Stuck in career & changing jobs Archives - Amy | Career coaching platform for everyone

Why Should Your Career Match Your Lifestyle?

We are used to how careers define our lifestyles and commonly look for a job with a decent salary and matching skills, ignoring the schedule. Even though work formats have evolved with technologies, we still wonder if our style of living is worth shaping job choices and not the other way around. “Isn’t it risky?” you might ask. And you will be right in a way. Despite that, before jumping to conclusions, we will review the pros and cons of each approach—lifestyle adapting the career and career adapting the lifestyle. 

Weighing the options: career vs. lifestyle focus

What comes to mind when mentioning the term lifestyle? The Cambridge Dictionary defines a lifestyle as a way of living—the things we usually do, where we live, what we spend our money on, and other daily routines. Lifestyle is also about our values and relationships with other people. 

If we speak about things we usually do, we speak about a job or hobbies. If we speak about where we live, what we spend our money on, and the people we meet, a job is directly tied to the matter. That’s why a career is a driving force in our life.

Deciding whether to build a career around your lifestyle or shape your lifestyle around your career is a personal choice that depends on your values, goals, and life circumstances. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches.

The image contains the comparison of prioritizing lifestyle vs. career: advantages and disadvantages of each approach

The best scenario is when you can complement your career and lifestyle or choose a career close to your daily schedule. However, life is not linear, and you may need to temporarily focus strictly on one way or another, like putting all your efforts into career advancement or personal growth.

How can you understand that it’s time to question the career format you have?

If you notice that your work negatively affects other aspects of life: relationships, time to do things you love, self-care activities, and finally, health—think it over. A World Health Organization study finds long working hours increase heart disease. Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard. Besides, work values that don’t match your personal values decrease motivation. Work activities that don’t match your personal interests decrease productivity.

Overall, any work format cannot perfectly meet all needs, but you have the power to choose what truly matters to you. 

How can you start changing the career format?

In the first place, define your priorities and interests, and, of course, pay attention to life circumstances. Fair enough that you cannot neglect the financial side if you have a family to care for. In case you hesitate or feel confused about identifying those areas, career coaching exercises will come in handy. Or a career coach for a career change who can create a personalized career plan for you. Let’s examine two cases where online career coaching services can be valuable.

Never-ending work cycle and professional frustration

Meet Lynette, a sales executive with years of experience in a high-stress corporate job. 

The image of a woman working as a corporate professional.

Her typical day starts at 6 AM. and ends past 11 PM., because of two schoolchildren, chores, and work often spilling into her weekends. Lynette is passionate about her job and invests in her professional development for career growth. In addition, her current schedule demands business trips because of on-site client visits. 

She thinks the more hours she dedicates to a job, the better it pays, but over time, the strain on her personal life and health becomes clear. Her relationships with her husband and children worsen due to the lack of time spent together. Since Lynette loves her family and wishes to devote more time to them, she is torn apart and develops chronic stress-related insomnia and anxiety. 

Lynette’s situation is not uncommon. In fact, long working hours are linked to a higher risk of anxiety and depression. Overwork can also disrupt social relationships. If you find yourself in a similar situation, it’s worth considering whether your career truly serves your life—or if it’s draining you.

Career coaching solution

In Lynette’s case, career coaching practices can:

  1. Improve work-life balance
  2. Navigate career transition to a hybrid format (remote work with required trips to clients)  
  3. Assist in recalling a dream job and evaluating achievements at the company to appreciate progress

Fulfilling potential and combining two occupations

Take Richard, for example, a biotechnology technician at a mid-sized company who cannot advance or make changes that would give him fulfillment. 

The image of a man combining two careers.

He often dreams of reaching his potential in the music industry, mainly by starting a music production agency, but is okay with his current job at the same time. 

Richard’s career doesn’t align with his ambitions and offers no room for growth, though it matches his degree and skills and maintains a secure income. Despite excelling at his job, he feels trapped by the rigid corporate structure that doesn’t offer opportunities for creativity or upward mobility. 

So, Richard is stuck and cannot make the right decision. This sense of being stuck not only affects professional satisfaction but also leads to a decline in overall motivation and mental well-being. Like Richard, you may stay in a job that no longer serves you out of fear of the unknown, financial instability, or because you don’t believe other opportunities are within reach. However, remaining in an unfulfilling job can have long-term consequences on your happiness and career trajectory.

Career coaching solution

With the help of a personal career coach, Richard can:

  1. Combine two work formats: a freelance approach with music gigs on demand and part-time engineering services based on a contract in a company
  2. Vacancies browsing
  3. Goal-setting session for both career fields and directions
  4. Cover letter writing

In both stories, the core issue is the same: Lynette’s and Richard’s careers dictate their lives rather than vice versa. Taking a pause, analyzing a career situation from a different angle, and making reasonable changes are what the two of them will benefit from. And career coaching can be of assistance here.

