Robert’s Story: “What Do I Actually Want to Do?”
I’d been working in the healthcare field since college. I was so confident that it was exactly what I wanted to do, and I’d had really good experiences in my initial jobs. I took a fellowship that was very prestigious as a learning opportunity. It wound up being a bad situation with poor mentorship, and I didn’t feel successful there.
I spent a long time after the fellowship trying to find a job and got really burnt out. I wasn’t sure if I was even in the right field anymore. I was asking myself questions like, “What do I actually want to do? What do I actually like? What would be a good fit?”
I felt frustrated that I was stalling and not making any progress in a field I wanted to excel at. I felt as though I’d failed in my career, and I wasn’t sure how to make decisions to move forward. I didn’t have a lot of confidence. It was like I didn’t know myself anymore. I was concerned that this feeling wouldn’t go away. I was worried that even if I found a new job, would it be better? Would I be happy?
I wanted advice and direction. I wanted a neutral third party who could be honest with me and have a frank conversation about what I like and don’t like. I’d tried to talk to family and friends. It was not the most helpful. I tried ignoring it and hoping it would go away. I tried self-assessment things, hoping a test would give me an answer. And I put my head down and kept applying with jobs.
Coaching Helped Me Not to Give Up
The coaching made me more confident that yes, I actually do like healthcare. It helped me to not give up. I got honest about the type of career I wanted and became better able to express what I’m actually looking for in my career. I know now that I can change that over time as I desire. A job is not forever.
I would describe coaching as a good mix of having a conversation and exercises I could do on my own. My coach asked all the questions I was having trouble asking myself and would have had trouble thinking about on my own. There were lots of insightful pieces. My coach did a good job of preparing me so that I always felt I could do the steps.
An Individualized Process With an Approachable Coach
The program was very tailored to what I was going through. My coach and I worked together to create goals and change things as needed. I found my coach to be open and approachable and the process to be individualized. I also liked the group calls and being able to hear from people at various stages in the program.
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