Create a Change... of Career

By Marianne Schofield 28th Jan 2025

‘What do you do for a living?’ It’s a simple question and one you have probably been asked hundreds of times. Do you:

A: Give a detailed explanation of your job and how it benefits those around you

B: Mumble a job title, say it’s boring and move on to another topic of conversation

Of course there are many options other than A and B but have a think about whether you are proud of what you do? Does it make you want to get up in the morning? Is it so interesting that it doesn’t feel like work? If none of this is resonating with you then it might be time for a career change. And it might be easier than you think, especially if you work with a career coach. A career coach will take you on a journey to establish your career goals and then break down the steps to help you get there. These things are always so much easier with someone objective there to support and motivate you. So what does happen on the career coaching journey…?

Step 1 – Build a vision. Spend some time working with a coach reflecting on what you really want. Are there parts of your current job that you like? Do you love or hate the industry that you work in? What else is important to you? At the end of this stage you will have a clear idea of where you are going.

Step 2 – Once you have a clear vision of where you want to get to in 1 year / 5 years / 10 years time you can start to make your goals more specific by working with a coach to map out the possibilities. This is my favourite part in the career coaching journey. It’s very personal and I never know what way it is going to go. Mapping involves looking at many different areas such as your strengths, your skills, your values, your non negotiables to name a few. Investing time in yourself to do this helps you unpick what is important to you and determines what direction you should go in.

Step 3 – With a specific goal in mind you can start to break down how to get there. Is training needed? Who can I approach in my network to support the change? What should my resume look like now? Again, this is different for each person but it is important to be clear on the timeline you are working to at this stage in order to build the momentum to get things done.

Step 4 – The final stage is about making it happen, that might be going for interviews, undertaking training or starting a new role and making sure it fits and that you are happy. If you are, then great, if not then what further small or big changes need to be made. It’s a constantly evolving journey.

Sometimes people worry about being proactive in changing careers in terms of the financial implications or the effect on those around you. But what are the implications of doing nothing? In another 5 years time will you look back and wish you’d done something about your career then? Whatever the journey it’s one worth exploring isn’t it. So the next time someone asks ‘what do you do for a living’ you are more than happy to answer.