Conclusion

Job is not always about money. It’s also about fitting into your life. You cannot find a job that is fully satisfying, but you can find one close to sound, as work formats are flexible nowadays. One role may combine hundreds of activities unrelated to the first sight or those that intersect responsibilities. Consider not only formats like remote and corporate but also social factors—whether you feel comfy working in silos or crave company. Not to mention cases where sitting at the desk all day long is a nut to crack. 

Career coaching is your instrument for remaining on track and fluent with your career choices. At Amy, you can try self-coaching exercises or consult a career coach who will help you maintain happy relationships with yourself and the world around you throughout your career. In the meantime, reflect on your interests and priorities to make an informed career choice that aligns with your desired lifestyle.

How Career Coaching Can Change Your Life Today

“If you aren’t happy at work, you aren’t happy at life,” they say. Whether this is true for you is a personal decision. While a job might not be the main source of happiness, it’s often necessary for a fulfilling life. Even more—an occupation can align with the individual’s passions and bring a sense of purpose if chosen wisely. But what if your work is a mix of pressure, anxiety, or financial tension? Or all three?

Given that you dedicate most of your life to a job, sometimes there’s neither the opportunity nor the energy to step back and take a bird’s-eye view of your career path to enhance. This is when a career expert equipped with career coaching techniques can step in.

To start with, what exactly is career coaching?

Career coaching is a practice that helps people define their professional goals and achieve them with a personalized approach. Whether transitioning to a new role or overcoming career obstacles to improve an existing experience, career coaching addresses various work-related challenges.

Career coaches, in their turn, can offer support by:

  • Assessing skills, strengths, and interests and setting career goals accordingly
  • Creating a tailored career plan with a strategy toward targeted positions
  • Improving cover letter and resume
  • Assisting with the interview processes
  • Navigating career transitions
  • Guiding on how to negotiate effectively for promotions, salary raises, and other benefits
The image shows a woman with notes and the text: assess, improve, and navigate in terms of career.

So, why do I absolutely need career coaching?

Today’s job market demands a high level of flexibility and constant learning. Economic instabilities and artificial intelligence lead to job displacement in certain areas and new opportunities in others. According to McKinsey research, one in 16 workers may have to switch occupations by 2030.

To keep up with the career landscape, you must know job updates and upskill. Thus, there is no better time to use career coaching services than now to ensure your productivity today and your bright future.

Let’s review the following cases.

1. You want to grow in your current role, but instead, you feel stuck and undervalued

While every job involves engaging tasks, there’s often a degree of routine and repetition. If you feel unfulfilled and exhausted due to a constant cycle of meaningless tasks, it’s time to reassess the situation and explore potential changes.

Another reason for new opportunities can be a lack of recognition at work, which hinders professional development and motivation.

How can career coaching change the situation?

A career coach will analyze your core competencies and pinpoint areas of expertise to clarify what you’re good at. Acknowledging strong sides helps communicate openly about accomplishments and expand the existing responsibilities.

With a career roadmap, you will set meaningful objectives with smaller steps to bring vision and a sense of moving on.

2. You want to change the position, but you are afraid of starting from scratch and facing financial wreckage

You are sleeping and dreaming of approaching your newly rented office, opening a door, sitting at the desk, and starting the day with your first client. The alarm is ringing, and the smile on your face wipes away. You believe that stability and safety advance pursuing passions and entrepreneurial spirit.

The “it’s too late” trap makes you question the relevance of your skills in a new field and think that you will lose your current income.

How can career coaching change the situation?

The hesitation fueled by a drastic career change requires a step-by-step plan and support. A career advisor will create a detailed transition plan with transferable skills for your new career path. You will add objectives, timing, training materials for upskilling, and other useful resources.

Though the career change might seem risky, it’s often rewarding if planned thoroughly.

3. You struggle for a work-life balance, but you lose the game

Are you satisfied with your workload and the level of flexibility your job provides? Have you ever found yourself jumping into a loop of never-ending overtime despite your best intentions? Do you find it difficult to prioritize your tasks, communicate accomplishments, and set boundaries?

Moreover, an unhealthy work-life balance and imposter syndrome often reinforce each other. Juggling excessive responsibilities and doubting your worth contributes to anxiety, procrastination, and burnout.

How can career coaching change the situation?

First, a career coach will identify the cause of the imbalance between your work and personal life. Depending on the reason, the expert can assist you with:

  • Time management and communication skills to boost assertiveness
  • Setting realistic expectations for the project
  • Acknowledging your accomplishments and establishing clear boundaries between work and personal time

To sum up, what is the advice?

