Is a Career Coach Worth It?

10 Comments

1. Tina MorenoMay 27,2025 at 2:08PM UTC

   Your feelings are completely valid, and I admire how clearly you're reflecting on what you want and need going forward—especially for your family.

   To your question: Yes, a career coach can absolutely be worth the investment—with the right fit. Just like job searching, finding the right coach is key. Not all of them will “get” you or your goals, so having alignment on values, communication style, and approach is critical to getting real results.

   If you’d like a recommendation, feel free to DM me. I know someone who’s been incredibly helpful for others navigating career pivots, burnout, and clarity-building. She’s affordable, offers a free consult, and has a great track record. I met her at a networking event a few years ago and still stay in touch because she’s just that good.

   You’re not alone in wanting more stability—and the fact that you’re being proactive about it says a lot. You’ve got all the pieces; now it’s just about getting support that helps you put them in the right order.

2. Pamela PattonMay 27,2025 at 3:24PM UTC

   I feel your pain! All the rejection is creating so much self-doubt and impostor syndrome. Tina, I'd love to hear about your coach.

3. AnonymousMay 27,2025 at 6:33PM UTC

   Do you find benefit in coaching? It's not for everyone. My sister chose a career coach over a therapist, she later found that the therapist was more helpful than the career coach and also covered by insurance.

   For content related jobs, I often see these as some of the first to go when layoffs in marketing are happening. The closer you are to revenue, the less likely your role will be eliminated. If you've not done this, find ways to quantify the bottom line value of your work and ensure that you only take on projects that contribute to revenue.

   How do you do this? It's different depending on the company, but what seems standard is Google Analytics (or whatever reporting tool is being used), the CRM (usually Salesforce or HubSpot) and a multi touch attribution set up (not everyone has this, it's a bit of a luxury) along with something like SEMrush (not free) or Google Search Console (free).

   If you're writing emails, have a report in Salesforce and the email service provider that is built to show what happens with those emails. How many emails does it take to drive a sale? How many opportunities came from the email? What's the opp:close rate of an email, how much revenue did that email contribute to?

   If you're writing landing page copy, where does that page rank in search (Search Console or SEMrush)? How much traffic does it drive (Google Analytics)? How much of that traffic is new vs returning (Google Analytics)? How many leads/opps/sales come from that traffic?

   With these types of insights your role becomes invaluable, the likelihood of being let go is diminished and you often level up in the business.

4. C. GarrabrantMay 30,2025 at 12:41PM UTC

   I worked with a career coach 2 years ago, and while some of the exercises we did were helpful, it wasn't worth the money. They can advise but they can't find you a job. They give tips, and also help with your resume, cover letter and interviewing.

   2 years later I'm still in the same situation, and after doing every thing the coach said, it hasn't help me.

   I would research career coaches to find the best fit for you and if you think the investment aka the money is worth it.

5. AnonymousMay 30,2025 at 1:05PM UTC

   I received support from a coach as part of a layoff package several years ago and I found a lot of their advice very formula, things I could have found on any career-advice website. What IMHO is really needed for a career pivot is someone who truly understands the industry you want to enter and can actually tell you how to position and market yourself for it, not just offer ideas like “Highlight your transferable skills!” No kidding, but I thought a coach could help identify relevant transferable skills and the industry-specific language I should use to talk about them, for example.

   Now, this coach was assigned to me and not someone I chose so really being able to vet a coach might have meant I ended up with someone more helpful.

6. Celena BartonMay 30,2025 at 1:27PM UTC

   Sometimes, yes. But it is a VERY tough job market and no coach will get you around that.

7. AnonymousMay 30,2025 at 4:30PM UTC

   It depends, if you are looking for a career coach to stabilize you from layoffs that won't happen. Frankly, when I interview at companies I ask if the company is market driven or engineering driven since I work in tech. If they say market driven then our whole company philosophy is built around selling and revenue vs the quality of the product. So use that similar thinking when and if you look for a new employer because if the company is driven by the market like a consumer product and the market changes usually the first to go are the folks in sales and marketing. Depending upon which part of marketing you are in (seems like you tilt towards marcom) those roles often have less return on investment and can be outsourced to others should the company take a downturn. Think about broadening across other disciplines within the realm to offer more paths vs layoff routes for your career. Good luck.

8. Mo Faul, Founder, CEO, Exec CoachMay 31,2025 at 12:36PM UTC

   A great coach is always worth it- as a Career Coach- I will say - the internal processing needs to be healed and our current and future economy will continue its volatility. Having the inner self (soul) and world class strategies is worth it- consider the value of your career - it’s worth millions! You are the most valuable asset in your life. Real estate construction compare! Invest in yourself!

9. Dr. Patty GrossJune 1,2025 at 12:59PM UTC

   As a coach and someone with a Master's degree in clinical counseling, I would advise you to consider what you truly need. Therapy is for individuals seeking to overcome past issues and develop effective coping strategies for moving forward. Coaching is for individuals who have resolved past problems and are now facing challenges in their current situation. Coaching can help you identify and move past the barriers that are holding you back. If your most significant issue is the fear of being laid off again, therapy can help you understand the reasons behind this fear, as it may be rooted in a deeper issue than a rocky job market. As others have also mentioned, therapy is typically covered by most insurance policies. If you are on unemployment, your Department of Labor may provide some job coaching or a therapy consultation for very affordable rates. If you are going the coaching route, check out the certification that the coach has. Check out their website to see what their philosophy is before spending a lot of money on one. If the coach is well-trained and you need therapy, they should be able to determine this early in the coaching relationship and refer you accordingly.

10. Laura E. WendtJune 9,2025 at 3:29PM UTC

    For the right coach, it will be golden for you. Someone to trust and build strategies with and importantly support your resilience. You can make it short term, 2-3 months to see how it goes and how you feel. Good luck!