That $200 career coaching call was a complete waste of money for me

I shelled out 200 bucks for a one hour career coaching session last month, thinking it would help me figure out my next move in marketing. The coach just asked me basic questions about my resume and told me to network more, stuff I already knew from free YouTube videos. I had a specific problem with moving from social media to content strategy, but she had no real experience there. She spent 20 minutes talking about her own book she was pushing. I ended up more confused than before the call, and that stung because 200 dollars is a lot for me right now. Has anyone else had a bad experience with these services, or did I just pick the wrong person?

2 comments

2 Comments

ben_nguyen1mo agoMost Upvoted

Look at it from the other side though. You paid for a one hour chat not a full career overhaul. What did you really expect? A coach can't magically know your industry inside and out in sixty minutes. Maybe you showed up without a clear plan and hoped she'd read your mind. The networking advice is actually solid even if it hurts to hear it. I've seen people blame coaches for not giving them a secret shortcut when the real problem was they wanted easy answers. Sometimes the value is in being forced to sit down and think about your next step with someone who asks the basic questions you've been avoiding.

nathana481mo agoMost Upvoted

But isn't paying $300 for a one hour chat the whole problem here, @ben_nguyen? If a coach can't know your industry in sixty minutes, they shouldn't charge like they can. That networking line felt like a canned answer, not real guidance. I think people pay for a coach to get something they couldn't get from a YouTube video or a friend's advice. If all you get is "network more," that's on the coach for not listening better, not on the client for hoping for more.