There are a lot of emotions that run through new clients when they sit down with me. If I were to pick one I see more than any other though, it’s anxiety. There’s anxiety in pulling the trigger on making a career change, anxiety of where they will end up if they pull that trigger, anxiety of how to make ends meet while transitioning and anxiety about the entire process. The greatest anxiety I see in many people – which I never would have guessed prior to becoming a coach – is that they are going off the path of those who came before them. 

What I mean is that most people who enter the coaching world don’t know of anybody who has been to a coach, whether it’s a career development coach, a life coach, a substance abuse coach or mental health coach. It’s still a relatively new world, but unlike being the first person to discover a new band or try a new smartphone app, seeing a coach is largely an unknown experience and with some – especially those with social anxiety disorder – they are fearful of what I’m going to do with them, how their friends and family will react and if this will further continue them down the road of an anxious life.

I can show them statistics that reveal people are usually so much happier after seeing a coach and even provide them with testimonials, but at the end of the day they are petrified of the unknown. Unfortunately, that holds them back some of the time, even if we have a great initial consultation. I think that this may change very soon though because I honestly believe we’re about to see an explosion in the amount of people seeking a coach for help.

Why?

It comes down to two main reasons. First, as a society, we’re starting to value mental health and happiness. There are more people in substance abuse disorder programs and more people getting professional mental health help than ever in the history of our world. COVID showed the population that it’s OK to see your doctor, lawyer, accountant, etc. through a Zoom call on the Internet. Why is this a big deal? It opens up the world of practitioners and experts to all. No longer do you have to settle for someone you can drive to nearby. You can live in Michigan and have professionals in your life in California or Texas or in another country. This ensures that you can find the right person for you.

Second, we are in the early days of what the media is calling “The Great Resignation.” While most studies showed that more than half of workers were not fulfilled by their jobs prior to the pandemic, being at home with family and having time to pursue other interests woke a lot of people up to what is possible in life. Why be stuck behind a desk if you want to open a bakery? Why work construction when you want to teach elementary school? Why spend another moment doing something you don’t want to do? People are leaving the workforce in numbers we’ve never seen, but many of them have no idea what’s next.

You may be the first among your friends to see a coach, but if you admit it to them, I bet others will say they are considering it. I believe the legacy of the coronavirus is that we realized as the human race there is more to life than jobs we don’t want. If McDonald’s can’t keep employees because nobody wants to work there for the pay, then McDonald’s has to figure out how to make their employment more attractive. That’s not a bad thing.

Anxiety is normal. We all have it at times and changing careers is a big transition. Using a career development coach is also a big transition – like the first time you used Zoom or Netflix – but you got through that. You’ll get through coaching and you’ll be so happy you did.

If you’ve been considering talking to a career development coach but feel like you may be seen as a black sheep or stick out like a sore thumb, I promise you that you’re losing valuable time. There’s a proper track and a place for you out there. The real question is if you want it enough to talk to somebody like me who knows how to help.

But before you talk to me, prove it to yourself. Check out ArnelDuvet.com and take the career satisfaction quiz. Don’t tell yourself you’re just having yet another bad day. Maybe it’s time to consider making a change. Take this quiz and we’ll calculate your score and let you know if you’re satisfied where you are or if it’s time to follow your destiny.