Map out your future through Communiversity's new course

Career Discover Cycle creator David Shields has valuable expertise to share with Communiversity students this fall.

David Shields has been through a number of career transitions throughout his life, from an insurance agent to a current personal finance consultant. Despite his experience, Shields found career and life transitions difficult because the type of help he was looking for wasn’t available. This led him to create a career discovery and transition process.

David Shields profile picture

David Shields

“Most career advisors are focused on helping people find a job or transition from one career to another,” Shields said. “I took it upon myself to find out what my next course of action was going to be, and in doing so, I created the Career Discover Cycle.” 



Shields formulated the Career Discover Cycle after the company he was working for at the time closed their Cincinnati office, leaving him and about 100 others out of a job. At nearly 60 years old, Shields was stuck in a position of figuring out what he wanted to do and how to build a new career.



“As I started asking why I wanted to do certain things, I started digging deeper into the emotions and the other things tied to answering that question,” Shields said. “What I figured out as I went through this is that I’m very process-oriented, and what I didn’t see out there was any sort of process for people to figure out what they wanted to do. What I wanted to do was help others figure out what they want to do, and why.”

The Career Discover Cycle is a combination of assessments that helps users discover what their interests, skills, and strengths are as well as other things such as what type of environment they want to work in and what their motivations are. The Career Discover Cycle brings all of this information together to draw a personal profile that helps users look outside themselves. 



“You can take this profile you develop of you as a person and take jobs or avocations and see how well they match up to you to investigate what the best choice for you is,” Shields said.


Business woman climbing up on hand drawn staircase concept on city background

You can learn about the Career Discover Cycle, determine your best characteristics and how you can utilize them for personal and professional achievement in the new course Career Discovery & Transition: Uncover Your Potential. The course is taught by Shields. 



In this course, you will develop a personal profile from which to filter occupations, potential career choices, and avocations. Instead of asking “what” you can do, you’ll focus on your “why” and how this subtle difference can help transform your life. Utilizing results from assessments, brainstorming, and other methods, you will assemble a personal profile of yourself that compiles information such as your strengths, core values, motivations and interests. By the end of the course, you will develop a plan and harness your energy and motivation to write the next chapter of your life. 



Career Discovery & Transition: Uncover Your Potential takes place on November 14, 28 and December 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on UC Victory Parkway Campus.

To register for this course, visit our website or call (513) 556-6932 and press 2. UC employees may apply their discount to this class!

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Communiversity offers fun and innovative continuing education courses to enrich the lives of those around Cincinnati and beyond. With locations both on UC Victory Parkway Campus and around Cincinnati, Communiversity makes it easy for working professionals, retirees, and other lifelong learners to develop new skills and hobbies.

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