Collect the dots. Connect the Dots.

Career Canvas 13 Box

What is the lean Career Canvas?

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The LEAN Career Design Canvas is a graphic organizer in which users collect the dots of their lives and connect the dots in a reflective process that supports their career and life aspirations. Learners engage in a design process: they identify a life or career problem to solve, complete a series of ‘who am I?’ creative exercises, reframe their original problem, and create a purposeful plan to address the problem. The Career Canvas is a unique space for students to express and reflect on their most important life experiences, values, and insights in a single big-picture framework, providing a foundation to make purposeful decisions and plans beyond high school.

 

Adventures in Careerland Podcast

This enlightening career development podcast features students and industry guests who share the decisions, challenges, and networks that impacted their education choices, employment paths, and career aspirations.

 

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Career Design Canvas Gallery

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Canvas A scaled
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Career Buzz

Career Buzz is a space to discuss career development topics – employability insights, labour market information (LMI), unique tools and strategies, relevant research – and to stimulate conversations about the importance of career development in schools.

Listen to Your Parents

by | January 19, 2026 | Career Research, Career Stories | 0 Comments

After high school, students need to make some calls. They may embark on a new pathway in university, college, work, travel, or a combination of these. Perhaps a ‘gap year’ is in the offing, where more thinking and experiencing is needed to choose the right pathway....
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Seeking experiences Key to career dev

by | December 30, 2021 | Career Events, Career Canvas | 0 Comments

It’s all about the experiences. On December 2, 43 high school students from Louis Riel School Division attended the annual Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of the Province luncheon at the RBC Convention Centre. The historic significance: they witnessed our...
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The Tap on the Shoulder

by | June 7, 2021 | Career Canvas, Career Stories | 0 Comments

Carlene was in my grade 12 English class in 2010. She was a strong student with good marks and intended to go into nursing. She had a plan. I was happy for her. Most students don't know what they want to do after high school. I thought she might make a great nurse as...
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Money. Does high school do enough?

by | April 18, 2021 | Career Canvas | 0 Comments

I was running my annual entrepreneurship conference called the Tigers' Den in a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic and received a video submission for a financial app from 3 students. One of the students said, "School teaches you calculus, but it doesn't...
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Academic programs Need a Dose of career Dev

by | March 31, 2021 | Career Canvas, Career Stories | 0 Comments

Sometimes career development is the best medicine for a disillusioned student. In November, 2020, I talked to Chad, a grade 11 student in my career development course. He was bored with school and placed in my course because of the lack of options in his remote...
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Seeing Your Big Picture

by | February 28, 2021 | Career Canvas | 0 Comments

Life is busy.   Being a high school or post-secondary student is especially busy. A full slate of academic courses takes up a major chunk of every day. Add any of these to the picture: hockey, volleyball, basketball, football, dancing, guitar-playing, the school band,...
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Collecting and Connecting Those Dots

by | February 4, 2021 | Career Canvas | 0 Comments

Many career pundits believe that career development is all about ‘connecting the dots’; that is, looking back on what you’ve done and seeking the patterns and themes in your life. This process will ultimately lead to the best career path. Makes sense, right?  I don’t...
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Testimonials

The Big Picture

“Thinking about my big picture helps us understand what we want and feel more ready for what’s coming.”

Grade 12 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 12 student

“Thinking about my big picture helps us understand what we want and feel more ready for what’s coming.”

Amazing

“I thought it was amazing how it made me think of my past so I can tell people who I am now. It was an amazing experience.”

Grade 11 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 11 student

“I thought it was amazing how it made me think of my past so I can tell people who I am now. It was an amazing experience.”

Reflecting and Planning

“It’s important for students to reflect and plan for the future so they can make better choices and feel more confident moving forward.”

Grade 12 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 12 student

“It’s important for students to reflect and plan for the future so they can make better choices and feel more confident moving forward.”

Sense of Direction

“It’s very beneficial to have a sense of direction regarding your future.”

Grade 11 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 11 student

“It’s very beneficial to have a sense of direction regarding your future.”

Mentors spur conversations

“Talking with mentors about my career plans and relating them to my problem on the Canvas really sparked a good conversation about my career goals."

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:48:27+00:00

Grade 12 Student

“Talking with mentors about my career plans and relating them to my problem on the Canvas really sparked a good conversation about my career goals."

Engaging a career path

“I think this Canvas has really helped me set my mind on a path that I really enjoy and want to pursue.”

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:52:51+00:00

Grade 12 Student

“I think this Canvas has really helped me set my mind on a path that I really enjoy and want to pursue.”

Discovery

“I came to know things I never noticed about myself and to learn more about the thinking of those with whom we sit in class… a real confidence-builder.”

Grade 12 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 12 student

“I came to know things I never noticed about myself and to learn more about the thinking of those with whom we sit in class… a real confidence-builder.”

Teasing Out Potential

“The Career Canvas helps us to tease out what domain we are good at or interested in. It helps us discover the potential self.”

Grade 12 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 12 student

“The Career Canvas helps us to tease out what domain we are good at or interested in. It helps us discover the potential self.”

New possibilities

“It just lit up a whole new path of possibilities for me."

Grade 11 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:54:31+00:00

Grade 11 Student

“It just lit up a whole new path of possibilities for me."

Deep Reflections

“It was an experience that made me think a lot more deeply about myself personally and what I could see myself doing further on in life. It was a great experience."

Grade 11 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:54:02+00:00

Grade 11 Student

“It was an experience that made me think a lot more deeply about myself personally and what I could see myself doing further on in life. It was a great experience."

