What AI told me about my career change
An experiment
Are you in for an experiment?
Because I am!
You see, a while back I spoke to a fellow coach. She had made the shift from coaching into AI coaching (for lack of a better term). Using AI to support coaching.
It planted a seed.
Now, I don’t know if you’ve ventured onto ChatGPT yet?
(Or if you’re a complete convert and are using it every day? Let me know if you are! I’d LOVE to hear how YOU’ve embraced and are using AI!).
I thought I’d investigate and use my OWN career change (six years ago now) as a test case.
Are you ready?
Then we’ll begin.
The first prompt
(Off-piste thought: isn’t it funny how new technology leads to new jobs? Until this year I had NEVER heard of a ‘prompt engineer’. Now? The jobs are there AND they make good money too!)
You see, I saw a fellow career coach talking about ChatGPT and asking it a very detailed first question. But that’s not how I wanted to start.
Because if you’re confused, not clear, and one evening you’re deciding to start ‘talking’ to ChatGPT, would you have a perfectly composed ‘prompt’ ready?
No, I decided to come up with a random one, based on where I was so many moons ago.
The first answer? It recommended doing some ‘career aptitude tests’ (without giving further details), recommended remote project management or consulting careers in which I could combine my organisational and communications skills and apply it to the creative sector.
It recommended that I should leverage my current skills and told me that there were numerous platforms (Udemy, Coursera) where I could do courses where I could gain or refine my skills.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
The buts
But 1
Even now - after all those years - I could feel the ‘buts’ coming up:
Still working in projects? Even if it IS remote? Really?
I wanted to do something completely different! I wanted OUT!
(Yes, I started to get quite whiney. To a machine. Honestly! <shakes head>)
What did it answer? It gave me 6 (SIX!) suggestions for possible creative jobs, ranging from creative freelancer to voiceover.
Which led me straightaway to …
But 2
But what about the money! How would I make money? Oh, and do all your suggestions mean I’ve got to go study art first?
So that’s what I asked.
Here is where ChatGPT came up with a whole lot of suggestions on how to diversify, build a portfolio, start doing some projects first, let platforms (like Fiverr) do the ‘business’ side for you, make a gradual transition.
Again it suggested to use existing skills in creative organisations.
And no, ChatGPT said, there’s literally NO reason why you shouldn’t be able to do these things, even if you DON’T have an art degree.
In a funny sort of way ChatGPT started to re-assure me, whilst giving me LOTS of things to investigate and ponder over.
For the purposes of this ‘test’ I didn’t do all those things. Obviously.
No, instead I asked another question, showing how your mind can meander and go from one thing to the next in your career change. (It does, doesn’t it?)
Prompt 2
I LOVE a good personality test. You?
Finding out more about yourself is an important part of creating a career in which you use your skills and strengths for something that’s important to you (which is the definition of happiness according to Positive Psychology).
So that’s where my mind went:
And out rolled a raft of tests you can do to get clearer on your skills, your interests, your personality and your values. It even recommended some free and paid-for tests you can do (with links)!
In the interest of time (and - as you’d imagine - I’ve already DONE a lot of these tests!) I decided not to spend time going through these this time around.
Except to say that personality tests are based on YOUR input. This means that you shouldn’t be surprised if the tests give you a reading of who you are, right now.
And yes, that sometimes can be less than helpful (oh, so I should stay where I am and work in projects, great!).
Which led me to …
Prompt 3
I decide to confuse issues even further. Because that’s how you feel, right? Confused. All over the place.
Well, THIS is where ChatGPT got REALLY enthusiastic! It listed a RAFT of possible careers that focused on women’s equality. From writer/blogger to gender equality consultant, from working for a women’s charity to working in publishing of feminist books.
Oh, and look what popped up!
Last prompt
And finally, the curse of the multi-passionate* kicked in (‘I want to do it ALL’).
NO problem, said ChatGPT and gave me SIX career paths to explore and told me ALL about how this would satisfy my different interests and skills.
I closed the ‘discussion’ and ChatGPT wished me good luck!
The upshot
You know what I did six years ago? When I was in EXACTLY the position I described in Prompt #1?
Yes, I did it the analogue way: I bought and borrowed books. Loads of them. (You can still find LOTS of career change - and other - book reviews here. )
That - predictably - took me AGES.
What ChatGPT - of course - is GREAT at is giving you an overwhelming and QUICK answer with LOTS of suggestions and tests you can do. In other words, the reading is taken care of!
The other thing that is really useful is that ChatGPT is pointing you in the direction of a great number of resources and tests that will help you get clearer on WHO you are and WHAT you could do.
