Towards the end of 2019, unforeseen circumstances led to the loss of my corporate job. Having been in the corporate sector for 30+ years, all I could initially think of was finding a similar job to replace the one I had just lost. I found that getting back to the grind of CVs, covering letters, job ads and recruitment consultants was as soul-destroying as it was 22 years ago when I first landed in NZ. It felt rather depressing as I got the impression that nothing much had changed for me in all these years. Back then my lack of NZ work experience was a handicap while now ironically my disadvantage was too much work experience – aka advancing age! I felt like I could never win.
A period of self-introspection, following a chance interaction with a recruitment consultant who advised me to consider what I really wanted to do rather than just jump into another corporate job, led to one definite conclusion. I knew that I wanted to feel more alive and enjoy work, rather than lead a Monday to Friday routine where Monday mornings felt like the Great Depression and Friday evenings felt like the Rio Carnival!
I had had enough of this yo-yo lifestyle and it was time for a change. Having decided that my passion involved helping people, life coaching seemed like a perfect fit for the next phase of my life. Being a life coach could encompass my passion, freedom and flexibility into my working lifestyle.
The attraction of a flexible study structure was the key aspect that made me choose NZIBS over other options to study life coaching.
Going back to study after many years is never easy but not having too much pressure on assignment submission dates helps ease the tension. With an allotted timeframe of 6 months to complete the diploma, I’m very proud to state that I completed it in 3 months!
Now I’m a qualified life coach ready to begin my journey towards a satisfying and fulfilling career, focussing on my passion of helping others.