If you’re working a job where something doesn’t feel quite right, this is likely the podcast for you.

CJ Gotcher talks to Andrew Jackson about his path from planning to become a computer engineer to joining the Navy to climbing the corporate ladder to ultimately deciding to become a coach and pursue whole-ass coaching.

People too often think about a career or course of action in black and white: coach or not coach, stick with your career or abandon it. There is a middle path, that for most people offers a better path than taking a plunge all at once. 

Andrew decided on computer engineering because of the initial salaries, but ultimately decided that he did not want to pursue a career in computer engineering. He ultimately decided to accelerate his life, so he joined the Navy and served as an officer in the Navy. 

After the Navy, he began a more traditional corporate job and began to climb the corporate ladder. He was making good money, but had this feeling that things did not feel right. No matter what he did: receive a promotion, change jobs, etc. Ultimately, Andrew concluded in retrospect that this feeling was a mismatch of culture, between the values Andrew had and the values the companies he worked for had. 

He wasn’t motivated to take the steps to get to the next level. While he did well in his position, doing well was the bare minimum to move to the top positions within the company. When you’re in the right culture, however, doing this extra work doesn’t feel like suffering. 

If you have this feeling, try to identify why this feeling exists. If you can identify the problem, the solution may present itself. Job hopping and change for change sake won’t fix the issue. Try to identify the actions you take that you feel good about. You might need to look at your hobbies or interests outside of your work. You may also look at which tasks or actions or aspects of work you most enjoy. 

One thing Andrew did that helped create his current position and success was that he put himself out there at a coaching conference when he still didn’t plan to make this jump. While this can be thought of as networking and can have an “icky” feel, getting to know coworkers and other people in your industry makes sense. You don’t have to pitch something to these people, but just introduce yourself and talk to others. 

Because he did this and put in work, what may seem like luck in terms of getting his job at Barbell Logic was really dependent on the work and networking he had already completed. This opportunity would likely not have presented itself if he had not done this. 

You can’t really develop a 5 or 10 year plan, but you can identify your values, have an idea of where you want to head, work hard, put yourself out there, and opportunities will almost undoubtedly present themselves. 

Another thing that helped enable this jump (which came with a signficant decrease in pay) was that he had not had his lifestyle fill his income. Too many people begin to earn more money and their pursuits and house and lifestyle requires that money to maintain itself. Andrew stayed frugal, which meant that when he shifted jobs his lifestyle did not have to dramatically change. 

Andrew & CJ discuss intentionality and how you spend your time. Are you all in, and what DO you spend your time doing. You can’t do everything all in, so as much as possible be all in on the things that align with your values. If you find yourself in a job or role that doesn’t align with your values, develop a plan to get out of that position. That doesn’t mean leave today, but make a plan. 

Also, you WILL feel like an imposter. That’s inevitable and, if you don’t, that might actually be a problem. Keep learning and improving and stay half a step ahead. Apply MED to your life. Course correct as you go. Set goals and crush them. 

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