When you feel frustrated in your career and ready to uplevel, you can easily feel torn between which action to take: going back to school or hiring a career coach. This week's blog helps you explore these two professional development pathways to determine which is right for you. One pathway speaks to your masculine side and the other to your feminine side, and so knowing which part you want to lead this exploration will guide you to your most aligned decision.
To begin this exploration, ask yourself: "what is my true desire?"
If your end goal is "to be respected, admired, and to increase your revenue" you're seeking to meet the needs of your masculine side. Masculine leadership has prevailed for centuries and has created traditional education. The masculine favors you working as a method to earn money, and education is the training ground for you to learn new skills to fit into work opportunities inside existing corporate and political structures. As a system of professional development, traditional education strengthens your masculine side and favors: rational thinking, competitive systems, and hierarchical leadership.
If you desire "something more" in your career - meaning you want a deeper sense of purpose and you want your work to help people in positive ways - you're looking to meet the needs of your feminine side. (And what you really seek to reveal is what I call your Feminine Genius). Career coaching allows for feminine leadership which is not factored into traditional education, and calls forth your feminine side which favors: intuition, equitable systems, and collaborative leadership. Inside your feminine, rather than being bound by the existing systems, you are an open channel for future innovations.
Here is a summary of how traditional education meets masculine mindsets and expectations and career coaching meets feminine mindsets and expectations:
All this said, not all education programs and coaching programs are equal. To be ciear, when I speak of education, I use the adjective "traditional" for a reason. I refer to education as it has been traditionally offered - moving people into industries that are part of today's corporate and political machines. And as for coaching, I refer to coaches who work with you to bring out your innate talent and innovative ideas, not to have you replicate their ideas and style. Beware of coaches who operate more in an traditional education style. You can spot them by authoritative language when they tell you to override your internal wisdom in favor of their method which is the "right" path to success.
Also worth mentioning, there is a common scenario I see in women who are contemplating education vs coaching. You might say you want "something more" in your career and think education is the answer, but this is really a disguise for you not yet knowing yourself and seeing the magic and value you offer to others. If this is the case, I DON'T recommend jumping into an expensive education program! Instead, I recommend you pause and take time for self-exploration with a coach or in some other manner that resonates with you. Traditional education does not help you look within, it furthers the story that what you need is outside of yourself in skills someone else knows that you don't.
And, if you work inside a masculine-dominated industry that tells you learning new skills and building your credentials is the way to success, it makes sense that you would feel confused and look to education to solve your career dissatisfaction. Contrary to traditional education, when you take time to connect with yourself, you discover what you already bring to the table in your exquisite innate skills and the work and life experience you can draw from to solve problems in new and needed ways. If you're curious to learn more about self-doubt as a misdirected reason to pursue a higher degree, check out my recent video "What you need instead of more education."
If this article has helped you recognize that your feminine side is leading and desiring greater self-exploration, this is a great time to explore career coaching! You can sign up for a free 45-minute introductory session with me. During your session, you can bring any issues or questions you have about creating more clarity of direction and/or a sense of true alignment with purpose in your career. The intention of this coaching session is to explore if my Feminine Genius Career Coaching program would support you in moving toward your most authentic, passionate career path. So, before you sign up, please look over the program description to be sure my services align with what you're curious to explore. (Program description and sign up for your introductory session HERE).
About the Author
Hi I'm Gina Marotta, and I can help you step into your higher calling. My unique body of work is about "Feminine Genius" which includes bringing your innate talent + feminine energy (spirituality, creativity, intuition, feelings, and fluidity) into a career focus that changes people's lives for the better. I serve from extensive study in the divine feminine, as well as 20+ years experience as a leader in multiple industries. I have worked professionally as a lawyer, a nonprofit managing director, and an entrepreneur; and I bring all that experience and wisdom to you. You will also find me quoted and interviewed often as a career expert in media outlets like Thrive Global, The Huffington Post, American Bar Association Magazine, Barron's Next Magazine, and WGN Radio.