And the most surprising thing?
I’ve found the experience of talking to ChatGPT not unpleasant! This came as a surprise to me.
It is talking in encouraging language, is patient, is willing (ha!) to engage in all your ramblings and come up with suggestions. It gives you LOTS of things to explore and tests to do.
The limitations
What it doesn’t do?
Whilst the language used comes across empathetic, it has - of course - its limitations.
Empathy
Yes, the language used by ChatGPT is encouraging and positive. Of course it is.
But real empathy? Knowing how you’re feeling? Being able to step into your shoes? Holding space for you (when you’re pouring your heart out instead of talking in precisely formulated prompts)? No. Of course not.
Asking questions
YOU’re the one asking the questions.
Even in this short experiment I wanted someone to ask ME some! Challenge me! Hold me to account!
(What makes you so fearful? How important is money to you? What level of security do you require (and why)?)
None of that was forthcoming. It requires the client - you - to do this thinking yourself and ask the right questions.
For you to DO something different you need to BE someone different. That’s what I believe.
Because if you could just simply make the move into a new career, you would already have done it, right?
Taking action
ChatGPT is GREAT at gathering information for you.
What it doesn’t do? Gather information FROM ACTUAL PEOPLE.
Yes, if you prompted it further it might give you the information you need to plot your way to a specific job or tell you how to ‘find’ your strengths.
What it doesn’t do? Tell you what it’s like to work in that organisation. It doesn’t tell you what strengths you’re using day to day (something that your colleagues can really help with). It doesn’t tell you …
For THAT you need to take action. Action out in the real world. Talking to real people. See how organisations, jobs, fit YOUR criteria. Getting curious and trying things out. No machine can tell you that.
Accountability
It’s one of the TOP issues clients list. They tell me that the fact they have an appointment booked with me means they HAVE to do their ‘homework’. Implying that if they didn’t they wouldn’t bother.
And that’s of course exactly what happens when you use ChatGPT as a tool. You don’t have a coaching session booked for next week. You’re not accountable.
So all that research? All those personality and aptitude tests? Yes, *may* just end up bungling at the bottom of your long To Do list (and never get done).
Conclusion
I’ve always had this weird quirk (Should I have started this post with this? Probably.) Anyway, the quirk: I like to make myself redundant.
What do I mean?
I like to empower others. To not give you the fish, but instead the fishing rod. (Or the fishing boat and all the equipment if I can).
I did it when I was a Change Manager, when handing over to Business As Usual. I do it now as a Career Coach for women.
So - unlike others - I was quite curious when it came to AI. Was it going to replace me as a coach (like some of my colleagues seem to think)? Is it a tool? Will you be able to change careers without me?
The answers are - as far as I’m concerned - no, yes and yes.
ChatGPT as a tool
Yes, having used ChatGPT myself now I can see it as an amazing tool, which I’ll be incorporating in my Career Freedom coaching programme!
ChatGPT in career change
Will you be able to change careers without me - or any coach - as a result of using ChatGPT? Absolutely! You always could!
The good news is: you can probably do it quicker than I did. (It took me 4 to 6 years … just saying)!
Because ChatGPT can do the research for you and even read the books! (Then again, you can benefit from that already by reading my career change books here: Career Change Books).
ChatGPT as coach
So, no. No, ChatGPT is NOT a coach. Not on the evidence I’ve seen. Because a tool like ChatGPT will not ask YOU questions. ChatGPT will not go deep into your fears, beliefs and concerns. ChatGPT will - yes - use encouraging language, but not be your ongoing support, cheerleader and - well - COACH, holding space for you, holding you accountable and supporting you in moving forward.
In other words:
Do YOU still need a coach? That’s your decision to make.
Will I soon be redundant as a coach? No. I don’t think so. Not on this evidence, anyway.
(And even if I was? On the basis of today’s exercise I have MULTIPLE career paths to explore and pivot into!)
Tineke X
P.S. What about you? Are you ready to start changing YOUR career?
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Tineke Tammes is a Career & Creativity Coach and supports professional women in making successful transitions to careers of Freedom, Flexibility and Fulfilment! Besides that she is also a lifelong feminist, part-time portrait artist, never-only-read-one-book-at-any-time reader, and obsessive doodler.
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Yes, they were straight on it and understand its limitations, too. NB The paid version is much better than the free.
Nice experiment! We use ChatGPT for all sorts of questions - researching ideas, sorting through data, comparing strategies etc. My son and daughter use it for everything!