How to Become a Life Coach in Maryland
Are you good at helping others succeed? Perhaps you’re the go-to person in your group of family and friends for life and self-improvement advice. Or maybe you really enjoy setting goals and making plans to achieve them. What if you could turn this talent into a money-making and satisfying career?
Life coaches make a living by helping others on their path to personal greatness. As a life coach, you might use your business expertise to help someone who’s starting a new endeavor, or use your intuitive abilities to help someone overcome their obstacles to happiness, or maybe even use your knowledge to help someone struggling with social interactions. The possibilities for life coaching are nearly limitless.
Life Coaching in Maryland
As an industry, life coaching is unregulated; however, those wishing to pursue this career path would be advised to seek education and accreditation from a reputable source. Since life coaches often inject themselves into vulnerable lives and situations, anyone considering this career should have a clear knowledge of common practices and ethical boundaries. Proper training and alliance with an accrediting organization can ensure professional performance and gives potential clients an assurance of quality.
Training for Life Coaching in Maryland
Many organizations offer life coach training in courses of various lengths and concentrations. Programs can be completed online or in person, depending on location and availability. A small sampling of the many programs available include:
- Transformation Academy offers a range of different certification courses in various specialties.
- Success Unlimited Network® offers both basic and advanced courses and is accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF).
- Life Coach workshops, Inc. is also ICF-accredited and offers live, in-person courses over two weekends.
Credentialing
Trusted credentialing agencies exist to give moral structure and credibility to an otherwise unregulated field. For those searching for life coaching services, accreditation can serve as a beacon of professionalism, allowing more career advancement for those who have taken the time to participate. One organization often mentioned as a leader in the industry is International Coach Federation (ICF). ICF offers various levels of credentialing based on training and experience within the field and requires continuing education in order to keep credentials current.
Job Growth and Salary
Due to its unregulated nature, there is no data available for projected growth within the field; however, it is easy to imagine the potential for career growth with so many people looking for ways to stand out and succeed in a competitive society.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track state-specific salary data but reported an average annual income for this profession of $61,900 for the year 2015. Income on this career path can vary greatly due to its generally self-employed nature. Life coaching can often be a second job or only a part-time job, making accurate data collection difficult.
What to Expect as a Life Coach?
Life coaching is an opportunity to create a career that suits your lifestyle and work in a niche that is perfect for you. Once you have found your specialty, you can tailor your advertising to potential clients most suited for your practice.
Most life coaches work for themselves and need to manage all aspects of running a business, networking and advertising; however, working for yourself also brings with it a lot of advantages. As a life coach, you will meet with clients on a regular basis and have the freedom to make your own schedule, choose your specialty and set your rate of pay. Current technology even allows for coaches to work with clients everywhere, not just within a small geographic area, opening unlimited possibilities. Being a life coach is not just about helping your clients to maximize opportunities – it’s also about making your own.