Taking Charge

“Doing this canvas made me realize that I can do what I want in my life to a certain degree, and to do what fulfills me in life.”

Grade 12 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 12 student

“Doing this canvas made me realize that I can do what I want in my life to a certain degree, and to do what fulfills me in life.”

Why isn’t this mandatory?

“I wish that the Career Canvas would become a part of MB curriculum. The Canvas has helped me a lot in realizing what I offer to the world and my community."

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:56:40+00:00

Grade 12 Student

“I wish that the Career Canvas would become a part of MB curriculum. The Canvas has helped me a lot in realizing what I offer to the world and my community."

Thriving future

“It gave me a look at how my future could look and what I would thrive in the most.”

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-02-04T16:02:01+00:00

Grade 12 Student

“It gave me a look at how my future could look and what I would thrive in the most.”

Making a plan

“I had my doubts about how it would work for me or if it would even do anything. but it sure did. The Canvas showed me what I need to do and the plan to do it.”

Grade 11 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:57:30+00:00

Grade 11 Student

“I had my doubts about how it would work for me or if it would even do anything. but it sure did. The Canvas showed me what I need to do and the plan to do it.”

Very helpful

“It was overall very helpful, and I think it should be mandatory for everyone in high school.”

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:56:12+00:00

Grade 12 Student

“It was overall very helpful, and I think it should be mandatory for everyone in high school.”

Love It

“Love it. Extremely useful!!!!”

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:57:15+00:00

Grade 12 Student

Grade 12 Student

Power of Reflection

"It is important for students to reflect and talk about themselves. I definitely reflected a lot… it really helps weigh out all options and figure out a path."

Grade 12 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 12 student

"It is important for students to reflect and talk about themselves. I definitely reflected a lot… it really helps weigh out all options and figure out a path."

Solving problems

“The Career Canvas really helped me to think about the future and a problem I’m struggling with – I brainstormed and came up with ideas to solve that problem. That’s a huge step for my future.”

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:58:39+00:00

Grade 12 Student

“The Career Canvas really helped me to think about the future and a problem I’m struggling with – I brainstormed and came up with ideas to solve that problem. That’s a huge step for my future.”

Eye-opening

“The career canvas was a very eye-opening experience for me, helping me connect with myself more than I thought possible.”

Grade 12 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 12 student

“The career canvas was a very eye-opening experience for me, helping me connect with myself more than I thought possible.”

Talking About Myself

“I think it was a phenomenal experience for us allowing us to open up… it really helped with learning how to talk about ourselves.”

Grade 11 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 11 student

“I think it was a phenomenal experience for us allowing us to open up… it really helped with learning how to talk about ourselves.”

Pausing and Considering

“We only just experience stuff, but we never really think about it and move on… in the career canvas, I was actually in deep thought about what my experiences reveal about me.”

Grade 12 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 12 student

“We only just experience stuff, but we never really think about it and move on… in the career canvas, I was actually in deep thought about what my experiences reveal about me.”

Fun to do

“I enjoyed creating my Career Canvas and I learnt a lot about myself.”

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:55:20+00:00

Grade 12 Student

“I enjoyed creating my Career Canvas and I learnt a lot about myself.”

Way back when counts

“The canvas confirmed that the things that I did as I grew up- Lego, working with items and changing them to make them work– was the path that I needed to follow."

Grade 11 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:51:14+00:00

Grade 11 Student

“The canvas confirmed that the things that I did as I grew up- Lego, working with items and changing them to make them work– was the path that I needed to follow."

Finding a path

“Working through the Canvas prepared me to answer every adult's question, "what do you want to be when you grow up"

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:47:00+00:00

Grade 12 Student

“Working through the Canvas prepared me to answer every adult's question, "what do you want to be when you grow up"

Outside the Comfort Zone

“The canvas encourages me to step outside my comfort zone, and reflect about myself as a person and to think about where my best fit may lie.”

Grade 11 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 11 student

“The canvas encourages me to step outside my comfort zone, and reflect about myself as a person and to think about where my best fit may lie.”

Thank You

“I just wanted to thank you again on how amazing this Canvas was!!!"

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:58:15+00:00

Grade 12 Student

“I just wanted to thank you again on how amazing this Canvas was!!!"

Finding Yourself

“I feel like a lot of students who don't do the career canvas can feel a little lost… it makes students think a lot more about where they want to take their lives after high school.”

Grade 12 student

Career Design Canvas
2025-12-12T17:42:34+00:00

Grade 12 student

“I feel like a lot of students who don't do the career canvas can feel a little lost… it makes students think a lot more about where they want to take their lives after high school.”

Future insights

“The Canvas gave me a lot of insight into who I am and the kind of future I want."

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:53:33+00:00

Grade 12 Student

“The Canvas gave me a lot of insight into who I am and the kind of future I want."

Reflecting on experiences

"The Lean Career Canvas was definitely an important piece for reflecting on my experiences throughout the school year and presenting them."

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:47:50+00:00

Grade 12 Student

"The Lean Career Canvas was definitely an important piece for reflecting on my experiences throughout the school year and presenting them."

Stepping out of my comfort zone

“The Canvas experience urged me to step outside my comfort zone and explore my potential."

Grade 12 Student

Career Design Canvas
2021-01-26T15:51:59+00:00

Grade 12 Student

“The Canvas experience urged me to step outside my comfort zone and explore my potential."
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Career Design Canvas