It was March 2020. The world was shutting down. People were dying. And I was home, safe, in a comfortable bubble.

My job in Investment Banking was secure. There was no fear driving me. But there was a growing frustration.

I was watching the staff in the supermarket down the road actually making a difference, providing food for people who needed it. And I was wondering: Am I making any impact at all?

I'd always talked about wanting to help people, to make a real difference. But comfortable jobs have a way of making you forget what you actually wanted to do.

About five months before the pandemic, I'd completed a Mental Health First Aider course and became one of the Mental Health First Aiders in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs.

It was eye-opening. I learned about the silent mental health struggles happening in workplaces. The signs people miss. The signs people ignore even when they see them.

And I realised: There's a genuine need here. A real, growing need.

Around the same time, I attended a webinar that shared a statistic I couldn't ignore:

40% of the professions as we know them today won't exist by 2040.

That number made something click. The world wasn't static. It was changing, and it was changing fast. And if I was going to make a change, I had no time to wait.

I actually believe that the percentage will be higher and the timeline even faster.

Healthcare, physical and mental, won't be going anywhere. People will live longer. They'll need more support. But if I was going to move into that space, I needed to position myself now.

But there was something deeper pulling at me.

I'd always wanted to study psychology.

As a teenager, I knew that's what I wanted. But I chose Computing with Business Management instead. Why? Because it felt safer. Because people told me to. And I'd been living that way ever since. Following advice instead of direction.

So in June 2020, I made a decision.

I enrolled in a Master's in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King’s College London. Part-time. While working full-time in Banking.

I didn't tell anyone at work. I didn't announce it. I just started.

And here's what nobody tells you about doing something aligned with who you actually are:

It gives you energy instead of taking it.

Yes, I was working round the clock. Yes, it was challenging. But I'd discovered something I was genuinely passionate about. Something I could help so many people with. And that discovery lit something up in me.

Every lecture, every paper, every concept I learned, I wanted to share it. I felt like I was finally learning the language to help people not just survive, but actually thrive. To perform better without sacrificing their health or happiness.

But here's what's important: this didn't happen overnight.

I started my Master's in 2020. It took two years to finish, studying part-time while working full-time. And even after I finished, I hadn't figured everything out.

What I did have, was clarity on direction. And I had people around me, mentors, friends, coaches, who helped me think through the next steps.

That's when I decided to train as a coach. Because I realised: the transformation I was experiencing, other people needed too. They needed someone who understood both worlds, the corporate one and the human one. Someone who could help them navigate the crossing.

So when people ask me how I made such a big change, the honest answer is:

Not all at once. Step by step. With intention. With support. With time to learn and integrate and think.

And most importantly: by listening to what was actually true for me, not what I'd been told was practical.

This is what I help my clients do now.

Not leap blindly into change. But think strategically about it.

Ask themselves:

What have you always been interested in, but never had time to explore?

What are your genuine strengths, the ones that feel effortless?

Where is there real need in the world that aligns with what you care about?

What would it take to position yourself there? Not tomorrow. But starting now.

The world is changing. That's true.

AI is reshaping industries. Some roles will disappear. New ones will emerge.

But that's not the main reason to think about your future now.

The main reason is this: you deserve to spend your working life doing something that aligns with who you actually are.

Not who people told you to be. Not what felt safe when you were eighteen. Not what's comfortable, even if it's slowly suffocating you.

Here's what I'd suggest:

1. Get honest with yourself

What did you want to do before people convinced you otherwise?

2. Identify where there's real need

The best careers aren't built on chasing trends. They're built on meeting genuine needs.

3. See how your strengths match that need

You don't have to reinvent yourself completely. But you do have to be intentional.

4. Start learning before you have to

You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to begin. One course. One book. One conversation with someone further ahead.

5. Find your guides

You don't do this alone. Find mentors, friends, people who've made similar transitions. Their perspective matters.

6. Give yourself time

Real change takes time. Two years. Three years. That's not slow. That's sustainable.

I didn't leap from banking to coaching overnight.

I started learning. I got support. I took time. I stayed committed to my current work while building towards my future one.

And now I'm doing work that aligns so completely with who I am that I can't imagine going back.

The world is your oyster. Not because it's always easy, but because you can design it in such a way that it becomes your oyster.

So what are you waiting for?

Wishing you a wonderful weekend. Stay well, stay true.

Sindy

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