Pathfinder Career Narratives is an ongoing series tracking the career choices and experiences of doctoral graduates. You can see all of the posts in the series here. You can find all the Pathfinder resources and opportunities here. Today’s blog is written by Dr Isabeau Iqbal who works as a solopreneur to deliver career coaching and also as an Educational Developer at the University of British Columbia. You can find out more about Dr Iqbal on LinkedIn and her website.
Name: Isabeau Iqbal
Doctorate subject area and year of completion: Educational Studies, 2012
Role and employer: Career Coach (solopreneur) and Educational Developer (University of British Columbia) [both part-time]
Approximate salary bracket for this type of role: (Salary for coach varies widely)/Educational developer $ 60,000-100,000 CDN
My career journey began with what I often describe as an “accident.” A friend offered me a student position she couldn’t take, and I found myself working in educational development before completing my Master’s in Adult Education. What started as happenstance evolved into a two-decade career path that eventually branched in directions I couldn’t have imagined or predicted.
Within a very short time, I recognized educational development as an excellent fit. The work felt meaningful and had a strong culture of collegial support that fostered my learning and growth. Envisioning a long-term future in this field, I decided to pursue a PhD focused on teaching and learning in higher education. I didn’t intend to transition into a faculty role but wanted to deepen my expertise in educational development and gain credibility in a culture where doctoral credentials matter significantly. I observed, within a short time of graduating, that having the PhD designation opened doors to being involved in higher level conversations and initiatives within educational development.
Yet despite these advancements, I eventually found myself questioning what might come next.
Several years after earning my PhD, I began contemplating my career trajectory. While committed to educational development, I wasn’t drawn to management positions and wondered what advancement might look like in this field. After considerable reflection, I decided to explore an entrepreneurial route by becoming a certified coach with the International Coaching Federation. I had personally experienced coaching’s transformational benefits because I had been a client since my mid-twenties; this gave me confidence about my decision to take this route. I completed my certification and chose to specialize in career coaching for higher education professionals.
The transition wasn’t without challenges. I recall feeling distinctly awkward about calling myself a coach—it represented a significant identity shift. I also wrestled with entrepreneurial uncertainty: “Can I make it?” Being risk-averse by nature, I maintained my part-time educational development role with its stable income while building my coaching practice. This arrangement honoured both my substantial investment in educational development and my growing passion for coaching.
Maintaining parallel professional identities has provided unexpected advantages. The combination offers intellectual diversity and creative stimulation that neither path alone could provide. My university work grounds me in institutional knowledge and collegial relationships, while my coaching practice offers freedom for innovation and experimentation. The perpetual challenge, however, is time. I am constantly dividing my attention between these complementary yet distinct professional worlds, while also dedicating time and energy to my non-work life (hiking, singing, family).
What draws me most to coaching is making a difference and witnessing the impact firsthand. There’s something profoundly satisfying about helping someone find clarity around a career dilemma that’s caused months of distress, or supporting them through making a difficult decision that transforms paralysis into action. The entrepreneurial aspects of running a coaching business, though initially intimidating, have engaged my creativity in ways institutional work rarely does.
Meanwhile, after twenty years in educational development, I sense I’m approaching the end of that chapter. It feels strange to acknowledge diminishing enthusiasm for work I’ve devoted over two decades to, yet accepting this evolution has become an important part of my professional growth. With respect to my relationship with leadership, I have often judged myself harshly for not pursuing traditional “big L” leadership roles within academic institutions. Family circumstances and personal preferences instead led me to exercise leadership in quieter, less visible ways. The past five years have brought a shift toward self-leadership. To me, that means being intentional about my choices, honouring my authentic preferences, and trying to separate my sense of accomplishment from institutional hierarchies and titles.
I have come to accept that my growth and impact is not reflected in my organizational titles and I have learned to reconcile academic metrics with my own definitions of success. Pursuing dual career paths has helped me get there, as has accepting that our career development needs shift and evolve in different seasons of our life.
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