Imagine you’re shopping for a car.
You could buy:
- A reliable Toyota: It works. It gets you from A to B. It’s affordable.
- A sports car: Fast, exciting, cutting-edge technology. But maybe more than you need.
- A truck: Practical if that’s your life. Wasteful if it’s not.
None of these vehicles is objectively “the best car.” They’re just different cars for different people – with different needs and preferences.
The same is true when you’re looking for support to navigate a career change.
There are different options. All legitimate. All useful for the right person in the right situation.
But the right option for you depends entirely on who you are, how you learn best, and what you actually need to move forward.
In this episode, I talk you through the differences between three main options.
And I’m going to share 5 questions you should ask yourself to make a choice that’s actually right for YOU.
The Difference Between Three Options of Support
When public sector leaders decide to invest in navigating a career change, they have different options.
Not just in price, but in how they work and what you can expect from them.
Option 1: Self-Directed Learning
You can access content: courses, books, podcasts. You work through the material on your own. You apply what you’ve learned.
The benefits are: it’s affordable, flexible, and you work at your own pace.
But here’s what I’ve noticed: Many public sector leaders start with enthusiasm – but then they stop.
One of my clients told me she had signed up for an online career course. But she never finished it.
When I asked why, she said: “I got partway through, and then I hit a hard question. I didn’t know what to do. Then things were busy at work and I got distracted by personal stuff in my private life. There was no one there to help me work through it. So I just… stopped.“
That’s the limitation of self-directed learning. It can build knowledge. But it often doesn’t translate into action.
Option 2: AI Tools
These are sophisticated. They ask good questions, available 24/7, and affordable.
I tried different ones myself. I got some insights from working through the prompts. But… I didn’t implement any of them.
Why? Because an AI doesn’t know me. Doesn’t believe in me. Doesn’t create accountability.
When I wanted to quit, there was no one saying: “Hey, remember what you said last week? You said this mattered. Let’s think through what’s getting in the way.”
AI tools can be useful to brainstorm ideas. But taking action, change, and real transformation usually requires something more.
Plus, not everyone is comfortable to share their most personal thoughts and fears with such a tool. Concerns about data privacy and security are real and valid.
Option 3: Working With A Human Guide
The investment is higher, yes. It requires showing up regularly. It demands vulnerability.
But here’s what it offers that the other tools can’t:
- Accountability: You know you’ll talk to this person again. So you actually do the work.
- Witness: Someone sees you, understands your situation, believes in your ability to figure this out. That belief matters.
- Challenge: A good guide asks hard questions. Points out patterns. Holds up a mirror.
- Support through the scary parts: Change can be frightening. A guide helps you move through doubt instead of getting stuck in it.
Suzanne, a public sector leaders I interviewed in my previous podcast called ‘Shifted’, put it like this:
“I only change when I feel accountable to another human being. Someone I have to face again and explain myself to.”
That’s the power of human connection in the change process.
What helps you decide what’s best for you? Ask yourself these five questions.
5 Questions to Help You Decide What’s Best for You
1. What’s your track record with self-directed learning?
Be honest. When you start a course, do you finish it? When you make a plan, do you follow through?
If yes, you’re disciplined and implement what you learn, self-directed learning might work for you.
If no, you get stuck and don’t action anything, you probably need more support.
2. Have you ever invested in something that improved your life?
A personal trainer? A therapist? A coach? A mentor?
How did it feel? And what did you gain?
This tells you something about whether investing in yourself feels worth it to you.
3. What would actually help you take action?
Is it having good content? Or do you need someone to help you work through obstacles? To hold you accountable? To believe in you?
Be honest about what you actually need. Not what you think you should need.
4. What are the costs of staying where you are?
Worry? Time? Energy? Your sense of self?
Capture that: in hours, in your physical and mental health. Really see it.
Then compare it to the cost of investing in support.
Usually, that comparison makes the decision clearer.
When You Choose To Work With Someone
What matters is that you feel a genuine connection. That you trust them. That you believe they understand your situation and what you’re struggling with. That their process will help you gain the clarity you are looking for.
Whatever you choose, make the choice consciously.
Choose based on:
- Who you are
- How you actually learn and change
- What you genuinely need to move forward
- What you believe is worth investing in
When you make a conscious choice, you’re more likely to follow through. You’re committed.
Commitment is what creates change.
So ask yourself, question number:
5. What specifically would help me make the best decision for me?
Listen to your answer. And act on it.
Because you’re worth the investment. And the career and life you want are waiting on the other side of that choice.
Until next time: make space, rediscover YOU, and then take action.