Career Change
Program for Adults
Not sure whether you need a new career or just a change of job?
Start with our free Career Fit Test.
The Oxford Career Change Program is an online career change counseling program designed to help adults discover work that fits their natural abilities, personality, interests, values, and goals. Our structured process combines career testing, proven exercises, and personal coaching to help you confidently determine the right direction for your next career.
Do any of these statements sound like you?
Now, imagine your work was like this...
Online Career Change Counseling for Adults
The Oxford Career Change Program is designed for adults who want more than a quick career test or a list of suggested occupations. It provides a structured process for understanding what fits you, exploring realistic possibilities, and making a well-researched career decision.
The program looks at the whole picture: your natural abilities, personality, interests, career values, skills, experience, lifestyle priorities, and financial needs. These factors are then brought together to help identify career directions that make sense for both who you are and where you are in your life.
Rather than assuming that a career change means starting over, the process also examines how your existing experience and transferable skills can help you move toward a better-fitting direction.
If you are still trying to determine whether the problem is your current employer or your career itself, our guide Should I Change Careers or Just Change Jobs? can help you think through that distinction.
The goal is not simply to find something different. It is to develop enough information and confidence to make a career decision you can realistically act on.
How the Oxford Career Change Program Works
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PHASE 1: DISCOVER YOUR NATURAL ABILITIES
Begin by understanding the abilities and aptitudes that come most naturally to you. You'll complete the Highlands Ability Battery, a performance-based assessment that helps identify patterns in how you learn, solve problems, process information, and approach different kinds of work.
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PHASE 2: CLARIFY YOUR INTERESTS, VALUES, PERSONALITY, AND GOALS
Natural abilities are only one part of career fit. In this phase, you'll examine your career interests, career values, personality, skills, experience, lifestyle priorities, and goals.
The objective is to develop a clearer picture of what you want from your next career and the kinds of work environments and responsibilities that are most likely to fit you.
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PHASE 3: IDENTIFY AND COMPARE CAREER OPTIONS
Next, you'll use what you've learned about yourself to generate realistic career possibilities. Rather than relying on a test to give you a single answer, the program helps you explore multiple directions, including ways to leverage your existing experience and transferable skills.
You then begin to compare career options based on factors such as fit, interest, compensation, lifestyle, required training, job opportunities, and long-term potential.
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PHASE 4: RESEARCH AND CHOOSE YOUR CAREER DIRECTION
The final phase moves from possibilities to evidence. You'll research your strongest options, speak with people in relevant fields when appropriate, examine real-world requirements, and evaluate the advantages and tradeoffs of each direction.
Once you have identified a direction that fits, the focus shifts toward developing a practical career change plan and determining the steps needed to move forward.
Flexible and online: You complete the Oxford Career Change Program from your own home and progress through the material on a schedule that works for you. We recommend budgeting approximately three hours per week to work through the program thoughtfully.
What You'll Gain from the Career Change Program
- A Clearer Career Direction. Develop a clearer picture of the kind of work, environment, responsibilities, and lifestyle that may fit you best.
- Understanding of Your Natural Abilities. Through the Highlands Ability Battery, you'll gain insight into your natural abilities and how they may influence the way you learn, solve problems, process information, and approach work.
- Greater Self-Knowledge. Clarify your career interests, career values, personality, strengths, skills, experience, and priorities so you can evaluate careers using more than intuition alone.
- Personal Career Coaching. Receive guidance throughout the process to help answer questions, evaluate possibilities, stay focused, work through obstacles, and make a thoughtful career decision.
- Realistic Career Options. Explore possible directions ranging from adjacent roles that use your existing experience to substantially different careers, consulting, entrepreneurship, and other alternatives that may fit your situation.
- Help Comparing Your Best Options. Instead of relying on one test or one person's opinion, you'll learn to compare career options using factors such as fit, interest, compensation, lifestyle, required training, job opportunities, and long-term potential.
- A Research-Based Decision Process. Learn how to investigate promising careers, test your assumptions, talk with people in relevant fields, and gather enough real-world information to make a more informed decision.
- A Practical Career Change Plan. Once you identify a promising direction, develop a career change plan that identifies the skills, research, networking, preparation, and next steps needed to move forward.
Why Choose the Oxford Career Change Program?
What would you prefer? Some “take this test and discover your dream job” scheme that is bound for failure?
Why Choose the Oxford Career Change Program?
Career change is rarely solved by taking one test or receiving a list of suggested occupations. The Oxford Career Change Program combines assessment, self-discovery, career exploration, research, and personal guidance into one structured process.
- 1. A Complete Career Change Process. The program goes beyond career testing. You'll examine your natural abilities, personality, interests, values, skills, experience, lifestyle priorities, and goals, then use that information to identify and research realistic career possibilities. The Highlands Ability Battery provides an important foundation for understanding your natural abilities.
