Are you qualified to coach?
At this point in time, anyone can call themselves a coach without any training or certifications. There is no legal issue with calling yourself a coach however complication arises more in the method which we carry out our services. Even though you do not need a certification or training to start coaching, it is something you may want to think about for a few reasons.
Our society is used to paper validation regardless of how legitimate it may be. Being able to show potential clients that you have had professional training to obtain your education and skill set will give them a lot more confidence in you.
It is important however, not to confuse training with traditional education. You are not a dietitian or a doctor and will need to be careful that you protect yourself and conduct your services accordingly. A good training program should teach you proper verbiage to use, strategies and how to properly protect yourself.
With that said, studies have shown that only 25% of individuals with college level education are even working within the field by which they got their degree and of that 25%, half of them hate their job! I don’t know about you but that sounds depressing to me!
More and more individuals are turning to training from people with specialized, personal experiences for knowledge and leadership as opposed to traditional schooling. Back in the day this is how most of the world functioned. We learned from our elders and people specialized in a craft which they could pass on to others or through apprenticing. We essentially sought out coaches!
People are already seeking out you! Your story and your experience in life alone have crafted you to become a coach and mentor people from a place of realism, empathy and understanding. Combine that with additional skilled training, strategy, science, knowledge and community support and I would venture to say that you, are meant for coaching and that your ideal clients are already out there patiently waiting for you to come to that realization.