{"id":6715,"date":"2022-03-02T14:41:37","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T13:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=6715"},"modified":"2022-03-02T14:41:37","modified_gmt":"2022-03-02T13:41:37","slug":"dungeons-dragons-and-discover-your-role-in-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=6715","title":{"rendered":"Dungeons, dragons\u2026 and discover your role in life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a game where you roleplay a unique character in an imaginary world full of monsters, magic, and mischief. Jack from OU Careers and Employability Services is a big enthusiast, and he thinks D&D could teach us to unlock new pathways:<\/p>\n

\n\u201cD&D could give you a creative way to imagine your future in the real world, helping you work out your next steps and navigate your journey. You choose your character\u2019s race, class, and background to determine your abilities and how to play. For example, you could be Halgar the Barbarian Orc who spent 20 years gaining useful skills as a bounty hunter, but is wondering if the environmental sector might match his values and passions.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jack takes us through his D&D-inspired tips to help discover your future role:<\/p>\n

1. Identify your game class (career readiness stage)<\/h3>\n

D&D has different \u2018classes\u2019 of roles, but in careers D&D there are four career readiness stages Progress, Discover, Explore, and Achieve. Which is your stage? Intelligent self-diagnostic tool Career Readiness Pulse<\/a> will give you the answer and recommend tailored resources and tools building your confidence to play out a future you might imagine.<\/p>\n

2. Identify your strengths and skills from your back story<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

D&D runs on hidden abilities like Charisma, Strength, and Dexterity, determined by the roll of a 20-sided dice. In real life, your stats will be skills and strengths developed from your previous life and work experience<\/a>, as well as new ones you\u2019re gaining from OU study. Good at communication? Put them to use and gain the Networking<\/a> ability. Ever been made redundant? You\u2019re proficient in Resilience<\/a>. Whatever your back story, you\u2019ll need to identify your secret strengths, put them into words that make employers take notice, and learn how to talk about them. Take a look at this list of employability skills<\/a> to see which you have, how strong they are, and which you need to develop.<\/p>\n

3. Choose the weapons and equipment you\u2019ll need<\/h3>\n

To quote The Legend of Zelda, “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.”<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re ready to start your journey, you\u2019ll need some tools and advice to help you on your way. Luckily for you, the OU\u2019s Careers and Employability Services has hundreds of fantastic resources such as the Tome of Career Planning<\/a> and more across their Help Centre<\/a>, webinars and forums page<\/a>, and OpportunityHub<\/a> – and you don\u2019t even have to barter gold coins for them. As an OU student or graduate, you also have the special ability to summon an expert careers advisor via skype, phone, or email for a one-to-one careers consultation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I wish you all the critical hits, inspiration points, and success on your adventure.<\/p>\n

OU Careers and Employability Services<\/h5>\n