You’re sitting in a dorm room or maybe a cramped office, staring at a screen, wondering if you’ve made a massive mistake with your career path. It’s a universal feeling. Most people think their career is a straight line, but Dave Evans, a guy who basically helped build the first Apple mouse and then decided to teach at Stanford and Duke University, says that’s total nonsense. Honestly, his approach to "Designing Your Life" is probably the only thing keeping thousands of overachieving students from having a total existential meltdown.
Dave Evans at Duke University isn't just another guest lecturer; he's a bridge between the high-stakes world of Silicon Valley and the often-stifling academic environment. He brings this raw, "prototyping" energy to the table. Most people think "design" is about making things look pretty, but for Evans, it’s a way to solve the "wicked problem" of what to do with your life.
The Problem With the "Right" Career Path
We’re taught from a young age that there is one "right" version of our lives. You pick a major, you get the job, you climb the ladder. But at Duke, Evans challenges this head-on. He tells students that there are actually dozens of "good" lives you could live. It's a relief, right? You don't have to find the "one" thing. You just have to find the "next" thing.
The core of his philosophy, developed alongside Bill Burnett, is that you can’t think your way into a new life. You have to build your way forward. This isn't just some fluffy self-help advice. It’s a systematic framework rooted in design methodology. At Duke, this resonates because the pressure to perform is immense. Students are often terrified of picking the wrong internship or the wrong first job. Evans shows up and basically says, "Hey, try three things and see which one doesn't suck."
He uses this concept called Odyssey Planning. It’s basically sketching out three completely different five-year versions of your life. Version one is what you’re currently doing. Version two is what you’d do if your current path suddenly disappeared. Version three is what you’d do if money and image didn't matter. It’s eye-opening. You realize that you have options you never even let yourself dream about because you were too busy trying to be "successful."
Why Duke University Embraced the Design Thinking Model
Duke isn't just a basketball school; it’s a place where students are expected to change the world. That’s a lot of weight to carry. The integration of Dave Evans’ work into the Duke ecosystem—particularly through initiatives like the Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) program and various workshops—marks a shift in how the university views career services. It’s no longer about just fixing your resume. It’s about "wayfinding."
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Wayfinding is a term Evans loves. It’s what you do when you don't have a map. In a forest, you look for signs. In a career, those signs are engagement and energy. He talks about the Good Time Journal, where you track your daily activities to see what actually drains you and what gives you life. It turns out, some "dream jobs" are actually nightmares for the people doing them.
The Stanford-Duke Connection
It’s worth noting that while Evans is heavily associated with Stanford’s d.school, his impact at Duke has been significant through specific collaborations and the widespread adoption of his curriculum. Educators at Duke have adapted these Silicon Valley principles to fit the unique culture of Durham. They aren't just copying Stanford; they're making it work for students who might be heading into healthcare, law, or public policy rather than just tech startups.
Stop Bench-Pressing Your Problems
One of the best things Evans says is that you shouldn't "bench-press" your life problems. You can't just grit your teeth and work harder to figure out your purpose. That’s a recipe for burnout. Instead, you should be prototyping.
In product design, you don't build the whole car first. You build a cardboard model. In life, prototyping looks like:
- Conversational Prototyping: Just talking to someone who is doing what you think you want to do. Not for a job, but for their story.
- Prototype Experiences: Spending a day shadowing someone or doing a tiny weekend project in a new field.
It’s low stakes. If it fails, who cares? You spent $10 on a coffee and two hours of your time. That’s way better than spending four years in med school only to realize you hate the smell of hospitals.
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The Reality of "Wicked Problems"
In design, a "wicked problem" is something that has no clear solution and constantly shifting requirements. Your life is a wicked problem. Dave Evans emphasizes that you can't "solve" your life. There is no finish line where you finally "arrive."
There’s this misconception that people like Evans have it all figured out because they worked at Apple or Electronic Arts. But the truth he shares at Duke is that even the most successful people are constantly re-designing. The world changes. Industries die. AI happens. If you aren't ready to pivot, you're going to get stuck.
People often get stuck because of "gravity problems." These are things you can't change, like the fact that the job market is down or that you need a certain income to pay off loans. Evans’ advice is simple: if it’s a gravity problem, it’s not a problem you can solve—it’s a circumstance you have to accept. You don't try to solve gravity. You work around it.
Applying the Evans Method Right Now
If you’re feeling stuck, you don't need a degree from Duke to use these tools. You just need to be curious.
- Audit your energy. For one week, write down what you did every day and give it a "plus" or "minus" based on whether it energized you. You might find that meetings kill you but deep work on spreadsheets actually makes you feel great. That’s data. Use it.
- Talk to three people. Find three people doing something vaguely interesting. Ask them, "How did you get there?" and "What is it really like?" Most people love talking about themselves. This is the "Life Design Interview."
- Build an Odyssey Plan. Take 20 minutes. Sketch out three lives. Don't overthink it. Just draw. Use stick figures if you have to. Seeing those paths on paper makes them feel real and achievable.
- Reframing. Every time you think "I'm stuck," reframe it to "I'm in the process of building a prototype." It lowers the blood pressure immediately.
The work Dave Evans does with Duke University is ultimately about permission. Permission to be messy. Permission to change your mind. Permission to realize that "becoming" is a lifelong process, not a destination you reach at age 22 or 30. It’s about building a life that is "coherently lived," where what you believe, what you do, and who you are actually line up.
When you look at the trajectory of Evans' own career—from mechanical engineering to the tech C-suite to teaching theology and design—you see a man who lives his own advice. He didn't plan this. He wayfound his way here. And honestly, that’s a much more exciting way to live than following some boring, pre-written script.
Moving Forward
Start by identifying one "bias toward action" you can take today. Don't plan a whole career change; just send one email or read one article about a field you're curious about. The goal isn't to find the answer—it's to get more data. Every small step is a prototype that brings you closer to a life that actually fits. Stop worrying about the "best" version of yourself and start building the next version.
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