
“For me this assignment has led me to a lot of really cool findings about myself, how I handle situations, grow and learn. Recording my interactions with people and how I felt about these interactions made personal growth a lot more linear and efficient. I think moving forward I need to continue to focus my energy on setting one overall goal, with little goals along the way…”
“Coming into this year in such a slump, I didn’t expect to be leaving University feeling anything but lost and anxious. I needed an assignment like this to push me and encourage me to take stock of my life, decide what I want from it, and take steps to get it. The importance of self reflection and analysis, and of setting intentions and goals, has never been enough to become a priority for me in the past. I have somewhat stumbled through life, letting things fall into my path and seeing where they take me… I’m incredibly glad that I was able to use these tools to improve my life and direct myself towards work that I really enjoy and find rewarding, that didn’t just happen to me by accident. I am confident that by using what I’ve learned over the past two years, about entrepreneurship and about myself, I will become resilient enough and growth oriented enough to not only tackle the challenges that come my way for the rest of my life, but also to flourish.”
“I have never taken an ENT course at Ryerson University and I am happy I did. The lessons I have learned in this course from both assignments are incredibly valuable and I can take these lessons everywhere in my life. Most courses are regurgitation of the course material and don’t force students to think outside of the box. This course challenged my traditional thinking and makes me more interested in the entrepreneurship program at Ryerson. I will keep a copy of the ECLD handbook if I ever feel lost in my career or need some advice. I think it will be a great book to carry throughout my career. Although some of the tools like #5 I did not enjoy doing, the rest of them were fun and created enthusiasm for my graduation and what is next. I love how the course focuses on more than content and goes deeper with tools like positive self-talk and goal setting. I wish every program had a course like this to get students to think deeper about their motivations.”
“I’ve never been able to keep a journal in my life mainly because I didn’t see the value. But from this, I’ve seen patterns, understood my own behavior better, and been able to better myself in the process. So, I think that continuing to track my emotions and find value in activities that I already do, or want to start doing, would be a great way to continue personal growth.”
“Although I didn’t actually get a concrete job from this assignment I know where I’m trying to go, and I have a plan on getting there. That’s such a big deal for me because walking into second semester I was scared, I had no idea what I was going to do or how I was going to go about getting there. This assignment gave me a road map and allowed me to explore areas of myself and translate them from my life view to work view. I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn and get advice on something that is so relevant to my success after graduation.”
“Please please please keep offering this assignment to students! This was one of the best opportunities for self-reflection, growth and self-betterment I’ve had and to think that I actually got credit for doing it is mind blowing. I’m so grateful for the opportunity and guidance.”
“My time in ENT 401 was a challenging but enriching experience. Going through Steve’s Entrepreneurial Career & Life Design workbook and modules provided me with a foundation to apply design thinking to my personal and professional life. This class forced me to dig deeper into who I am, what I value, and where I want my life to go. By going through several design loops, I was able to gain greater insights into the industries I would like to work in, improve my social venture project and most of all, develop greater self-awareness. That’s the true beauty of ENT 401 and the ECLD curriculum. I have always thought I had a high degree of self-awareness, but this class showed me that I had more to go. But I wasn’t alone; I had Steve, my classmates, and entrepreneurial tools to help me make sense of myself and the direction I want to take my life. The class forced me to test assumptions about myself and the world around me which gave me greater insight into what makes me happy and what drags me down. Without a doubt, the ECLD journey made me a better person.”
“In my four years at Ryerson, I can confidently say that ENT 401 was the most impactful course I have taken, by a long shot. Steve truly cares about his students, teaching, and most of all, helping you help yourself. I would recommend every student at Ryerson to take this course as you grow both personally and professionally while learning quite a lot along the way. While this course is different from most courses students take, I can assure you that you are rewarded tenfold for your effort in your ECLD journey. Applying design thinking to my life has helped me become more productive and happier, and I know that any student that puts in the work receives the same benefits I have. Thank you, Steve, for being an outstanding professor and pushing your students to want the best for themselves.”
