CHES® Career Profile: Career and Life Coach
Have you ever struggled to feel as though you know which direction to take regarding life choices? Are you feeling discontent in your current career or attempting to determine which career path you would like to take? Working with a life coach or career coach can provide you with the support, guidance, and direction you need to take the next step.
Career and life coaches are an essential component of the health education workforce, and credentialing offers even more opportunities for them to utilize their skillset.
THE VALUE OF HEALTH EDUCATION CERTIFICATION
We spoke with Kyle Elliott, a career and life coach, certified health education specialist, and content creator at www.caffeinatedkyle.com to learn more about how health education credentialing has allowed him to pivot quickly during the COVID pandemic while encouraging others to follow their passion.
What does the role of career and life coach entail?
Kyle: Before COVID-19, as a career coach, I helped people find jobs they LOVE (or at least tolerate). This included helping clients discover what they want to be when they ‘grow up,’ crafting resumes and cover letters, teaching job seekers how to navigate networking, and preparing people for interviews. Really, if people needed help finding a job, they came to me.
Moreover, I used the skills I acquired as a CHES® – and through years of experience – to help people get unstuck and achieve what they never imagined possible. I also spoke across the country on professional development, mental health, and social justice.
READ MORE: Guide to Health Education Careers
How has your role as a career coach changed as a result of COVID-19?
Kyle: Although I am still doing the same work I did pre-COVID, a larger percentage of my work is now focused on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of looking for a job during and after a global pandemic.
With tens of millions of people having been laid off and now looking for work, the competition has never been fiercer. This is a stressful situation for the people I work with. I am not only helping find jobs but now also tasked with helping them effectively manage the stress, anxiety, and uncertainty of navigating a saturated job market.
Additionally, with so many organizations moving remote or semi-remote, many of the workshops and training I previously hosted in-person are now being conducted via video. I imagine virtual events – and health education in general – becoming the new normal for the work we do as health educators.
Do you think your role as a health education specialist will be permanently altered due to this worldwide pandemic?
Kyle: The role of the health education specialist will never be the same after the COVID-19 pandemic. As public health professionals, we know how critical it is to be proactive rather than reactive.
The global community is finally taking note of what happens when we do not strategically and intentionally prepare for global health crises. The need for high-quality, well-trained health education specialists has never been greater.
The demand for health education specialists will continue to increase in the coming years and decades. As health education specialists, we need to be ready and willing to adapt to the future of public health and the future of work.
READ MORE: Health Education Credentialing
What advice would you give to CHES® on pivoting their skills?
Kyle: What I love about being a health education specialist is that we have so many transferable skills. Learn how to articulate how your transferable skills and you will never become obsolete.
"Learn how to articulate how your transferable skills and you will never become obsolete." ~Kyle Elliot, CHES®, Career & Life Coach
Health education specialists do work that is transferable to every profession and industry – assess needs, plan, implement, evaluate, research, advocate, communicate, lead, and manage.
READ MORE: 7 Areas of Responsibility for Certified Health Education Specialists®
Certification for Life Coaches
Life and career coaches provide a valuable asset to individuals in need of career and life guidance. CHES® certification allows you to demonstrate your expertise with a nationally-recognized designation for health education professionals.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CHES CERTIFICATION