One of the most common questions I get is, “Do you need a degree to become a life coach?” The simple answer is no, the IFC is not going to crack down on your coaching business for failure to have a degree, license or any other type of certification. Coaching is a relatively open field with few barriers to entry. Just hang your sign and start enrolling clients.
Why Do You Need A Degree To Become A Life Coach?
People are tighter with their money these days. They want more value for their dollar. If you want to become a life coach you will need skills. So why might you get a degree to become a life coach? You can pick up the skills you need and get credentials at the same time. Before you do this, however, you need to ask yourself why do you need a degree to become a life coach?
Don’t Get Sucked Into Getting A Degree For The Wrong Reasons
There are lots of reasons to get a life coach degree. But why do you need a degree to become a life coach? Is it because you want to improve your skills? Or is it because you just feel you want the credentials to prove that you are qualified to coach people. If it’s the latter, then you’re probably wasting your time and money.
Choosing a life coaching program is a monumental challenge. There are so many programs that the task can seem daunting. There are several musts, and of course there is room for personal preference. Some of the musts are:
- A program that gives you the opportunity to practice your coaching skills with feedback on your performance.
- A personal mentor to guide you so you maximize your results.
- Beyond coaching skills, you’ll need business skills to get coaching clients who are willing to pay you for your services.
Above all, be clear with what you want out of your coaches training program and take the time to talk to instructors, find out what previous participants say about the program, and find out what the curriculum entails. Do you need a degree to become a life coach? Of course not, which allows you to make a choice based on what results you really want.
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Colette Seymann
JTS Advisors Designated Accountability Coach
Interesting article – I’ve wondered about licensing and educational requirements for coaching – particularly life coaching. I don’t necessarily feel that a degree guarantees that person will be the best coach – but it does seem that for the person who (as you suggest) just hangs up a shingle one day might have a challenge on their hands attracting clients. For the client – right or wrong, a degree at least demonstrates some level of commitment. Otherwise you would want to see some pretty impressive references or referrals – hard to come up with I would imagine for the new coach.
The degree may or may not help with getting and retaining clients. Tony Robbins never had any degrees and he is without a doubt the most successful Life coach in modern times.
I would have to say needing a degree has to do with our level of confidence in our abilities.
I agree. Degrees do very little in and of themselves. The training and learning that goes along with getting the degree can be nice, but you can throw the degree away!
Jeff