Developing a Vision for Postsecondary Success with Tony Dina

Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Tony Dina, founder of Crucial Canvas.

Tony says people often overlook their own “superpowers” because the things that come naturally to them may not feel particularly special.

He encourages students to identify behaviors others consistently recognize in them, rehearse how those strengths might show up in different situations, and become comfortable showcasing what they do well.

Tony cautions against assuming that a passion must become a career. Instead, students can identify the skills and mindsets developed through their passions and apply them to completely different fields.

He says some of the strongest technologists he has worked with came from fields such as history and evolutionary biology because different backgrounds create different ways of thinking.

Tony argues that liberal arts experiences are increasingly important in technical fields because philosophy, ethics, psychology, and other disciplines strengthen the human judgment required to use technology responsibly.

He says schools should help students use AI to improve their own thinking and writing rather than simply allowing AI to create the finished product.

Tony explains that AI can become a powerful feedback tool when students bring their own ideas and work to it and ask how they can improve.

He challenges the traditional emphasis on productivity, which is largely about accomplishing more of the same work faster.

Tony says the emerging workforce requires capacity—the ability to encounter new ideas, learn quickly, integrate different concepts, and bring them into new situations.

He believes students need opportunities to become comfortable with uncertainty instead of constantly racing toward the correct answer.

Tony says educators can help students develop this capacity by asking questions that don't necessarily have one answer and giving them space to sit with ideas before solving them.