Feel like you were destined for something more professionally? You’re not alone, and that restless desire for a more fulfilling career path is actually a great thing. It means you’re self-aware and unwilling to settle for anything less than work that energizes and enriches your life.

While the prospect of major career changes can seem daunting, the first step is simply recognizing when it’s time to level up with some expert guidance. Here are five exciting signs that indicate you’re primed and ready to take your professional journey to new heights with the help of a career coach:

You’re outgrowing your current role.

The surest sign of potential is when you’ve outgrown your initial beginnings. Maybe you find yourself breezing through responsibilities that used to challenge you, Or you have a growing side of interests that aren’t utilized in your day-to-day work. Feeling bored or underutilized doesn’t signify negativity; rather, it indicates you to prepare for greater opportunities where you can stretch your wings wider.

How a Coach Helps: A coach will objectively assess your full suite of skills, strengths and passions to uncover new roles and industries you may have never thought of before. They offer an external perspective to help recognize your distinctive value, which companies are eagerly seeking. With a coach’s insights, you can pursue roles that channel your full capabilities and reignite your enthusiasm.

You crave more clarity on goals.

We all need periodic checks to ensure we’re staying true to our hopes and ambitions. If you find yourself daydreaming about taking a new professional direction but can’t quite articulate what that looks like, it’s a sign you need to regain clarity. Experiencing uncertainty about your future is natural; it’s your intuition signaling that it’s time to re-evaluate what truly matters.

How a Coach Helps: Coaches are experts at crystalizing what drives you and setting actionable goals to match. Engaging in stimulating exercises and discussions, they’ll guide you to gain crystal-clear clarity on prioritizing your long-term professional and personal goals. You’ll leave with a revitalized sense of purpose.

You’re eager for new challenges

When you were first starting out, chances are you relished checking off new accomplishments and climbing upwards. If you’re now feeling stuck on autopilot, depleted of that initial passion, it’s one of the clearest indicators that you’re ready to level up. That thirst to continually challenge yourself and expand your abilities is a hallmark of someone with serious ambition and potential.

How a Coach Helps: A coach will guide you towards opportunities that are perfectly matched to scratch that itch for growth. They can recommend fresh skills to make you more marketable or strategies to proactively position yourself for vertical career moves. You’ll be re-energized as you check off new goals and milestones.

You need to be course-correct.

We’ve all dealt with detours, roadblocks, and professional setbacks at one point or another. The key is to not let those stalls derail you completely from making continued upward progress. If you’re stuck in a rut due to frustrating office politics, a work-life imbalance, or a general need to refresh your approach, now’s the perfect time to harness the power of an expert ally.

How a Coach Helps: A coach will provide the objective voice of reason to identify what’s holding you back and create a tangible action plan to course-correct. Whether you need advice on negotiating office conflicts, revamped personal branding, or accountability to stay focused, coaches are masters at arming you with strategies to overcome any obstacle. You’ll cultivate resilience as you boldly move forward.

You want to realign work with purpose.

Few things are as rewarding as doing work that creates authentic fulfillment and aligns with your core values. However, it’s also remarkably easy to gradually lose touch with what genuinely inspires you after years of going through the motions at work. If you can’t shake the feeling that you’re capable of more purposeful work, don’t ignore that intuition.

How a Coach Helps: Coaches excel in guiding profound self-discovery to help you realign with the path that feels most authentic to you. Through judgment-free exploration, they’ll help you unearth your “why” and craft an actionable vision for your dream career. You’ll rediscover your professional calling and gain the tools to courageously transition towards enriching work you’re proud of.

Whether you’re feeling the push for a long-overdue career reboot or simply desire to get a little more intentional about steering your trajectory, working with a coach is an empowering investment. By collaborating with an expert guide, you’re taking a proactive step to design a deeply satisfying professional path where you can thrive. The first step in leveling up your career is saying “yes” to yourself; the rewards will ricochet through all aspects of your life.

About the author: Andrea Della Corte

VP of Engineering, Program Manager, Coach, and Founder, specializing in career coaching, behavioural and system design prep. Book time with them here.