Building your life is more than jobs, budgets, and taxes, says Lecturer in Psychology Rebecca Fraser-Thill. “There has to be some deeper thread running underneath so you know why you’re doing all those things.” (Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

It may sound macabre, especially on the eve of a weekend when the gates to the future will open wide for the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Class of 2016. But if you want students to think intentionally about the adult lives they’ll lead, you can ask them to envision the future “retrospectively” — by writing their own obituaries.

The idea is that formally summarizing your life, even if that summary is speculative, can cause you to consider what you really want your story to be.

It’s an assignment that Rebecca Fraser-Thill gave in a course she introduced for Short Term this year. “Life Architecture: Designing Your Future” gives students know-how, habits, and — crucially — self-knowledge that will help them make the best marriage of profession and personal fulfillment.

If that sounds like an objective of the college’s ambitious Purposeful Work initiative that President Clayton Spencer instituted at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ in 2013, it’s no coincidence. Fraser-Thill, a lecturer in psychology, also directs program design for Purposeful Work.

And the course, one of several offerings under the aegis of Purposeful Work during Short Term 2016, may be the purest distillation of that initiative to date. Where Purposeful Work is a college-wide emphasis on preparing students for lives of meaningful work, “Life Architecture” takes very specific aim at that goal.

On the one hand, Fraser-Thill has used philosophy and psychology to teach students to harmonize their interests, abilities, and values as they consider career choices now and in the future. On the other, the course has been a cornucopia of practical guidance, much of it from visiting alumni, guests, and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Career Development Center staff, for life in the real world.

And the students’ final project is a so-called Purposeful Work Blueprint that includes the obituary.

We talked with Fraser-Thill about the course on May 4.

This course merges approaches to reflection and self-awareness with practical instruction. How does that play out?

We’ve been toggling between the two, and it’s a challenge. For instance, we spent part of one day on networking, and then looked at apartment searches and leases, and taxes — so it was just about as pragmatic as you can get.

Then we spent most of the following day looking at personality in relation to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and discussing the book Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, so that’s just about as philosophical as you can get.

Building a life is about so much more than being able to pay your taxes and to budget properly, and to find a place to live. There has to be some deeper thread running underneath so you know why you’re doing all those things.

This course and the Purposeful Work initiative encourage students to engage with the question of infusing meaning into one’s work. Not everyone in the workforce has, or feels they have, any opportunity for that.

Questions of privilege arise. So Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning [published in 1946] was our biggest foray into that. Here’s a person who was in the Holocaust, in a concentration camp, who basically had every choice taken from him and was in the least privileged circumstance you could imagine.

Yet he makes the case that all of human endeavor is really about finding meaning, and that you can make the choice to create meaning, whatever your circumstance. So even in the concentration camp, he was actively creating meaning for himself, which is incredible. Frankl makes the point that individuals who gave up their sense of meaning in the concentration camp were more likely to die than those who had something to live for.

Podcaster Megan Tan is getting great reviews for , her series about negotiating one’s 20s. You invited her to a class and she’s had a presence in your curriculum.

Yes, we’ve talked about her in a number of contexts. For instance, Tan talks about this concept of “the line,” a composite of your hopes and dreams and goals, as well as your sense of right and wrong, all leading in some direction. Do you have a different line for your personal and your professional? In what ways does the world around you define your line? How do you define it for yourself? What if they’re in conflict with each other?

Megan Tan, whose podcast “Millennial” is increasingly well-known, speaks to students in the course “Life Architecture.” (Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

The brain isn’t fully developed until age 25 or so, broadly speaking. In terms of brain development, are your students ready to be grappling with the “Life Architecture” subject matter?

I think they need to be. When you look at identity development in particular, we know that people go through a variety of stages. Here we’re focusing on occupations, and early in life you don’t even think about it, right? Maybe you have a notion, like, “Oh, I’ll be a vet,” but it’s not considered at all.

Then you go through a stage of taking on what other people think is good for you, and what you see modeled by your parents or other relatives. And then you go through a place of crisis, an identity moratorium, where you’re questioning actively, trying different things out.

Developmentally, the early 20s is an ideal time for that questioning period.

And then you move into really knowing what you want to do. So, developmentally, the early 20s is an ideal time for that questioning period, where you are actively trying out different possibilities, considering pros and cons, thinking through how they mesh with your values, interests, personality, skills. And you’re really making some intentional decisions about what you want to try next.

The research is pretty clear that if you don’t complete that problem of searching by your late 20s, there can be a real fall-off in your life satisfaction. So there is a window for doing that searching and doing it well.

You just mentioned the importance of job satisfaction to life satisfaction.

Yes, it’s extremely important. We know from the literature that life satisfaction derives from doing what you like every day and using your strengths every day. And that a sense of career well-being then predicts all other types of well-being — including our physical well-being, financial well-being, social well-being, and community well-being. All of those are predicted by how we feel about our careers.

