Career Re-invention: The Structural Upgrade Your Future Demands

Dilek Süzal
21 hours ago
3 min read

Updated: 1 hour ago

About ten years ago, I stepped away from my life as an architect and entered the world of coaching, training, and speaking. I shifted from drawing physical spaces to co-designing growth journeys that help people build clarity, confidence, and consistent action.

It was a choice born of urgency. I looked at the work I loved, the life I wanted, and realised the blueprint needed redrawing. I never looked back.

In retraining myself, I discovered that the same architectural mindset of structure, flow, vision, and transformation applies to careers too. Just as I once planned load-bearing walls and open spaces, today I help professionals build their next career space; one that fits who they are becoming.

So, what might change if you approached your career as a space to be reimagined, not just managed?

Problem: When the Old Blueprint No Longer Fits

Many professionals are living inside careers they’ve outgrown. What once felt stable now feels tight. Technology, AI, and global work culture have changed the map, yet many are still walking the old routes. The result? A dissatisfaction that looks like success from the outside but feels like stagnation inside.

Solution: Redesign, Don’t Demolish

Reinvention, like one of my mentors once said, isn’t about burning everything down. It’s about keeping your strong walls and opening space for the new. Like modernising a timeless structure, you can reimagine your career without losing its essence.

It starts with one simple question: What part of your professional design still works and what needs more space to grow?

3 Steps to Redesign Your Career: Lessons from Dorie Clark and My Own Re-invention

I recently finished the 'Reinventing You’ course by Dorie Clark on Mindvalley. She was articulating exactly what I’ve been guiding my career coaching clients through for years.

Here are my key take-aways:

🔹 #1 - Redefine Your Mindset and Motivation

Every reinvention starts in the mind. The World Economic Forum forecasts that 44% of jobs will evolve in the coming years, your mindset must evolve too. I had to release the fear of “wasting” my architecture degree and see it instead as my design foundation for human transformation.

🔹 #2 - Reconnect with Your Strengths and Unique Value

List what energises you, what comes naturally, and what others consistently appreciate. In my case, I realised that what I loved most about architecture wasn’t the buildings, it was the people inside them, their perception and flow. That became the bridge to my coaching career.

🔹 #3 - Audit and Reframe Your Professional Identity

How do others currently see you and what new narrative do you want them to see? During my transition, I was still being introduced as “the architect.” I began sharing content about the coach I was becoming. Slowly, perception shifted, and so did opportunities.

🔹 #4 - Prototype Your Next Chapter

You don’t need to quit everything to start something new. Try micro-experiments, online trainings, mentoring, side projects. Before fully shifting, I began mentoring others on career clarity; those sessions became my foundation for what later became my full-time coaching path.

🔹 #5 - Rebuild Your Story and Your Network

Reinvention is not a solo act. Share your evolution with your community, ask for feedback, and let people witness your progress. When people see your transformation, they start believing in it and so do you.

This is what our future demands. The world is changing faster than job titles can keep up, but the good news is, you can change too.