- 2. Guidance From People Who Understand Career Change. Career change involves more than choosing an occupation. It can also involve uncertainty, financial considerations, fear of making the wrong decision, and questions about how much of your previous experience can be carried forward. The coaching process is designed to help you work through those practical and personal challenges while keeping the decision grounded in evidence.
- 3. A Personal Approach. Your career history, financial needs, interests, abilities, responsibilities, and priorities are different from anyone else's. The program is designed to help you evaluate possibilities in the context of your own situation rather than forcing you into a one-size-fits-all career recommendation.
- 4. Flexible and Online. The Oxford Career Change Program is completed online, allowing you to work through the process from home and fit the program around your existing work and personal responsibilities. You can progress through the material thoughtfully without having to put your current career on hold while you explore what comes next.
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5. A Whole-Person Approach.
Career fit depends on more than one personality score or aptitude result. The Oxford process considers the combination of factors that influence whether a career is likely to work for you, including:
- Natural abilities and aptitudes
- Personality and preferred work environment
- Career values
- Interests and motivations
- Skills and transferable experience
- Lifestyle and financial priorities
- Career opportunities and practical requirements
Career Change Success Stories
Choosing a career change program is a significant decision, and it is reasonable to want to hear from people who have already gone through the process. The experiences below describe how Oxford Career Change Program participants used the assessments, exercises, research, and coaching to gain greater clarity about their career direction.
"In my quest for discovering my true career passion, I knew what I was currently doing was not it! So I searched for a career coach to help me and luckily I found the most comprehensive, enlightening and FUN program - The Oxford Program. I learned so much about myself and now am in the process of putting my true career passion into place! Thanks to the great coaching, fascinating exercises and supportive group interaction, I am now on my way to loving my chosen career!" Deb Mulrooney
"I was drawn to the Oxford Program based on its promise to work with the holistic person through really looking at who you are, what you stand for, and what you have a natural affinity for. I have found the process to be exciting and energizing. For me it has provided even more than I expected it would.I highly recommend it to anyone looking for the complete package." - Pam W., Maryland
Meet Your Career Change Coaches
Career change is a personal decision, and having experienced guidance can help you interpret assessment results, evaluate possibilities, work through uncertainty, and turn what you learn into practical next steps.
Steve Bohler, M.S.
Oxford Program Founder / Head Career Coach
- Certified International Job & Career Transition Coach
- Licensed Highlands Program Affiliate
- National Career Development Association
- Society of Industrial/Organizational Psychology
- American Psychological Association
- Career Masters Institute
Steve brings both professional career-development experience and personal career-change experience to the Oxford Career Change Program.
Earlier in his career, Steve worked as an executive in the financial services industry before making a significant career change of his own. He left Wall Street and moved to England, where he coached the Oxford University lightweight rowing team.
That experience led to years of research into career choice, aptitude assessment, personality, motivation, and career satisfaction. Through his private career-coaching work, Steve developed the Oxford Career Change Program as a structured process for helping adults better understand themselves, investigate realistic career possibilities, and make well-researched career decisions.
Today, Steve helps clients interpret assessment results, identify promising directions, compare alternatives, and develop practical plans for moving toward work that fits them better.
Elaine (Lanie) Damon, MS, LPC, DCC
Oxford Career Coach
Location: North America
Lanie Damon brings more than 20 years of experience working with the Highlands Ability Battery and helping clients navigate career decisions and transitions. She was also one of the early facilitators of the Highlands Personal Strategic Planning Seminars and continues to coach clients through the Oxford Career Change Program.
Lanie has worked with clients from a wide range of industries and at many different stages of their careers. As a career changer herself, she understands both the practical and personal challenges involved in considering a new direction.
Her professional background includes secondary and undergraduate education, recruiting, training, institutional sales in financial services, coaching, and counseling. She is a licensed professional counselor in Georgia and holds a Distance Credentialed Counselor certification as well as coaching credentials.
Career Change Program FAQs
Changing careers can raise practical questions about time, cost, coaching, assessments, and whether an online career change program is the right approach for your situation.
The answers below explain how the Oxford Career Change Program works, what you can expect, and how the program helps adults research and plan a career transition.
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How long does the Oxford Career Change Program take?Most clients work through the Oxford Career Change Program over approximately 8 weeks. The pace is flexible, however, and can be adjusted based on your schedule and circumstances. Some people move through the program more quickly, while others take additional time for research and reflection. We recommend budgeting about 3 hours per week to get the most from the process.
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Can the Oxford Career Change Program help me?
The Oxford Career Change Program is designed for adults who are seriously considering a career change or trying to determine whether a different role, employer, industry, or career direction would fit them better.
