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Some people plan their careers. Others just fall into them.

Either way, many of us do not think much about the choice after that. We go about our lives, doing what we have always done – until something changes.

Maybe the work is not fun anymore. Maybe it is not serving us the way it used to. Or maybe we begin to wonder whether we should have been doing it at all.

Different things matter at different stages of life. Some things become less important, while others become much more important. The work that once suited you may no longer fit who you are, what you value, or what you need from your life.

That does not immediately answer the question of what you should do next. It gives you a better place to begin:

What has changed?

What needs to change?

Before deciding whether to stay, leave, or do something completely different, it helps to ask what your work needs to give you now. What are the non-negotiables you need in your job and your life moving forward? What has become more meaningful? What are you no longer willing to accept? What matters now that did not matter as much before?

It can also be difficult to answer these questions when you do not fully appreciate your own potential.

People do not always see what they are capable of. They may have forgotten what they once wanted to do ‘when they grew up’. Even that answer can keep changing, because we keep changing.

When you cannot see your potential clearly, you may also struggle to see what is possible for you.

So the question is not simply, “What other job c uld I do?”

It may be: How do I reconnect with the passion I used to have? How do I identify what matters to me now? How do I create a path toward it?

Those are difficult questions to work through when you are inside your own head. Sometimes you need an objective person to talk to – someone who can help you explore what has changed, recognize the potential you may not see in yourself, and begin finding a way forward.

I think there is nothing sadder than someone not living up to their potential or realizing their dreams.

The answer – and the final outcome – is usually not what you expect it to be. I have seen this time and time again with my clients. But it is worth taking the journey to find out.

As a starting point, I would ask:

“If nothing changed and you were still in this same role two – three years from now, how would you feel about that?”

You do not have to know the final destination before you begin. You can start by asking what your work and life need to give you now.

When people ask me, “What does a career coach do?” they are often expecting a practical answer: help me find a job, revise my résumé, prepare for an interview, fix up my LinkedIn profile, or decide whether I should stay or leave. Those things can absolutely be part of career coaching. But the most important work often comes before any of them. A great career coach helps you understand what has changed in you before you decide what needs to change around you. That distinction matters, because the answer may not be a new job at all. It may be a few tweaks, a redesigned role, a different way of leading, a clearer boundary, or a new definition of success that fits who you are now.

Key Takeaways: What Great Career Coaching Really Looks Like

• It begins with what is really going on. Before asking, “What should I do?” I help clients step back and explore the deeper question: “What is actually happening?”
• It looks beyond the job itself. Work does not exist in a vacuum. Life, identity, relationships, health, energy, values, and the season you are in all shape what will fit next.
• It helps you hear yourself. Thinking out loud with someone who listens closely can reveal patterns, tensions, assumptions, and contradictions that are nearly impossible to see when you are caught inside your own mental loops.
• It recognizes that feeling stuck may be a sign of growth. Sometimes the identity that helped you succeed no longer fits the person you are becoming.
• It expands before it narrows. A strong coach does not push you toward the first plausible answer. Together, you open the landscape before deciding what matters most.
• It does not promise a perfect answer. The aim is a direction that is honest, grounded, and fitting—and a next step you can actually take.
• It makes room for more than one kind of change. You may leave, stay, redesign, renegotiate, or make a few targeted shifts. Transformation does not always require blowing up your career and running away!

Why Career Clarity Comes Before a Career Decision

When someone feels stuck in their career, the natural impulse is to solve the visible problem. Update LinkedIn. Search job boards. Make a pros-and-cons list. Start asking people what they think you should do.

I understand that impulse because action feels reassuring. But action taken before clarity can carry you straight from one version of the same problem into another. You might leave a difficult boss only to discover that the real issue was the kind of environment you were choosing. You may accept a bigger title and realize that what you really wanted was more time, freedom, or meaning. Or you could change companies without changing the pattern that was wearing you down in the first place.

This is why I begin by slowing the decision down just enough to see it clearly. I am not trying to keep someone stuck in analysis. I am trying to make sure the next move is connected to the life they actually want—not simply an escape from the discomfort they feel today.

Feeling Stuck in Your Career May Mean You Are Becoming Someone New

Many of the mid-career professionals I work with have built successful careers. They have been responsible, capable, and committed. Often, those same qualities make it difficult to admit that something no longer fits.

They may say, “I should be grateful,” “I have invested too much to change,” or “I don’t even know what else I could do.” Underneath those statements, I often hear a more important question: Who am I now, and what kind of work fits that person?

That question is not indulgent. It’s practical – and important. Our priorities and energy changes over time. Family responsibilities, health, loss, success, disappointment, age, and experience can all alter what we need from work. The professional identity that served us ten or twenty years ago may not be wrong; it may simply be incomplete for the person we are becoming.

A great career coach helps you explore that shift without rushing to label it as a crisis. Feeling unsettled can be information. So can boredom. Resentment, exhaustion, envy, or a recurring pull toward something different can all point toward a truth that has not yet been said clearly.

Stay tuned for Part II – the process that can help you find that clarity: Expand Before You Decide

Things are constantly changing out there in the realm of the Job Search and probably faster than ever this year. Here (from what I’ve seen) are the top 3 biggest changes in the job search landscape lately, and these trends affect how people find jobs, how employers hire, and what skills are valued.

1. AI is now involved in almost every stage of hiring and is moving from a niche tool to a core part of recruiting. Companies are using AI to screen resumes, rank candidates, schedule interviews and some even in the hiring process. And candidates are also using AI tools for their resumes, cover letters, and applications. What does that mean for you and your job search? AI is now competing with AI in hiring pipelines! So be careful with using AI to create your documents (resumes etc) – keep it real, human and ‘you’ (original). Recruiters often see hundreds or thousands of applications, and if they are AI-generated, they don’t particularly like it. And many have just stopped looking at them altogether. Don’t just apply for a position, send your docs in and leave it at that. There is lots you can do to raise yourself above the noise.

2. Skills-based hiring is slowly replacing degree-based hiring – employers are focusing more on what you can do rather than what degree you have – which is good news! Some employers now explicitly prefer real-world experience over traditional degrees and want people who can deliver value immediately. So that means you also want to focus your resume on portfolios, projects, and certifications, as well as bootcamps, micro-credentials, and hands-on experience. And how you can hit the ground running and make a difference, quickly.

3. The job market is “cooler” and more selective and companies are hiring more cautiously than during the post-pandemic boom, especially with current economic conditions. Companies may be focusing on business-critical roles instead of broad hiring and some sectors are seeing job cuts. Some roles may take longer to fill, competition may be higher and networking and referrals are becoming more important than ever.

Changing times mean strategies must change as well. But now that you know what to pay attention to, a few tweaks in your process may be all you need to do. And nothing can replace good old fashion networking and human connection to help get you that exposure you need. Remember, successful job seekers treat job searching like a strategic campaign, it’s not just about submitting applications. It’s almost a full time job to get a full time job! But worth the effort when you get what you want.