That is huge.

Isn’t it? So, at the right juncture in your development, if you don’t step back and do this philosophical examination, all of these facets of your life are less likely to function well, which is fascinating.

Now, do I feel some students pushing back and being like, “I don’t really want to go there?” Yes, to an extent. And to get those students from not deeply questioning to a place of examining and even finding answers, five weeks is a pretty quick time.

So it would seem that a big part of your job is to get them into the habit of thinking intentionally about these things.

That’s what I’m trying to do, exactly. Planting seeds and showing them some habits they could use, like journaling. This is a great way to gain insight into what you’re thinking about, see patterns of thought, and reflect on experiences so you can make meaning of them.

And we’ve talked a lot about networking and informational interviewing, and those are great ways of gaining information about the world. So we’re trying to give them tools — talk to other people, journal, reflect, and start to put all this all together.

A key outcome of the course is for students to develop a blueprint for their working lives.

The major idea is for them to reflect on their journals to see what kind of themes are coming out of them, to create some coherence about the self-assessments they’ve done — values, personality, skills, and interests — and to consider the impact they’d like to have on the world around them.

Then, based on all of this, they can think about immediate next steps, and hopefully have this document to look back on as they make decisions, even years after graduating.

(Phyllis Graber Jensen/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

The job offer not explored. The raise not asked for.

The lease you sign but don’t read. The renter’s insurance that seems like such a good idea — after the burglary. The credit card debt that balloons and carries you away with it.

It’s true: As 20-somethings making our way in the workforce and in the world, most of us leave a trail of rookie mistakes behind us.

But this spring a number of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students, including many from the about-to-graduate Class of 2016, were inoculated against some of the most egregious missteps, thanks to the new panel discussion series “How to Adult.”

Another addition to the portfolio of the Purposeful Work initiative, which co-sponsored the series with the Residence Life office, the series came about because ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students asked for it. They were hungry for guidance on topics ranging from financial management to apartment hunting to finding the right job after college.

Among the presenters were ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ staff and visiting professionals from a variety of industries — and among those visitors were five ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ alumni, part of the growing roster eagerly sharing their know-how during Purposeful Work projects.

The hourlong “How to Adult” sessions yielded a wealth of how-tos and please-don’ts likely to benefit folks of nearly any vintage. So, as a parting gift to the Class of 2016 (and everyone else), here are some highlights from each of the five sessions.

Financing Your 20s: Budgeting and Saving

• Make saving automatic: Create an automatic direct deposit from your paycheck to a savings account. Even a small amount per paycheck will add up.
• Understand what a co-signed loan means. If your parents co-sign for your credit card or your student loans, they are responsible for the repayment if you cannot or do not pay. And never co-sign for anyone else’s loan!
• Get into the habit of budgeting. Knowing your monthly budget will prepare you for salary negotiations and financial strategizing. Find a budgeting tool online or in a self-help book, and reach out to experts, family, and friends for advice.
• Think about what you need, as opposed to want, and save wherever you can. Live below your means. For instance, making your own coffee instead of buying it by the cup can save you $80 a month — the equivalent of a utilities bill.
• Start saving for retirement — right now.

Shown during the “First Jobs” session on March 23, Julie Glauninger ’86 was one of five alumni to participate in the five-part “How to Adult” series. Glauninger is a financial adviser and salary negotiation coach for the city of Boston’s Office of Women’s Advancement. (Josh Kuckens/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

First Jobs: Salary Negotiation, Decision Making, and What to Do With ‘The Offer’

• As you ponder opportunities, prioritize the industry or the company that interests you and not a specific role or job title. Once you’re in your desired field, you’ll have access to people, professional development, and other opportunities that will help you approach a position you want.
• Understand the workplace culture that suits you and the kind of people you want to work with. When you’re researching a job opening, ask about the company’s culture and what it’s like to actually work there.
• Use the amazing network of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ alumni, because they are generous with their time. On ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½’ , you can search the alumni population in many ways.
• If you’re learning to network, an easy place to start is with your friends’ parents. But all of the regular rules apply: Be prepared for the interview, follow up appropriately, and be sure to say “thank you.”
• Overcome hesitation about negotiating a salary and benefits. Know the starting range for the industry. Find language that is conversational, not confrontational, and try to open the topic up. If they want you, they’ll start to show their cards. You can and should ask.
• When you negotiate, silence is your friend. You’ll want to fill the silence — don’t. It’s a golden rule of negotiation.

How to Apartment

• Property management companies may provide the most structured and professional experience for apartment-hunters. Their websites will present price ranges, floor plans, and other helpful information, and companies typically have a choice of properties in a given city.
• Be prepared before you start seeing apartments, because in a competitive market you may have to make a snap decision. Save up for the security deposit and first month’s rent. Have references and a credit report (with your Social Security number redacted) with you.
• In appearance, manner, and communications, be professional dealing with landlords. They’ll want to feel good about having you in their property.
• A one-year lease is ideal and is the standard. Remember that a lease is a contract, and if you break it the landlord can sue for the entire amount due under the lease. If you really must leave before the lease is up, be forthright with the landlord and see what you can negotiate.

