The 21st century has posed significant challenges to adolescents in defining their aspirations and career trajectories, with higher uncertainty and many socio-cultural factors limiting motivation and future hopefulness. In this context, the educational system is called to take action in supporting the upcoming generations with apt career orientation interventions. With this purpose, Life Design was acknowledged as a successful approach for supporting students in developing key psychological constructs such as self-efficacy, resilience, and career adaptability, central elemtents for them to successfully navigate career transition. This presentation provides evidence from 2 complementary Life Design interventions, an classroom intervention with students and a teacher training, highlighting the value of actions oriented to both the actors involved.


With students, a short intervention of 10 hours grounded in Career Construction Theory and Self-Efficacy Theory was developed, carried out and assessed in a between and within subject experimental design. Results indicated significant improvement in self-efficacy, clarity of future goals, and conceptual associations, supporting how even brief Life Design practices can expand perceived opportunities and strengthen adaptability.


In parallel, a short-intensive teacher training of 4 hours aimed at providing instructors tools for guiding students in more inclusive and generative ways was conducted. The analysis of the artifacts produced during the sessions and the discussions suggest that teachers' shift from prescriptive to facilitative approaches is critical in creating sustainable ecosystems where agency and career resilience can flourish.


The combination of insights from these two experiences underscore Life Design as both a psychological intervention and a pedagogical framework. With joint actions toward students and teachers, the Life Design approach fosters environments that integrate self-determination, inclusive practices, and long-term planning, empowering individuals and educational systems in shaping meaningful futures.