8. AI and Your Career: Changing Careers with the Help of AI
Introduction
Changing career is one of the biggest professional decisions you can make. It often comes with uncertainty, questions about skills, and worries about starting again.
The good news? AI tools can make the process smoother — from identifying transferable skills, to exploring new industries, to mapping practical steps forward.
But here’s the important bit: AI shows you the options, while coaching helps you make the right choices. Together, they give you clarity, confidence, and direction for your next chapter.
💡 AI makes exploration faster. Coaching makes your decision smarter.
1. Why AI Matters in Career Change
When you’re considering a new direction, the challenges often include:
Identifying transferable skills
Exploring new industries or roles
Understanding future growth areas
Building confidence to step outside your comfort zone
AI can accelerate this process by:
Analysing job descriptions and highlighting key skills
Suggesting alternative career paths based on your experience
Providing real-time labour market trends
Recommending courses to fill gaps
👉 Instead of endless guesswork, you get tailored insights — fast.
2. Best AI Tools for Career Change
Here are some powerful tools that can support your transition:
ChatGPT or your favourite LMM (Perplexity, Claude. Gemini etc)
Summarises job descriptions, highlights transferable skills, and generates career ideas
Best for: Brainstorming new directions
Prompt idea: “Based on my CV, suggest 5 career paths where my skills in [skill area] could be applied.”
Prompt idea: “Based on my LinkedIn profile, [copy Linkedin address) suggest 5 in-demand skills I should learn to support a move into [new career area].”
Provides real-time industry research, growth sectors, and company insights
Best for: Exploring new industries quickly
Prompt idea: “What are the fastest-growing industries in the UK in 2025, and what roles are emerging in these fields?”
Prompt idea: “Show me potential pathways for moving from [industry] into [new industry], including the skills I’ll need.”
LinkedIn Learning + AI Skills Match
Analyses your profile, identifies skills gaps, and recommends courses
Best for: Professional upskilling
3. How to Use AI to Explore Career Change
Step 1 — Identify your transferable skills
📌 Prompt : “From my CV, extract the top transferable skills that could apply to roles outside [current industry].”
Step 2 — Explore industries of growth
📌 Prompt : “List the top 10 growth industries in the UK and the roles most suited to people with skills in [your skill area].”
Step 3 — Map learning and development needs
📌 Prompt : “Create a skills gap analysis for moving from [current role] into [desired role]. Suggest practical steps to close the gap.”
Coaching Advantage: Why Support Matters
AI can provide valuable insights and pathways. But when it comes to choosing the right direction, motivation, and confidence, coaching is essential.
Through my Career Change Coaching programme, I help clients:
Gain clarity about values, strengths, and motivators
Separate realistic opportunities from “shiny object” distractions
Build confidence in using existing skills in a new context
Create a personalised career change plan with achievable steps
Stay accountable and resilient through the transition
👉 AI helps you explore possibilities. Coaching helps you take action with confidence.
4. Building a Career Change Roadmap with AI + Coaching
Once you’ve identified possible directions, AI can support you in planning the transition:
Generate career options → “List 5 alternative careers that align with my skills in [X, Y, Z].”
Upskill quickly → Use LinkedIn Learning or Coursera to to find targeted courses
Plan next steps → “Create a 90-day action plan for moving into [new career], with weekly milestones.”
Track progress → Tools like Notion AI or Skills Base help monitor achievements
⚠️ But — a roadmap only works if you follow it. Coaching provides the accountability, encouragement, and perspective to keep you moving forward.
Conclusion
AI has opened up exciting new ways to explore career change — giving you instant insights into skills, industries, and opportunities.
But career change isn’t just about data. It’s about finding a new path that energises you, aligns with your values, and makes sense for your life. That’s why the most successful transitions come from combining AI tools with personalised career change coaching.
👉 Ready to explore your next career chapter?
Find out more about my Career Change Coaching programme and discover how AI + coaching can help you make confident, informed decisions about your future.
About Diana
I’m Diana Dawson, Founder of Working Career and an Accredited Master Coach with the Association for Coaching. With over 20 years of experience in career coaching, executive coaching, and well-being coaching, I’ve supported hundreds of professionals through successful career changes.
My Career Change Coaching programme blends:
Psychology-based tools including The Highlands Ability Battery - an objective assessment of your natural strengths
AI-powered insights
Practical, personalised coaching support
✨ Together, we’ll identify the right path, develop your confidence, and create a realistic plan to make your next career move a success.
👉 Learn more about Career Change Coaching here.