Real estate attorney Hawley Strait ’00, at left, shares an insight into the post-college housing hunt as fellow “How to Apartment” panelist Vince Ciampi ’11 of CBRE | The Boulos Company reacts. (Josh Kuckens/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Financing Your 20s: How to Use Credit Wisely and Avoid The Debt Debacle

• Shopping for a credit card? Use to compare and contrast different cards. And if you can’t get a credit card, check into bank and credit union programs that may help, such as a secured credit card.
• How to establish credit: Get one credit card, buy gasoline with it, and pay it in full every month. Paying off your balance monthly like clockwork builds good credit. Never, never pay late.
• And never pay just the minimum. If you buy something with a credit card, there’s no interest on that charge for about 30 days — it’s a free loan. But if you don’t pay it off in full in that billing cycle, you will start paying interest on the balance.
• Check your credit report annually via . There are three credit-reporting organizations and you can get a free report from each. Make sure they have the facts about you right, and if they don’t, write to them and request a correction. They must correct the record within 30 days.
• Don’t default on your student loan. You can defer it, you can make minimal payments — but once you’re in default, you’re in trouble. Talk to your creditor and get in front of the problem, because you’ll have more options than if you ignore the problem.
• Thinking about graduate school? Look for financial aid, scholarships, and teaching-for-tuition programs. And be absolutely sure you know what you want to do: You don’t want to borrow $20,000 or $30,000 only to discover you’re in the wrong field.

Why Insure?

• Stay on your parents’ healthcare, dental, and car insurance as long as you can. Looking specifically at health insurance, under the Affordable Care Act you can stay on your parents’ plan until age 26.
• Don’t roll the dice and go without health coverage. People with no health insurance now pay a federal tax penalty — $695. More important, healthcare costs are astronomical and you’ll need health insurance to help pay them.
• Your employer may offer benefits that seem irrelevant at your age. But think again about life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage. They’re all inexpensive, and disability in particular could make the difference between income and no income if you are disabled. (It’s similar for a 401K plan — why not let your employer help pay for your retirement?)
• Many landlords will insist that you have renter’s insurance — and if they don’t, get it anyway, because the landlord’s insurance protects only their property, not yours. Renter’s insurance will cover the theft or destruction of your possessions and temporary housing in case of emergency, and it can cover personal liability. The peace of mind is worth a few hundred bucks a year.
• Myriad factors can affect insurance premiums. For auto insurance, these include gender, age, marital status, how much you drive, your driving record, your academic record, the model of car you drive, and even your credit score. An older married woman with a clean record will pay lower premiums than a young single male with speeding tickets.
• Establish relationships with a dentist and a primary care physician — it’s one of the most important healthy behaviors. It’s important to have regular checkups and practitioners who know your history. And in the case of the primary care doctor, an annual checkup is 100 percent paid for by health insurance.

Panelists

Financing Your 20s: Budgeting and Saving (March 16)

George Carr ’07, portfolio manager, RM Davis, Portland, Maine
Nathaniel Hull, Credit Abuse Resistance Education Program, Portland, Maine
Kelsey Gillespie, community marketing coordinator, Casco Federal Credit Union, Gorham, Maine

First Jobs: Salary Negotiation, Decision Making, and What to Do With ‘The Offer’ (March 23)

Julie Glauninger ’86, financial adviser and salary negotiation coach for the city of Boston’s Office of Women’s Advancement
Colleen Coxe, senior associate director of employer and alumni relations, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Career Development Center
Genevieve Leslie, director of annual giving, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Office of College Advancement

How to Apartment (May 4)

Vince Ciampi ’12, associate, CBRE | The Boulos Company
Hawley Strait ’00, real estate attorney, Bernstein Shur Law Firm, Portland, Maine

Financing Your 20s: How to Use Credit Wisely and Avoid The Debt Debacle (May 11)

Rich Goldman ’76, P’16, bankruptcy attorney, Augusta, Maine
Randy Creswell, director and shareholder, Perkins | Thompson, Attorneys and Counselors at Law

Why Insure? (May 18)

Dottie Chalmers-Cutter, vice president of operations, Chalmers Insurance Group, Bridgton, Maine
Ken Emerson, senior director of operations and benefits, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Human Resources
Dean DeMario, life and health benefits agent, Chalmers Insurance Group

Rebecca Fraser-Thill, lecturer in psychology and director of program design for Purposeful Work, moderated all but the March 23 event, which was moderated by Erin Foster Zsiga, associate dean of students for residence life and health education

Leanne Ouimet of the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Communications Office contributed to this report.