Kim’s Story: A New Job for a New Season of Life
I was previously in a job that was unsustainable. It was physically taxing, and I was working with chemicals. I knew this wouldn’t work for my life long-term as I got older and began to start a family.
I moved away from that job and fell into a different position where I was working consistently, but I was still trying to figure out what I really wanted to do. The job I was in was a good bridge job because I stepped away from working with chemicals, but I needed to take more steps. I felt bored and dead in the water at my new job. I’m the type of person who needs variety and constant learning. There wasn’t room to grow and things were feeling very stale.
What Are My Next Steps?
I was having a hard time figuring out what those next steps were. My mom has always helped me with my career in the past, but at one point she started saying, “I don’t think there’s anything else I can tell you.” She was a little too close.
Part of the situation was that I was moving away from working in the arts and the gig world I was familiar with. I hadn’t fallen out of love with art. It just wasn’t making sense with the rest of my life. I had a relationship that was progressing and I wanted to find work that was more sustainable that I liked.
The coaching was a journey of self-discovery and internal work. My coach gave me assignments and helped me set a pace that worked for me. It was looking at what I’ve done, examining things from a different angle, and diving deeper than I normally would. It helped me to remember the skills I did have.
I’m typically a confident person, but I had been through a frustrating job search. It was difficult and a real mood killer. My confidence took a hit. Talking things through with my coach really helped my confidence.
A Better Fitting Job for This Season of Life
Since the coaching, I’ve moved to a new job within my company. It probably would have been available to me previously, but I had been afraid to step into it. I wasn’t sure enough to step towards it.
Through coaching, I was able to realize how my new job fits with the strengths and interests my coach and I talked about. I get to do detective work and use my organizational skills. There’s even the opportunity to color code, which I like. I really like this role.
My hard days here are really not that hard. It’s a good fit for this season of my life, and I don’t have to do this thing forever. Seasons change. Coaching gave me the confidence to explore other things, while keeping art in my life in other ways.