The job should primarily reflect your lifestyle and promote positive thoughts. A mother of two, a father on paternity leave, a student graduating from the university, or a corporate worker with 15 years of experience in one field, you deserve to work at whatever pace and format suits you. Try Amy, and we will help you glow and grow with any work and career path.

Your Career Success: Discover What Career Coaching Is and What Career Coach Does

Gartner survey finds that just 46% of employees are satisfied with their career development. 

Building a career is not easy. Maintaining a career is equally challenging. And this remains true whether you’re a university graduate or a corporate professional. Happily, the way we think about careers can be shifted for the better with available, easy-to-try tools and expert guidance. Career coaching exists to give you those tools and hand in career development. Thus, we will start by clarifying its meaning.

What is career coaching?

Career coaching is about hands-on techniques for enhancing your professional life—to be satisfied with your career, be recognized, achieve professional and financial goals, and uncover hidden potential. 

Let’s consider career coaching services a compass in the job market landscape. Here is how you can benefit from career coaching when you are lost:

  1. Align the compass with the north. Acknowledge your career obstacles: meaningless job, financial anxiety, poor work-life balance, or anything related.
  2. Orient the compass to your position. Identify your career expectations, whether setting professional goals, transitioning to a new career, or improving the workplace environment.
  3. Find the desired direction of travel. Determine a career path with interests, strengths, skills, and learning opportunities.
  4. Match your travel direction with the north. Work on a career plan, set meaningful objectives, and try coaching exercises to reflect on your approach and needs.
  5. Check your path using landmarks. Track progress on the career roadmap. Small, measured steps will eventually lead you to the targeted destination.
The image includes a compass in hand like a career navigation instrument.

At any step of finding the way, it’s natural to be uncertain, frustrated, or stuck. A certified career coach can consult, support, or fully guide you through the career path. This leads to the question: who exactly is a career coach, and why should you consider working with one? 

Who is a career coach?

A career coach is a professional who assists in achieving career goals. They work with you to overcome career challenges and tailor a unique career plan that fits your strengths, lifestyle, and aspirations. 

Here are the areas career coaches often engage in.

Preparing for a job application 

Laying the foundation is everything. The cover letter and resume must be accurate, well-structured, and capture the employer’s attention on the experience required for the specific role. A career coach ensures your application materials reflect those. 

To stand out, showcasing what impact you make at work is a must-have. A career coach offers an objective view of how much you can bring to the table, along with:

  • Crafting or refining cover letter and resume
  • Filling in the LinkedIn profile or a profile on any other recruitment platform
  • Participating in a desired job searching 
  • Preparing for interviews
  • Building or improving communication skills
  • Expanding network and valuable contacts for professional connections

Navigating a career transition

You believe you can do much more. Your current career is no longer fulfilling or aligned with who you are or want to be. You are passionate about your occupation, but professional frustration and lack of motivation started resonating. 

Isn’t it the moment to explore new horizons? 

When it comes to career change, the pressure of commitments and responsibilities might be too high to take a risk. And we understand how tough this is for you. Looking for an entirely new field, like going from corporate work to entrepreneurship or moving from one industry to another, seems promising but also scary. To clear your doubts and fears, a career counselor will aim at keeping the process straightforward, time-efficient, and certainly smooth while:

  • Assessing interests, strengths, and skills
  • Setting career goals
  • Creating a tailored career plan with a strategy toward targeted positions

Shining in a current role 

A professional career coach isn’t only about getting you hired somewhere new. They are likewise proficient in growing and flourishing your best self in a current career. 

Achieve your work-life balance

Balancing work and personal life keeps you productive, enthusiastic, and on track to reach your goals without sacrificing relationships, health, and well-being. If work consumes all your time and pushes what truly matters to the back seat, it can leave you exhausted and stuck in a cycle of endless repetition, with long-term effects if not addressed early on.

Nice to meet you, confidence

In addition to working hours, salary and benefits go hand in hand, and more importantly—the confidence to communicate when you feel underpaid or your benefits package isn’t competitive. 

Through career coaching sessions, you rediscover your worth as a professional and the value of your experience. A career coach particularly affects the picture by:

  • Guiding on how to negotiate effectively for promotions, salary raises, and other benefits 
  • Looking for training and skills-up courses
  • Fixing unhealthy work-life balance, breaking the burnout cycle, and setting boundaries
  • Boosting self-esteem and handling imposter syndrome

Working with a career coach in today’s competitive job market gives you an advantage in reaching your full potential and succeeding in your career. They are your pillow of support in times when you aren’t sure what you want to do and how to do it.

Try self-coaching exercises for your career development 

At Amy, we strive to give people as many valuable tools from our vast experience as possible.

We believe that career coaching is here for you as a practical resource for embracing a true calling, whether you are worried that you are not progressing in your career, feeling stuck in a dead-end job, or are underappreciated.

Check our library of free self-coaching exercises and be ready to enjoy long-lasting results.