How i got my start:
I did all the right and responsible things to get a good job that would provide a good life.
I was always really good at school - and I worked really hard at it.
I grew up in a small city in Kentucky, and all I wanted was to get out of there. And to me, that meant I needed to do well in school and be able to go into a good (i.e., well paying) career field.
So I did all the “smart kid” things that I was told you were supposed to do to be successful. I was valedictorian, graduated summa cum laude from undergrad, and did tons of extracurriculars along the way. I finally wound up in a top-15 law school and graduated with credentials that looked great in the legal world - I was on law review, graduated cum laude, and landed a prestigious clerkship with a federal appellate judge when I graduated.
Success!! Or…not.
You know what all that work at school prepared me for? To be great at school.
You know what it didn’t prepare me for? Knowing what kind of work would energize me on a daily basis, instead of slowly draining the life out of me one lonely day after the next sitting with just the law and a computer all day (and sometimes all night). And I ended up with 6-figures of debt from the fancy law school learning that.
I started off at a great law firm in Washington, DC, filled with smart, nice people, doing work for some of the biggest companies in the world… and generally having really good hours for a law firm! It seemed like all of my colleagues were soooooo happy there.
But me? I was miserable. It was like pulling teeth to get through every project - even though I was getting great reviews on my work.
And let me tell you that having my plans canceled so I could stay up late into the night for a last minute client “emergency” was not how I wanted to be spending my life.
I was crying at home one day when it hit me that THIS ISN’T OK.
Work shouldn’t make you cry. Work shouldn’t make you miserable.
I finally started diving into figuring out why I was so unhappy. I started learning about strengths, aptitudes, and career fit - and how mismatched mine were with what I was doing each day. And how real the implications of that mismatch can be. For example, did you know that a poor career fit causes the same kind of burnout as being intensely overworked? And that being able to do a job well does NOT mean that it is a good fit for you?
It was assuring to get insight on why i was so unhappy
It turns out I was really good at the analytical and problem-solving skills that you need to practice law… but among other things, I needed a lot more variety, a lot more collaboration, and a lot more work with people!
Oh, and I wanted a very different lifestyle. Sure, I had good hours for a law firm… but there are a lot of nights and weekends involved in being a lawyer. And you pretty regularly find out about those nights and weekends at the last minute.
So I had more clarity about what wasn’t working.
But I still didn’t know what kind of work would make me happy. And, I was still massively in debt with my law school loans and felt trapped into making a law firm salary. So I stayed. And I kept working on paying off those loans.
After a few years, I moved on to work for a Global Fortune 500 tech company. I actually really tried to vet the job with what I’d learned to make sure it would be a better fit for me. And it was better.
But that turned out to be its own problem. I still had great co-workers, I got to travel internationally, and was working on national and international policy issues. And (woo!) I had regular hours. But despite my vetting, a lot of what I was doing was the same as at the law firm. I eventually started finding myself uninterested, unmotivated and trying to muscle my way through.
It was just enough better that sure, I was miserable… but I was comfortably miserable. Those golden handcuffs? They’re a real thing.
I was so happy with the schedule that for quite a while, that was enough for me. So I ignored my disinterest and boredom. I ignored it when I started to feel drained again. I just kept pushing on. Wasn’t that what it meant to be responsible? Wasn’t that what it meant to be an adult? Shouldn’t I just be grateful to have a good job?
But being so unhappy At work had a huge impact on my entire life
But being so unhappy at work had a huge impact on my entire life.
It detracted from my energy, creativity, optimism and focus. It limited what I felt up to doing in my free time - despite having the schedule I had wanted. I wasn’t having enough fun, seeing enough friends, going on enough dates… you know, not enough living.
That all made it so much harder to figure out what a good solution would be.
I finally picked back up trying to figure out if there might be some kind of work that I might actually enjoy. I kept learning. I read career books, talked to amazing counselors, read articles, took assessments and online quizzes. You know what else I learned? That learning wasn’t enough to make a change.
