Polly’s Story
I landed in my profession accidentally without really thinking about it. I never thought, “Who am I and what am I good at?” Or, “How will this profession meet my needs?” I just wandered into it. I went to a great college, but they had a terrible career services department. No one ever talked to me about the working world.
I felt like I had stagnated in a role I’d only been doing for two years. I knew I was unsatisfied and that it was affecting my personal life and psychology. I felt depressed and lost. Additionally, I was professionally isolated. There wasn’t anybody to bounce career ideas off of since I didn’t have a mentor or a great relationship with my boss.
I didn’t want to waste years of my life in the wrong job. I was worried that I’d stay stagnant and stuck and that time was running out. I wanted to get things figured out.
Overall I really wanted to be more challenged and purposeful with my work. I felt so bored. More specifically, I wanted help to decide if I was meant to stay in my profession or to leave.
How My Coach Provided Unbiased Clarity
Getting coached was sort of like therapy. It pushed me to think about my career and myself in a much broader way. It helped me make sense of my life and its narrative. I saw patterns that I didn’t see until brainstorming, writing, and talking them through.
People in my life loved me and told me complimentary things about myself, but I needed a more trustworthy viewpoint, someone who had more distance from me and could be unbiased and objective.
Before working with the Cardy Career Coaching team I’d tried to figure out my career on my own unsuccessfully. I read self help books. I talked to my family a lot. I asked people at work about how they wound up in their jobs and generally chatted with people about other professions. Many people mentioned the “pursue your bliss” line and offered lofty questions, but nobody helped me to break those ideas down.
The difference between my initial efforts and working with a coach was the perspective my coach was able to bring. I was too wrapped up in the moment and in my experience of my problems to see an accurate perspective. I kept looking at things one way, and my coach helped me to re-frame my problem. My coach supported me in making sense of my life and helped me realize things that I kind of knew, but didn’t have perspective to see and also pointed out things I hadn’t noticed myself.
Success with a New Career Direction
As a result of coaching I successfully moved across the country and changed jobs. The coaching work helped me to prioritize the elements I was looking for in my work, and I landed a job that was totally a good fit for me. For example, I’m very extroverted and value being part of a great team and collaborating, but I also love having a high level of autonomy in my work. My current role meets all of these needs.
I’m continuing to learn and develop in my career and am taking on more leadership roles. I’ve happily stayed with the same organization for four years since working with the Cardy Career Coaching team.
Ready to Put YOUR Career on the Right Path?
