What Has Changed—and What Never Will
In 2021, I wrote a Resilient Wednesday post about the strength of the job market for candidates. Job seekers had choices, while employers struggled to fill roles.
At the time, I added a small warning: “This won’t last forever. Keep learning, keep networking, and keep building your value.”
I didn’t expect the shift to come so quickly.

The New Reality
Today, job transitions and losses are stacking up:
- AI is replacing not just administrative and technical roles, but even some in the helping professions.
- Experienced professionals with years of institutional knowledge are choosing—or being forced—to pivot into new paths.
- Government policy shifts are reshaping industries from manufacturing to higher education, upending what many thought were lifelong careers.
When clients come to me today, I hear three familiar refrains:
“I need a new job.”
“Can you help me fix my résumé?”
“I’m worried—I don’t know what to do next.”
Those are real needs, but they’re surface-level. Underneath them lies a deeper question: Who am I now? How do I want to contribute, and what steps can I take to make that happen?
A Client Story
A few months ago, I read a Wall Street Journal article about how difficult it has become to find meaningful work. One woman’s story caught my eye. The writer described a graduate student at a Southern university struggling to find her way.
On impulse, I reached out and offered a few free coaching sessions. She accepted.
She turned out to be an international student from a developing country, fluent in several languages, hoping to stay in the U.S. on a work visa. Her plan is to finish her degree and secure an H-1B visa, which seemed reasonable until the new restrictions made those visas both limited and prohibitively expensive for many companies. I told her that most companies would not be willing to spend $100k on an untested young employee
Together, we explored her strengths, values, and career goals. I introduced my funnel approach to clarify what kind of work aligned with her skills and aspirations. Over the course of a few sessions, some lasting two hours, she began to see new possibilities, including roles with nonprofits that are exempt from visa fees, moving to other countries, or even returning to her native land.
But something more important happened. She told me that our work had helped her “reflect on my life choices and what I really want to do.”
That’s the real breakthrough in any career transition.

The Real Goal
Career development isn’t about résumés, job boards, or LinkedIn strategies. Those are tools. The real work lies in understanding what gives your life meaning and where your energy is best spent, and then developing the proper plan to execute your dreams and ambitions.
Once you know that, opportunities have a way of finding you.
Photo by Randy Tarampi on Unsplash
What’s Next
The world of work will continue to evolve. AI, policy, demographics, but the foundation for a meaningful career remains the same: clarity of purpose.
If you’re wondering what’s next for your career, start there.
Ask yourself:
· What energizes me?
· What do I believe in?
· What problems do I want to solve?
· What am I learning about myself right now?
· How can I deliver value to my clients and customers?
Because when you know who you are, the next step—whether it’s a job, a new direction, or a reinvention—becomes much clearer.