Career Planning
Follow your curiosity.
Trust what energizes you.
Diana Greg, CFP®
Founding Product Manager | Villa '07

1

Career Paths
Then
Now

2

My Path Wasn't Straight
Finance Major
Starting point
First Job
Assistant at hedge fund
Wait—what do I like?
“How to find and do work you love” TED talk
Quit. Moved to SF.
Leap of faith + luck in dream company
Grew, learned, and crafted my next role
Product Management, CFP
Still iterating...
The journey continues

3

What does a Product Manager do?
1
Understand the problem
What do customers need?
2
Find a solution
What actually solves it?
3
Get help building it
Work with designers, engineers, data

You can use this same thinking on your career.

4

Treat Your Career Like a Product
Craft your Requirements
Know yourself — your values, strengths, what energizes you
Do Discovery
Talk to real people — does the day-to-day match your energy?
Test & Iterate
Try small experiments — version 1 won't be perfect, and that's okay

5

PART 1: CRAFT YOUR REQUIREMENTS
Jobs, Careers, and Callings
How People Relate to Their Work
JOB
Work is a means to an end
"I work to pay the bills"
CAREER
Work is about advancement
"I work to get ahead"
CALLING
Work is fulfilling in itself
"I'd do this even if I wasn't paid"
Research shows people are roughly split across all three — in every profession. It's not about what you do. It's about how you see it.

6

PART 1: CRAFT YOUR REQUIREMENTS
Good at ≠ Energized by

7

PART 1: CRAFT YOUR REQUIREMENTS
Job Crafting: Understand what Energizes you
VALUES
What matters most to you in your work life?
When they’re honored, you feel motivated. When they’re compromised you feel frustrated.
STRENGTHS
What do people ask you for help with?
Super strengths = things you do exceptionally well that energize and fulfill you
PASSIONS
💫 What do you study just for fun?
If you find yourself studying something just for fun in your free time, that's a really good sign.

8

PART 2: DO DISCOVERY
Talk to Real People

Start with these conversation starters:
  1. What's the best part of your job? What's the worst?
  1. What did you think this job was before you started vs. what it actually is?
  1. Would you choose this path again?

9

PART 2: DO DISCOVERY
The Exploration Cycle: Continuous Discovery
EXPLORE
Get curious. Try things.
NOTICE
Pay attention to what fits.
LEARN
Reflect and repeat.

10

Resources
🎬 Watch
🎧 Listen
✍️ Try
📚 Read

Full deck + links: unknown link

11

Questions?
Follow your curiosity.
Trust what energizes you.
✉️ [email protected]unknown link

12