Losing a Label: Finding Myself: Letting Go of Professional Identity

Julie Cole
6 days ago
3 min read

What happens when the labels we’ve worked so hard to acquire aren’t such a good fit anymore? Many of us invest precious time and money training, taking exams, and maintaining membership of professional organisations. It allows us to use a particular title or write a few letters after our name. But over time, identity shifts. Those symbols of belonging don’t always suit us so well anymore.

I know that feeling. I’ve been there twice.

My Own Hard-Earned Labels

I fell into my first career in accountancy by answering a job advert in the local paper. It wasn’t a sector I ever imagined myself in. Still, I gave it my best shot. A patient man called Mike showed me the ropes during the day. I studied relentlessly, poring over textbooks before and after work. At times I was so bored I could scream. But perseverance paid off: I became a chartered tax practitioner, passing the exams on my first attempt at a time when only half of candidates made it through. I was chuffed to bits to have those well-earned letters after my name, and my career flourished. Within a few years I was a manager in an international partnership.

Yet, for all the security and status, I realised that the work didn’t align with my deeper values. It paid well, but it wasn’t nourishing. I didn’t feel that I was making enough of a difference to society. So I turned to activities outside work to provide meaning, making a point each morning of doing something productive before the working day began. I shared this strategy with a colleague, and we both found our mental state was the better for it.

It was at this time that I chanced upon occupational therapy. The realisation that meaningful activity can promote physical and mental health was a revelation. I wanted to learn how to build on that insight , not only to help others, but to heal myself.

After three years of training, I earned my stripes. From the start, I loved my new profession and I never stopped learning. I formed lifelong friendships, including a couple who’ve shared the journey since day one of college. Those drawn to OT often hold a shared philosophy about the healing power of activity, and it makes for an interesting and diverse community.

When the Label Stopped Fitting

Toward the end of my OT career, I found myself increasingly constrained by the codes, regulations, and obligations that come with professional membership. I was still studying, perhaps more than ever. but I no longer wanted to keep formal records or tick boxes. I cared deeply about ethics, but I wanted a moral code that grew from my own convictions, not one handed down by an institution.

Clicking the unsubscribe buttons on the websites of the Health and Care Professions Council and the College of Occupational Therapists was a very big deal indeed. In doing so, I marked the end of an era. I could no longer call myself an occupational therapist — it’s a legally protected title.

And yet, by relinquishing my professional identity, I regained something of the essence that had drawn me to the career in the first place. I also came away with an enormous metaphorical toolbox filled with skills from both of my previous professions. These continue to serve me well.

I no longer have an obligation to maintain professional training or keep a record of activities. Nor do I have to follow a strict professional code of conduct. I still study. and even read the odd occupational therapy book from cover to cover. Now that's something I never had time to do while in employment

And what about ethics? I like to think I adhere to a high moral code but it’s one of my own making. I don’t have to compromise any of my ideals when I follow it.

Letting Go as a Spiritual Practice

Letting go isn’t easy. But when we release what no longer serves us, we create space for something new. Since stepping outside of professional membership, I’ve discovered freedom in many forms:

Simplicity: No more record-keeping or risk forms.
Creativity: I write and explore alternative healing practices, without worrying about whether they “fit” within professional boundaries.
Inquiry: I study widely, following curiosity wherever it takes me.
Caring for the Self: I live with less burnout, more balance, and greater intention.