Workfeel Sort – Teacher Guide
A short interactive tool that helps students discover what kind of work feels good for them, before they worry about job titles.
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Open 80k Hours Companion →1. What is Workfeel?
Workfeel is a 30–40 minute activity where students:
- Sort 50 short “work moment” cards into piles: Love this / Like this / Not sure / Not really me.
- See patterns in what they enjoy in work – not job titles, but core work ingredients like engaging work, skill improvement, helping others, control, and team culture.
- Write a simple, personal “workfeel” statement.
- Choose 1–2 small experiments to try in the next few weeks to test preferences.
2. Why are we doing this?
Traditional career tools ask, “What job do you want?” and list static job titles. Workfeel asks:
“What kind of work experience do you enjoy, and what small experiments can you run to learn more?”
Research suggests that satisfaction is driven by characteristics of the work environment and tasks rather than specific industry names. Workfeel introduces these concepts in a clear, digestible layout.
3. Teacher Set-up
What you need
- A 40-minute lesson slot.
- One device per student (laptop or tablet preferred).
- Access to this Workfeel application.
Your role
Frame the activity as self-exploration, keep students moving, encourage quick/honest choices, and facilitate a debrief.
4. Lesson Flow (40 Minutes)
Step 1: Frame the activity (5 mins)
Introduce the idea of 80,000 working hours over a lifetime. Clarify that it is not a graded test and that “Not Sure” is a valid, helpful response.
Step 2: Card sort (15–20 mins)
Walk around to ensure students don't overthink cards. Advise them to use the draggable interface or click target zones.
Step 3: Work ingredients & summary (5–7 mins)
Hold a brief pair-share. Ask: What feels most true? What surprised you? Emphasize that it is an editable starting guess.
Step 4: Choose small experiments (5–8 mins)
Ensure experiments selected are realistic, small, and scheduled over a 4–6 week window.
5. FAQ for Teachers
Q: What if a student says ‘none of these are me’?
A: Let them choose “Not really me” honestly. Finding out what they don't enjoy is highly valuable data.
Q: Are students pushed to specific careers?
A: No. It highlights generalized parameters of work (team culture, autonomy) and encourages action experiments.