In honor of National Career Coach Day, we’re afforded a moment to talk about the vast benefits of working with a career coach. Whether you are 18 and trying to determine your life’s calling, or (like many of my clients) in your 50s and beyond, facing the next shift in your career following a layoff or midlife crisis, exploring career options can be exhilarating and, yes, a little scary.
Perhaps you know what you’re good at and not how to apply that to a future role. Or maybe you’ve done the same thing for a long time and want to leverage your knowledge in a new industry or position. And you might be that person who has the means to try something completely new! No matter where you are in your career trajectory, working with a career coach can be a boon to your future success.
Do What You Love? Or Do What You Know?
There are differing viewpoints on what to pursue in your career—and your answer could depend on your age, generation, experience, viewpoint, or checking account balance! I’m currently reading So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport, and his stance is that we shouldn’t pursue passions as careers. Instead, we should acquire skills and become the best we can be, which often leads to a passion to do the work. Or on the flip side, you could pursue a passion while acquiring those skills.
This resonates with me in particular because, although supporting job seekers truly is a passion for me, it certainly didn’t start that way. When I was in college at a small school in Western New York, one of my professors approached me and said, “You’re a good writer. Will you write my resume?”
I didn’t know anything about resumes, and I told him as much. “Figure it out,” he countered.
I went to the library (this was 1996, so the internet wasn’t quite what it is today) and checked out The Damn Good Resume Guide by Yana Parker and wrote my professor a resume. He liked it and suggested I start a company writing resumes.
I did.
However, it wasn’t until ten years later that I went full tilt with resume writing, and that was after I had developed my skills and honed my craft. I continue to learn and grow since, as we all know, resumes in 2026 are nothing like those from 1996!
As you determine your path, keep in mind what your skills are, alongside your passions. Knowing these will help you identify what might work best for your next step.
Re-careering Has No Age Limit
I discovered my talents and continued to grow them while in my 20s. This is true for some people, but others are ready for a change by the time they hit their 50s or even 60s. Some people don’t even figure out what they want until they’re in their 50s! In fact, many of my clients are inspired to re-career in midlife when confronted with a layoff. These established professionals have usually worked up the ranks to good positions in management and are now asking themselves pertinent questions:
- Do I want to do this again?
- Do I still fit in this industry?
- How do I pivot without starting over?
- What does “next” even mean at this stage of my career?
A career evolves over time, and working with a career coach can shine a light on the answers to these challenging questions by helping you look inward and forward. There’s no rule that you have continue on the same path forever. If you find yourself asking these questions and are unsure where to go next, check out my blog on the topic for guidance.
A Relatable Story
Let me digress here for a minute to share with you my son’s recent question of his future goals. Truly, we put too much pressure on kids to know what they want to do for the rest of their life, but I doubt that’ll change anytime soon. My son, a whiz at math and science (and a pretty darn good writer, which makes me immeasurably proud), determined that he would pursue a degree in chemistry. He started at Northern Arizona University after high school graduation, and his freshman year went well.
Then he choose a crazy schedule for the fall of his sophomore year: organic chemistry, physics, and calculus. All this while also practicing multiple days each week to play the sousaphone with the NAU Lumberjack marching band in the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Everyone who heard about this punishing schedule wondered about the kid’s sanity.
It should come as no surprise, then, that shortly before the fall semester ended, our son came to my husband and me to tell us that he no longer wanted to continue studying chemistry and, in fact, he was ready to drop out of college and come home.
Little-known fact here: I also dropped out of college in my sophomore year. Long story short, I met calculus and a boy at the same time; the boy won. I understood my son’s plight. Heck, I work with job seekers all the time, and I know that a change of heart isn’t uncommon!
While we told him we’d support him no matter what, we encouraged our son to stay in college through the spring but, this semester, we got him to enroll in easy 101 classes: astronomy, economics, and IT—things that are of interest and might turn into a career path.
Can you relate? Maybe this kind of crossroads came up for you or your children in college. Maybe you’re at this crossroads now! Either way, this is where working with a career coach can make a huge difference in what happens next.
What Working with a Career Coach Really Helps You Do
At its core, working with a career coach is about finding clarity and alignment. A skilled career coach can help you:
- Clarify what you want—and don’t want—in your career.
- Identify transferable skills you may be undervaluing.
- Reframe decades of experience into a cohesive career narrative.
- Explore pivots that make sense financially and professionally.
- Build confidence during periods of uncertainty or transition.
Your career coach isn’t a mystic; he or she won’t give you the path to follow. Instead, you’ll work together to uncover the answers you seek. This is often invaluable for a Type A decision maker, providing you with an experienced sounding board who can reflect the many emotions you’re experiencing.
You’re Not Alone in Questioning Your Career Path
Another important benefit of working with a career coach is that you begin to realize you’re not the only one struggling with direction. I see it all the time with my clients. You may not be talking about your uncertainty when you’re with colleagues, friends, or even family, but the likelihood is that you’re all facing it. Whether it surrounds your career, marriage, or kids doesn’t matter; at some point, we all need a little outside perspective to remind us that we’re not the only one having these thoughts.
Career coaches see patterns. They can share stories because they’ve helped others through similar transitions. That perspective alone can reduce anxiety and help you move forward with intention.
Not All Coaches Do the Same Thing (And That’s a Good Thing)
It’s worth clarifying that “career coach” is often used as an umbrella term for everyone in the career-services space. In reality, though, different professionals support different parts of the journey, including:
- Career coaches focus on direction, alignment, and long-term career strategy.
- Job-search strategists guide networking, outreach, and positioning.
- Resume and LinkedIn experts help articulate value and experience clearly.
- Interview coaches strengthen storytelling, presence, and confidence.
Sometimes, you’ll find all of these approaches in one person; other times, you’ll want to create your team of experts. Ideally, if you start with one who doesn’t provide the specifics you need, they’ll refer you to someone who does. Ask the hard questions to find a coach who understands and supports you.
Coaching Is a Strategy, Not a Last Resort
There’s a lingering misconception that working with a career coach is something you do only when things go wrong. That’s kind of like only choosing to go to a marriage counselor when one partner is ready to consult a divorce attorney. Sure, you can wait until it hits the fan, but you can also seek out a specialist at any point in your journey. There’s strength in clarity. Remember, the most successful athletes use coaches throughout their career; you can do the same.
That doesn’t mean you need a career coach in your corner 24/7. In fact, most career coaches don’t really do that anyway. Their aim is to help you find that clarity and provide you with the tools to:
- Shorten periods of uncertainty
- Make better-informed decisions
- Avoid reactive career moves
- Navigate transitions with confidence and intention
You and job seekers like you choose to work with a career coach because they want a guide—an advocate, if you will. Whether you’re navigating a layoff, considering a pivot, or simply feeling that quiet nudge that something needs to change, support can make the process clearer, faster, and far less isolating.
Career questions don’t disappear with age. They evolve. And with the right guidance, so can you.
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Need help navigating the job-search process? There’s a reason I named my company Your Career Advocate: I’m here to guide and support you from initial application through salary negotiation. Learn more about my services and how I can help.