Tom’s Story
I was really directionless. I didn’t understand the driving factors in my experience at my job. I thought I might have been past the point of no return. Being happy at work felt beyond my capacity.
I’d been dissatisfied with my career for over three years. I felt I’d exhausted my avenues for getting a job through people I knew, so I was feeling really unsure. There weren’t opportunities for growth in my current field.
I’d applied for so many things over time, and I wasn’t confident in my resumes and cover letters. I thought there were some skills or knowledge I didn’t possess. I was beginning to feel it was futile. I had no strategy and was wondering if anyone was even looking at the things I was putting out.
I was most frustrated by the futility and feeling like I was wasting time firing things off into the void. The job search was isolating too. Rather than coming home from work and spending time with my family, I’d work on my job search. It would have been one thing if I’d seen a return from that time. But I’d do it for a bit and then think, “This is a waste of time.” A week off of job searching would turn into a month off.
I had a profound lack of confidence in my experience and professional choices up until that point. I wanted to be able to contribute in a meaningful way, but I felt I had some weaknesses I couldn’t overcome.
Nothing Was Working
I had previously leaned on people I knew. I’d tried a headhunting agency, but they didn’t have jobs that I wanted. I was looking for an easy way out and was willing to try anything. I’d considered a teaching license. I kept jumping from idea to idea without spending enough effort or time on any one of them.
I wanted advice and guidance from someone who had seen other people in my position. I needed to know that other people who had been where I was were able to go on to have meaningful, productive careers. Just some assurance.
The last straw for me was when my second daughter was born. I took zero days off for her birth because of work. It caused a great deal of stress in my home. My wife said, “Do whatever it takes to move on.” She found a coach list and that’s how I got connected to the Cardy Career Coaching team.
I had never considered working with a coach before. It wasn’t something I was familiar with, and I wasn’t totally informed on how to make a good decision on who to work with. I wondered if I would see a return on my investment.
Finding What I Like
Coaching begins with figuring out what you’re passionate about, what aspects of your current and previous work you enjoyed. The goal is to capitalize on those and weed out the things you don’t like. Beforehand, I didn’t understand what I liked or didn’t like specifically. Once I identified those things, it was much easier to know what industry to focus on.
No matter how self-aware you are, you really can’t identify those things without someone who knows how to draw them out of you due to practice. There was also support and encouragement, which were different than a spouse’s support. My coach had experience and methodologies to help me.
My overall experience with the Cardy Career Coaching team was great. I’d been in counseling before. I think it’s a very healthy thing to do. Working with someone who encourages you and helps you work through things. When I had a bad week the coaching calls were a positive force for me. I wouldn’t have landed my current job or mentally made it through the last year without working with my coach.
Now I’m Doing Great
I’m three months into my new job, and I love it. It’s a great job with a friendly staff. My supervisor’s great. They’re bringing me on slowly and doing a great job explaining my role. The expectations are reasonable. The nature of the industry I’m in is interesting to me too. It’s wonderful. I can’t say enough good things about it. They’re understanding about time off, and I have more freedom.
It’s made a huge difference in every aspect of my life. I’m much more pleasant to be around. It’s an understatement to say I’m very pleased with how everything’s worked out. It was a long journey, but my coach was very encouraging all along the way.
Ready to Got From Directionless and Dissatisfied to Confident and Clear?
