A Career Transition Lesson From The Wizard of Oz

A Career Transition Lesson From The Wizard of Oz


When people contact me requesting my help in their career transition, I like to assess how motivated they are in that first conversation. It's important for me to be able to identify whether they are prepared for the rocky journey that awaits them. It reminds me of one of my favourite childhood movies, the Wizard of Oz. Here, we have the main character Dorothy who realizes that she is 'no longer in Kansas City' and she longs to go home.

The Good Witch of the North tells her that she must follow the yellow brick road in order to find the Wizard who will help her to get home. That was her goal. Your goal might be to find fulfilling work and to get away from a meaningless job. So you seek help - someone who can tell you exactly what to do to get to where you're meant to be. Yes there is a pathway you will need to follow and it often starts off being quite straightforward. However the path is not always clear and there are always many obstacles in the way. The metaphorical lions, tigers and bears (oh my!) could be related to confidence or limiting beliefs you have about yourself or the world of work. They could even be the naysayers who happen to be your nearest and dearest. All of these barriers have the power to hinder or even stop your progress. I have seen it happen many times before.

Fortunately Dorothy never gave up, thanks to the support of friends and a new found bravery that she never thought she had. Without wishing to sound cheesy, you can do the same. I can give you many examples of people who have made a successful career transition, including myself. It will mean stepping out of your comfort zone and perhaps doing things which you're not 100% convinced will work (clicking your heels 3 times is not part of my career programme, by the way). It's about feeling the fear and doing it anyway. It's about having accountability and support. It's about never giving up and believing that somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.




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Last night, we had the opportunity to have a good chat about things, and he was (I felt for the first time in a long time), upbeat about what he needs to think about and get done.

He showed me the test results which I think has given him a real confidence boost, as well as having consolidated a lot of things for him in his own mind.

And your post call summary has also had an effect, as he seems to be much more ‘in the zone’, giving him the impetus with a plan on how he gets things done.

Heartfelt thanks from me, his mum, as it has felt like quite a difficult time for all of us!

Debbie
Mark is passionate about his work and very sensitive to the needs of his clients. I was lucky to work with Mark in the international surrounding where he shared knowledge and skills regarding career counselling with the group of youth workers coming from 8 European countries.

Through his work he challenged many limiting beliefs and helped me and others to realize our potentials in a better light and get ideas for helping others do the same.

I strongly recommend Mark for any challenging task since he proved to be flexible, process oriented but also having results in mind, and the most important of all, very positive and inspiring co-worker.
Jelena
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Thank you!
Cathy
Before I contacted Mark, I didn't believe that I could pursue the career I really wanted but after a few sessions it began to feel that my dreams weren't so unrealistic after all.

By the end of the course, I had the confidence to make steps towards getting the job I always wanted.
Leah Mooney
Mark was our trainer in a 7 day International Training Course on topics of youth career guidance for youth workers from 8 countries. His work is amazing - aside from providing skills for our work, he helped us to think over our lives and things we want to do. This training course and his energy gave me a new wave of enthusiasm for both - working with youth and developing myself. I hope I will have the opportunity to work with him again.
Ana
I came to Mark to gain focus and direction as I was awash with ideas and not knowing which to follow. Mark guided me through exercises which systematically drew out my interests, skills and preferences. I am now in a position to drive forward on key ideas with clear goals on what I want to achieve and how I'll know when I have. Thanks Mark!
Jim Allen
I had no clear idea of where I wanted my career to go, except that I didn’t want to carry on with what I was doing. Working with Mark has been instrumental in giving me the right questions, and gaining a good understanding of myself so that I could change direction. His sessions were well structured whilst giving sufficient freedom for different lines of enquiry. And it’s a long time since I enjoyed homework, but I really did relish the work he suggested between meetings. I would thoroughly recommend having Mark coach you through your career conundrums.
Yvette Powell
I worked with Mark during a time of huge personal transition. He gave me invaluable insight into myself, which has had a direct impact on the course of the last 6 months of my life. The coaching sessions I had with him prompted me to take action in the direction of the career and life I really want, rather than doing what I think I 'should' be doing to please other people or fit in. He also got me thinking very differently about the options available to me, which opened doors both in my mind and externally in the world. Mark has outstanding interpersonal skills, which really helped me be at ease and take risks to be completely honest in our sessions. I highly recommend him and his service.
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