There are many clues that suggest you are in the wrong career. Most of them relate to how your work makes you feel. For example,

• Do you dread getting up on a Monday morning?
• Do you get to the end of the day and feel exhausted?
• Is your career affecting your physical health, mental health or relationships?
• Do you find your work boring? or pointless?

All of these can be signs. But it can be tricky to pinpoint the underlying causes of your dissatisfaction on your own. You may also dismiss these feelings as temporary by thinking "it will get better when...". Or worse, you may blame yourself for not being better at handling your job.

The truth is, it's not your fault you're unhappy. My clients find that when they dig deeper, it's the job itself or the work environment that is not aligned with what they need. Sometimes both.

To feel fulfilled in your career, you need a combination of tasks you enjoy, a field you are interested in and an environment that supports you to work at your best. It also needs to be aligned with what motivates you - whether than's meaning, recognition, financial reward or something else.

If you'd like to find out how well your work suits you, and whether you should make a career change, take my free Career Match Quiz.

There are multiple ways of finding a career that makes you jump out of bed in the morning.

The most effective way is through a structured process with expert guidance from a Career. This will save you time, ensure you explore all the options and help you to build a career plan perfectly tailored to your preferences and needs.

There are other ways to approach some aspects of career exploration which have pros and cons. They include,

Trial and Error

If you are still in your 20s, then trying new things is valuable and fun. I believe no experience is wasted, and the more exposure you can get to different roles, industries, and learning opportunities, the more you will learn about yourself and what works for you. You have nothing to lose at this age - so enjoy!

Books

There are numerous books on career choice, change and life design available. They are great if you're just curious but following a process from a book is time-intensive and you're working on your own in an echo chamber. This approach didn't work for me because I didn't have the confidence in what I was coming up with. I ended up doubting myself so much I gave up.

Career Coaching

Career Coaches can be a fantastic investment when you are 100% clear on your target role. They will help you find opportunities, and market yourself to secure your dream job. But if you can't articulate exactly what you are looking for you will struggle to find appealing opportunities, and when you apply you are less likely to be successful in your search. This can quickly undermine your confidence. So do yourself a favour - get crystal clear on your ideal role before using a Career Coach to help with your job-search.

Career Advice

Be wary of anyone who tells you what job they think you should do, professional or not. No-one knows what's best for you except yourself. If you do encounter friends, family, and career advisers (who may also be salespeople in disguise) who give you advice, ask them "what makes you suggest that career?". Then thank them and make your own decision!

Career Assessments/Quizzes

I'm a compulsive quiz-taker! But there is no assessment or quiz out there that is clever enough to find the best career for you on its own.

Most assessments and quizzes measure just one factor (for example, skills, interests, personality) but to find a fulfilling career you need to assess and align many factors.

If you love a good quiz, go for it. Take them all (like me). Use them to give you clues as to what you enjoy but then make sure you put all this information together to build up a clear picture of what a great career looks like for you before making any big decisions.

If you're interested to learn more about how to do this, take a look at my free webinar "How to Discover, with 100% confidence, the Best Career for You"

Do you want to change careers but don't know what your new direction should be?

If your answer is Yes, then a Career Counsellor can help.

A Career Counsellor will help you get unstuck by working with you to build up a picture of what you want in your career, finding career options that match and supporting you to make a decision and plan your future.

Once you are clear on the career path you want to take, making the change is simple.

Working with a Career Counsellor will give you a clear direction in your career but, as many of my clients have reported, it can have many other benefits. These include,

Boost Your Confidence

Through Career Counselling you'll identify your strengths and be able to see and articulate the value you have to offer. It also builds your confidence and numerous clients have told me they've become more assertive in asking their employers for what they want and need. 

Give you a more Optimistic Outlook

When you can see that you have options and opportunities ahead of you, it can shift your whole perspective. Many of my clients have reported that they feel more optimistic, energised and excited about life in general after working with me.

Increase your Productivity and Performance

Having a clear career plan gives you a feeling of control and purpose. When you see how your work is helping you get where you want to go in life, you'll feel more motivated which will improve your productivity and performance.

