Do You Love What You Do?

A book with the funky title “Feck Perfuction” by James Vicotre inspired this post. The book is about overcoming fear of failure, about pushing back against the pressures exerted by society, peers, and parents to chase success primarily defined by material achievement. It urges readers to look within and identify what brings you joy. So, what energizes you?

Helping others

Contributing to increasing my clients’ satisfaction with their lives, and reducing their doubts and fears.

Ego gratification

I get tons of positive feedback on a daily basis: “That’s really helpful, Jim;” “I never looked at it that way before;” “Your guidance made a big difference;” “What you said last week really stuck with me;” etc.

Variety/Creativity/Intellectual Challenge

Because I work with such a wide range of clients (varied ages, career paths, sophistication, education, background, aspirations, problems, etc.) virtually every one of them has a unique set of issues, constraints, obstacles, and opportunities, not to mention different personalities. Figuring out the best way to guide each of them is an endlessly fascinating challenge. One size most certainly does not fit all.

Financial security

My career counseling provides me with a very nice income that frees me from monetary concerns.

Flexibility

I can schedule sessions at times that are convenient for me. There isn’t anything resembling a 9 – 5 Monday through Friday routine that is the norm for most people (that is to say the pre-COVID norm).

Career Transition Counseling

If you don’t love what you do, you’re not alone. Many – perhaps most – people don’t. And, truth to tell, I don’t love everything involved in doing what I do: But by and large I’ve found a line of work that provides me lots of components that bring me joy. Taking personal inventory is a key step to discovering the road to a career you’ll love. And if you need help, I’m here for you.

If you’re exploring a career change, here’s Jim’s 4-stage process

Develop Your Profile

Jim helps you build a concise narrative capturing everything relevant: who you are, what drives you, and where you want to go.

Professional history, key experiences, defining traits
Core strengths and preferred work environments
Salary range, location, company size, and your real decision criteria
Your values

Identify Promising Options

Jim identifies paths with clarity including responsibilities, entry points, challenges, and genuine trade-offs.

Compensation outlook and growth trajectory
Transition pathways and entry requirements
Key advantages and honest trade-offs of each path

Evaluate and Prioritize

Jim assesses each path against your strengths and constraints. A prioritized shortlist formed based on logic and AI feedback.

Alignment with strengths, interests, and real constraints
Comparison across fit, feasibility, and long-term upside
A focused finalist list for real-world validation
Conversations with people doing the actual work being considered
Research and AI provide validation of choices

Getting the Job

Jim ensures that your networking outreach, resume, LinkedIn profile, elevator speech, and interview performance are superior.

Network outreach and targeted introductions
Independent research and industry trend analysis
Informational conversations with people in those roles

Jim helps you build a concise narrative capturing everything relevant: who you are, what drives you, and where you want to go.

Ready to Begin?

The first step is a complimentary 15–20 minute conversation — completely free, no obligation. Fill out the form and Jim will be in touch personally. No pressure, no scripts, just a genuine exchange about what you need.

Main Office · Alexandria, VA

2405 Brentwood Place

Alexandria, VA 22306

Part-Time Office · Washington DC

1633 Q St., NW, Suite 200

Washington D.C. 20009

After a 12-year corporate career, I was fortunate enough to work with Jim as I transitioned to a very different path. I am now a successful small business owner in New England. Jim was able to help me realize that, as clichéd as it may sound, I can do pretty much anything I want to. His wisdom and intelligence not only provided the support to move into a non-traditional career, but also helped me to grow in my personal relationships. Jim’s clients benefit from his amazing ability to identify, analyze, and synthesize issues into a coherent picture of the future that is both inspiring and energizing.

Rick Otto

Jim is a talented professional, insightful thinker, and experienced business person. His counsel has been invaluable to me at different stages of my career, and especially when I’ve needed to navigate tough transitions. Jim has helped me to better understand and appreciate my strengths as a leader and manager, identify areas of improvement, and to come up with practical and actionable steps to optimize the former and tackle the latter. Above all, he’s caring, warm, funny, and super smart. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Jannine Versi

Jim in FABULOUS! I have been going to Jim for interview preparations and practice since I struggle with interviewing. He is thoughtful and very skilled at providing you with constructive feedback and guidance. Since going to Jim I have received amazing feedback about my interviews and it can be clearly attributed to his coaching and support. I highly recommend him if you need help preparing for an interview or career advice.

Mary Hyde

I decided to meet with Jim when I was contemplating making a big career change. I found my meetings with him to be supportive, helpful and constructive. Throughout the process he challenged me and helped me see what I could not see before. I was lost and scared in my previous job and Jim helped me by walking me through the process of change. His advice was pragmatic and realistic, serving as a catalyst for attainable change. With Jim’s coaching, I identified my passions and talents and created a plan to open my own business, which I am currently successfully running and growing. Jim is a great coach and I highly recommend him.

Michael Lillianthal

When I found myself at a crossroads both personally and professionally, I realized I needed someone to work with that had the expertise of a psychologist paired with business savy. This was a tall order. Jim turned out to be a perfect fit. I was over thinking my options and making things far more difficult and painful as I moved through a very important career transition. Jim’s simple challenges gave me permission to experiment with ideas I had been toying with for years. That structure and seasoned guidance was just what I needed to jump in and start my own business. I’m happy to report – I haven’t looked back since – though I have enjoyed continued coaching sessions with Jim as I face the new challenges that come with a growing business and balancing priorities. I highly recommend him for his focused direction, compassion and real world experience. He is clear, efficient and easy to work with.

Lisa Wise

I might be Jim’s shortest success story (kidding of course) as I only needed 3 sessions with him. I leveraged Jim throughout my interview process and finally for a rigorous final mock sales presentation for a fast growing SaaS company. Throughout the process Jim leveraged his humor, experience, and patience as we navigated the final hurdles together. I can’t recommend Jim enough to anyone out there looking for a career change, coaching, or just overall guidance.

Eddie Webb

Do You Love What You Do?