It can be especially useful if you want a structured process for understanding your natural abilities, interests, values, personality, skills, experience, and priorities, and then using that information to research realistic career possibilities.
It may not be the right fit for every situation. If your primary need is resume writing, immediate job placement, or basic job-search assistance without broader career exploration, another type of service may be more appropriate.
If you are unsure whether the program fits your situation, tell us about your situation and we will give you an honest assessment of whether the Oxford Career Change Program is likely to meet your needs.
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Is online career counseling effective?
Online career counseling can work very well for career exploration because much of the process involves assessment, reflection, research, discussion, and decision-making rather than activities that require an in-person setting.
The Oxford Career Change Program is designed specifically for online participation. You can complete assessments, exercises, and research from home while receiving coaching and guidance throughout the process.
For many working adults, the online format also makes it easier to explore a career change without disrupting their current job or personal responsibilities.
"Being able to complete the program online makes this extremely accessible, particularly when working full time." - A.J., Allentown, PA
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Can I find a career I enjoy and still make good money?
Yes, career satisfaction and financial success are not mutually exclusive. The key is to evaluate career options using both personal fit and practical considerations such as compensation, job demand, advancement potential, required training, and the value of your existing experience.
A career change also does not necessarily mean starting over at entry level. Many adults can build on their existing education, experience, professional knowledge, and transferable skills when moving into a new role or industry.
During the Oxford Career Change Program, financial needs are treated as an important part of career fit. The objective is to identify realistic directions that can satisfy both your career priorities and the income requirements of your life.
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Is career change counseling worth paying for?
Career change counseling can be worthwhile when you are facing a complex decision and want more structure, objective information, and personal guidance than books or online tests can provide on their own.
A career change may affect your income, lifestyle, training requirements, family responsibilities, and long-term career path. For many adults, the value of professional guidance comes from having a systematic process for evaluating those factors before making a major decision.
The Oxford Career Change Program combines assessment, self-discovery, career research, and coaching so that you are not relying on a single test or recommendation. You develop and investigate multiple possibilities, compare their advantages and tradeoffs, and build evidence for the direction you ultimately choose.
Whether career counseling is worth the investment depends on your situation, but the objective is to help you make a better-informed decision about one of the most significant areas of your working life.
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Should I choose one-on-one career counseling instead?
One-on-one career counseling can be a good option for someone who primarily wants individual discussion and guidance. The Oxford Career Change Program takes a somewhat different approach by combining personal coaching with a structured career-change process that you work through between coaching sessions.
The program includes aptitude assessment, self-discovery exercises, career exploration, research, comparison of alternatives, and action planning. Coaching is used throughout the process to help you interpret what you are learning and apply it to your own situation.
Which approach is best depends on what you need. If you want both personal guidance and a systematic framework for investigating a career change, the Oxford Career Change Program is designed to provide both.
"I want to thank you for putting together such a great program. I had already signed up to see a local career counselor at the same time I signed up for the Oxford Program. The results... he should be directed to YOUR service!" - C.L., Ocean City, MD
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Can I use the Oxford Career Change Program outside the United States?
Yes. Because the Oxford Career Change Program is delivered online, adults can participate from outside the United States as long as they are comfortable reading, writing, and communicating in English.
The career exploration process focuses on factors such as natural abilities, personality, interests, values, skills, experience, and career goals, so the core process can be useful regardless of where you live. When researching specific career options, you will also consider the employment market, qualifications, compensation, and opportunities available in your own country or region.
Oxford Program participants have taken part from a variety of countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, China, Bahrain, Peru, and Russia.
"This programme and the revelations it reveals are relevant to what I would want to do anywhere in the world... Being a Brit is of no consequence to taking this programme - careers are much the same between here and the UK!"
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Are there any additional costs after I enroll?
There are no required additional purchases beyond the cost of the Oxford Career Change Program plan you select.
During the program, we may occasionally recommend books, resources, or other materials that could be useful for your particular situation, but those recommendations are optional and are not required to complete the program.
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Is the Oxford Career Change Program self-paced?
Yes. Most of the Oxford Career Change Program is self-paced, so you can complete the assessments, exercises, and career research on a schedule that works for you.
Depending on the program plan you select, individual or group coaching sessions are scheduled at specific times. The work you complete between those sessions remains flexible, allowing you to fit the program around your existing job and personal responsibilities.
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How much does the Oxford Career Change Program cost?
The Oxford Career Change Program offers different plan options depending on the level of coaching and support you want.
You can view the current plans, what is included with each option, and pricing on our Career Change Program pricing page.
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How do I enroll in the Oxford Career Change Program?
To enroll, visit our Career Change Program pricing page, choose the plan that best fits the level of coaching and support you want, and follow the enrollment instructions.
If you are not sure which option is right for you, you can also contact us before enrolling and tell us a little about your situation.