Increase in Energy

Feeling stuck and spending countless hours trying to figure out what to do in your career is mentally and emotionally draining - probably a lot more so than you realise. 

My clients say that once they're clear on their career plan they feel like a weight has been lifted and they feel energised and inspired. And then they can focus all their energy on making progress towards the future they want.

Become a Positive Role Model

Have you ever felt that you're not being the role model you want to be for your kids? Every parent wants to do the best they can for their children. Above all else, we want them to be happy, so being a role model and having a career we enjoy is critical. For some people, it's also important to have a career they feel proud of - one which is meaningful and has a positive impact on the world.

I remember one client describing his wish in such detail it gave me goosebumps. He shared this vision he had of himself sitting on his verandah with his grandchild on his knee, telling them about what he had achieved in his life.

If this resonates with you, you'll see how important it is to take control of your career and make it count.

This is a bit like asking "How long is a piece of string?" but professional support can drastically reduce the time a career change will take.

To explain how, you first need to understand that there are the following four stages to changing career. 

1. Identify your preferences and priorities. What do you enjoy? What are you interested in? What do you want from your new career?

2. Find the career that ticks the boxes and gives you what you want. What is the best career for you to change to?

3. Plan your transition. How are you going to get from where you are now to where you want to be?

4. Execute your plan to make the change.

Identifying your new career path and planning your transition (Stages 1-3)

Through my Define Your Future program, this can take anywhere between 4 weeks to 6 months depending on how much time you have available to devote to the process and how quickly the pieces of the puzzle fall into place for you. The average time taken is 8-10 weeks.

You may be able to figure this out on your own, but it's possible you could waste years going around in circles. Personally, I spent 7 years trying to figure out my career change on my own before I found a the right Career Counsellor to help me. And one of my clients admitted that she was stuck for 17 years! 

Making the transition (Stage 4)

Once you know where you are heading, you can start putting your plan into action. Depending on what you choose to d and where you are starting from, this could take a matter of weeks or potentially years. It's a totally unique path.

The good news is, I know from personal experience and that of my clients, that having a plan and knowing that you're moving in the right direction gives you a huge boost. Even before you have achieved your career change, you feel a sense of clarity, purpose and greater satisfaction.

You'll always find a range of Career Counselling and Coaching services and programs at different price points. 

I offer all-inclusive programs with a guarantee (rather than single sessions) so you can be confident that you will achieve the outcome you need with no surprises.

My program pricing varies depending on how you prefer to work with me and the level of support you want. There are three options for you to choose from. For more information on my program options and current pricing, take a look at my program page here.

If you are researching other Career Counsellors and Coaches, please take time to understand what you are getting. Some will offer single sessions that may look like good value but won't give you the answers you are looking for. Many of my clients have tried other services before they come to me and feel like they have wasted their time and money. 

Career Counsellors work in a range of different ways. Some use an organic, creative approach and others are more scientific and process-driven.

I work with clients in a thorough and systematic way (I'm a scientist at heart and a strong Myers-Briggs INFJ!).  This involves taking you through a simple, step-by-step process to explore your options, and supporting you to make the best data-driven career decisions. 

This thorough approach is critical if you feel you only have one chance at making a change and need absolute confidence that you're making the right decision.

Many of my clients feel this way - especially those who have families to support and those in their 40s or 50s who want to make their career count.

To learn more about my counter-intuitive process, take a look at my free webinar "How to Discover, with 100% confidence, the Best Career for You"

Yes, absolutely. When you work with a Career Counsellor, you'll consider the skills that you most enjoy using* and the fields you are interested in to build up a picture of what will make a career satisfying for you.

An experienced Career Counsellor will use different methods to draw this information out of you, including asking specific questions and using targeted assessments. Once identified, your Career Counsellor will guide you to explore career options that will combine these skills and interests. 

*It's critical to think about the things you enjoy doing rather than what you are best at. If you don't, you will likely get trapped in a role where you spend most of your time using the skills you are good at, but hate. These are known as your 'burnout skills' and for good reason! A Career Counsellor will guide you to ensure that you don't fall into this trap.