If you have some idea for what you might want to do - what kinds of roles you'd be interested in, what you want to be doing on day-to-day basis - I would skip the career counselor and just start talking to people who have those roles to find out whether/how your skills and experience could translate. Then apply to what interests you.

If you have no idea what you want to do next and maybe even don't know what you are or could be good at, then a career counselor who can help you explore that and/or reconnect to that would be helpful.

Like you, I worked in international development for many years. Worked my way up a bit, but never made more than 100k. I was no longer passionate about the work, but had also been so focused on the work and my kids (who were 3 and 5 at the time) that I had zero clue what I wanted to do. I had to do a lot of work to sort through all of that to even get to the point where I knew what kinds of roles I might be interested in. And I also had to get through some imposter syndrome stuff that was holding me back. I tried to do it on my own at first, but ultimately decided to hire a career coach and that was the game changer.

Good luck, OP! You'll figure it out - and I agree, salaries are way too low in most development orgs. Go out there, find something you like and a role where they'll really value you and your contributions.

Anonymous wrote:I need help and guidance.

I am a new mom and with increasing financial costs need to ramp up my career, I am feeling so lost. At 38 I have 12 yrs of mostly entry level experience in international development and recently promoted to middle management at a management company.

I am stuck at making $100k. I wasn't wise enough to jump jobs and now paying for it. I don't know if I should hire a career coach? I wish I had a sponsor like I see my colleagues have at work who all are white and promoted quickly by their white high level supervisors.

I am glad to be done with international development and want to figure out how to unstuck myself.

I appreciate any wisdom you have for me.

Thanks

It sounds like you just want to pivot to get a better salary. How much effort have you put into applying to other intl. development jobs with a higher pay band. Go for the roles that seem just a little out of reach because that's the only way to know if you can get hired. I can't imagine you have 12 years of working experience, and haven't had any growth in your skills/responsibilities. Look up the job descriptions for the roles you want and mold your resume to reflect what it's saying. Find someone in a role you'd want to tell you about their day-to-day, find out how you can get there.

My husband made a huge pivot from a dead-end fed job and has now worked for two different major corporations. He got an MBA and had to really put himself out there by networking with alumni and existing classmates. It was a lot of work, don't think it'll just be a matter of finding a job you like and it'll just happen.

I would also suggest not dwelling on the white co-workers have a leg up stance. It's going to distract you from achieving what you want to accomplish. This is anecdotal, but I have a good friend (black woman) that was always unhappy in all her jobs, often sharing a poor experience she had with her white co-workers. She'd say things like, white people are jealous of her intelligence, they are intimidated by her character, etc. I'd just listen because I am white, so who am I to doubt her. Then she finally got her dream job with a supervisor that also happened to be a black woman. It was her ideal scenario, but within 6 months she was literally put on a PIP and fired. She lasted for years at her previous jobs but somehow couldn't cut it there. Sooooo, yea. Look at what you can bring to the table because that's what will get you hired and get you promoted.

Are there other sectors that interest you, such as IT, law enforcement, military, intel, social services? At my old company, not too long ago, just switching to the domestic side of the business working on primarily social services type contracts bumped up pay by 10%. International development doesn't usually pay a lot.

I made this change after about seven years into my career in int'l dev. I identified my skills, career adjacent opportunities, employers, etc., and started applying. I've never really had a sponsor or mentor, just put myself out there and was lucky to get opportunities. I think that was key - volunteering and letting folks know that I was interested in taking on work. I'm a white female, btw.

I've doubled my salary since starting the new career path about 7 years ago, with 2 jobs, and a pay bump expected with my next job. While switching jobs does boost pay, I do see longer-term colleagues getting promoted.

Anonymous wrote:I need help and guidance.

I am a new mom and with increasing financial costs need to ramp up my career, I am feeling so lost. At 38 I have 12 yrs of mostly entry level experience in international development and recently promoted to middle management at a management company.

I am stuck at making $100k. I wasn't wise enough to jump jobs and now paying for it. I don't know if I should hire a career coach? I wish I had a sponsor like I see my colleagues have at work who all are white and promoted quickly by their white high level supervisors.

I am glad to be done with international development and want to figure out how to unstuck myself.

I appreciate any wisdom you have for me.

Thanks

It doesn't sound like you have an idea of what to pivot to, so my recommendation would be thinking about other careers that you could do with the credentialing you have.

For starters, get a better attitude toward white people. If your co-workers - who happen to be white - sought a sponsor who eventually promoted them, you could too. Playing the race card to cover for your lack of hussle makes you look lazy, unprofessional, and whiny. No one wants to hire or promote such a person.

I need help and guidance.

I am a new mom and with increasing financial costs need to ramp up my career, I am feeling so lost. At 38 I have 12 yrs of mostly entry level experience in international development and recently promoted to middle management at a management company.

I am stuck at making $100k. I wasn't wise enough to jump jobs and now paying for it. I don't know if I should hire a career coach? I wish I had a sponsor like I see my colleagues have at work who all are white and promoted quickly by their white high level supervisors.

I am glad to be done with international development and want to figure out how to unstuck myself.

I appreciate any wisdom you have for me.

Thanks