Eventually, I couldn’t power through anymore. I burned out. I finally left my job to take a sabbatical (which was awesome!) … and to really figure out what kind of work would actually be a great fit for me.
First, I tried something that looked great on paper… being a realtor, just part time. But one obstacle after another kept coming up, and I found I just didn’t have the interest to really try to make it work.
WTF?!?! What was wrong with me!!!
I finally thought about being a life or career coach… and found that lots of people were saying they thought that would be an amazing fit for me. But I didn’t want to go down the “looks good on paper” rabbit hole again.
I finally broke down and decided I would try getting career coaching myself. I had spent more than a decade being miserable in my career, and alternately trying to tough it out or figure out an alternative on my own. Without success.
But once I started working with a coach:
- Within a couple weeks, I understood why I wasn’t motivated to pursue being a realtor.
- Within 3 months, I was feeling really confident that coaching was a really good fit for me and had started coaching my friends.
- Within 6 months, I was taking major steps to build my skills so I could do this coaching thing for real -- and was actually enjoying working for the first time in my life.
Today, as a certified Career Clarity Coach, I get to spend my days helping amazing professionals figure out meaningful, profitable, enjoyable career paths — that also help them have awesome lives.
I meet incredible people who are willing to dig deep to figure out what they truly want, not just settle for the status quo. I see their eyes light up and hear them start to sound excited about work again as they get crystal clear on their unique mix of strengths, interests, personality and lifestyle needs. I help them start taking action, even when they’ve felt stuck for years – and help them keep going until they have made the change they are wanting. I get to see these amazing people move into work they are excited about and that feels meaningful to them, have more quality time with their friends and family, and become just plain happy again.
It’s freakin’ awesome.
If you recognize yourself in my story or want to create the same kind of change for yourself, I’d love to work with you! Fill out an application to work with me at the bottom of the page and we’ll connect for a conversation and get you moving towards that awesome career that’s really right for you!
"I had been hesitant about working with a coach because I’m a highly sensitive person (HSP) and I was worried a coach would push me to take actions that, while no doubt beneficial, would be deeply uncomfortable for me. But not only did I never feel pressured, I felt so supported that I actually found myself taking some of those very actions with very little discomfort! Kelley is tremendously gifted!"
Anne, Centreville, VA
3 things most people don’t know about me
"Kelley helped me move from a season of professional burnout and disillusionment to finding a new job that I am incredibly excited about! Kelley helped me identify the particular challenges in my previous work, as well as to concretely articulate my key values, strengths, and life priorities. She even led me through the process of how to market myself in an authentic and natural way and helped me to understand the importance of networking (which is a particular challenge I face as an introvert!) Before working with her, I had so many ideas about possible next steps and was looking in all sorts of directions. Working with her helped me focus in on what is most important and life giving to me and to identify and delightedly accept an offer for a job that aligns with those things! Kelley is a thoughtful listener, patient and compassionate. She has a breadth of knowledge and experience that was incredibly helpful. It was a joy to work with her!"
Joy, McLean, VA
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"Kelley's insight was deep and her advice was holistic, personalized, and practical. I'm so grateful for her insight!"
Amy, Washington, DC
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Kelley's Professional Bio
Kelley Shields is a career coach who helps unfulfilled professionals create careers that provide fit, fulfillment, and financial success.
Kelley’s path towards helping others find their own individualized success grew out of her own experience as an attorney, who worked for the federal appellate judiciary, the Washington, DC boutique law firm Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP and at the government policy office of leading global information and communications technology provider Ericsson.
Kelley received her coaching certification as one of only 5 coaches in the world trained in the Career Clarity Method. Clients praise her deep insight into the invisible drivers of challenging situations, her empathy and support, and her practical and individualized problem-solving skills that helps them achieve their goals. Kelley lives in Arlington, Virginia. She earned her bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in economics and communication from the University of Kentucky, and her juris doctor, cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center.