Innovation — Futures Thinking
DIY Master’s in Futures Thinking
A custom made study plan equivalent to a master’s degree in Futures Thinking
In 2015, I was in graduate school studying mechanical engineering (at least on paper). However, in reality, I was not planning on getting a job a in mechanical engineering. Instead, I was teaching myself statistics, applied mathematics, software engineering, databases, and machine learning as I was aspiring to become a data scientist. My plan worked, and in 6 months, I landed my first job as a data science intern at the largest beer company in the world, and then I received multiple offers for full time data science and machine learning jobs. However, by the time I was going to make a decision, my curiosity led me to the broader field of consulting, and I joined Deloitte. Lesson learned: it is not feasible to get a master’s degree whenever I am interested in a topic. 😂
Today, I am facing a similar situation, I am aspiring to become a professional futurist, but this time I will not be enrolled in a full time degree. In this article, I will be sharing with you my study plan to master Futures Thinking. Please note that all courses are subject to change without notice ⚠️
First, what are the core skills to be a futurist?
In a report from the Futurist Imagination Retreat, the skills below were proposed by Scott Barry Kaufman as core skills to develop the capacity to imagine far futures:
- Logical thinking: a.k.a common sense 💭
- Psychological flexibility: the ability to think of all possible scenarios including positives and negatives at the same time 🎭
- Artistic capability and storytelling: the ability to influence 🎨
- Courage: the courage to challenge conventional ideas 💪
- Empathy and social intelligence ❤️
- Curiosity 🔍
DIY Master in Futures Thinking:
Now, let us translate these core skills into courses and add some electives.
Tips: pick classes that fit your budget, ask your employer to pay for your education, apply for scholarships, try a course before committing to a specialization/certificate, do your research and read reviews before paying for major certifications/bootcamps
Foundational Courses:
- Futures Thinking 101: IFTF Futures Thinking Specialization on Coursera
- In person Bootcamp — Futures Thinking 201: IFTF Foresight Essentials or University of Houston Professional Certificate in Foresight
- Design Futures 301: IFTF Design Futures or Parsons Design Futures 101
- Scenario Planning 302: IFTF Scenario Building or Parsons Immersive Scenario Planning
Tip: try to pair the courses above with some practical experience by applying your learning at work or help your community
Specializations (400 and 500):
Social Change (pick 2):
- University of Pennsylvania — Social Norms, Social Change I
- University of Pennsylvania — Social Norms, Social Change II
- University of Pennsylvania — Removing Barriers to Change
- Wesleyan University — Social Psychology
Systems Thinking (pick 1):
- Macquarie University — Solving Complex Problems Specialization
- Johns Hopkins University* — Systems Thinking In Public Health
*: Healthcare track
Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (shortcut — choose the course instead of the specialization)
- University of Illinois — Innovation: From Creativity to Entrepreneurship Specialization
- Imperial College London — Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success
Human Centered Design, Design Thinking, and Empathy (shortcut — choose the last two courses instead any of the certifications):
- IDEO **— Advanced Design Thinking Certificate
- Parsons — Design Thinking in Practice Certificate
- Parsons* — Human-Centered Healthcare Certificate
- UC San Diego — Human-Centered Design: an Introduction
- University of Virginia — Design Thinking for Innovation
*: Healthcare track
**: includes courses on storytelling and creativity
Influencing, Storytelling, and Leadership (pick 1):
- Macquarie University — Influencing: Storytelling, Change Management and Governance Specialization
- Case Western Reserve University — Inspired Leadership Specialization
Electives:
- Stanford University — Game Theory
- Wesleyan University — Creative Writing Specialization
- University of London — Understanding Research Methods
MasterClass: you can listen/watch these courses on MasterClass while cooking, traveling, etc.
- Will Wright — Game Design and Theory
- Salman Rushdie — Storytelling and Writing
- Walter Mosely — Fiction and Storytelling
- Neil Gaiman — The Art of Storytelling
- Levar Burton — The Power of Storytelling
- Jeff Koons — Art and Creativity
- Anna Wintour — Creativity and Leadership
- Es Devlin — Turning Ideas Into Art
- Frank Gehry — Design and Architecture
- Chris Voss — Art of Negotiation
- Bob Iger — Business Strategy and Leadership
- Howard Schultz — Business Leadership
- Chris Hadfield — Space Exploration
Happy learning…
By the way, if you want to take the lazy path, I will be summarizing each of these courses/certifications. Here is a running list of what I have completed so far:
