Spent $400 on a career coach and got nothing useful

Back in 2018 I was stuck in a dead-end office job, so I hired a career coach recommended by a friend. She charged $400 for a 2 hour session and mostly just told me to update my LinkedIn and network more. I could have gotten that advice for free from a blog post. Felt like I paid for someone to read a script at me. Did anyone else drop cash on coaching and actually get something valuable out of it?

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viola1712mo ago

I get why you'd feel burned by that experience, a lot of coaches are just giving out generic tips anyone can find online. But I think it's possible to get real value if you find the right person. My friend used one who actually helped her rewrite her resume to target specific keywords and roleplay interview scenarios, and she landed a job that paid way more than the coaching cost. The trick is probably to look for someone who specializes in your exact field instead of a general life coach. Also $400 for just two hours is steep, maybe shorter cheaper sessions spread out work better so you can actually apply the advice between meetings. Not all coaches are useless, but it sounds like you got unlucky with a lazy one.

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vera_sanchez2mo ago

Yeah, I tried one who just googled stuff during our session, awkward.

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