There are people in this world who love giving advice, and if you’re one of them, you may have considered a career as a life coach or a mentor. On the surface, life coaching and mentoring seem quite similar, but they have their differences. Let’s talk what the differences between a life coach and a mentor and if you can be both at the same time.

Can you be both a mentor and a life coach?

Let’s start with the basics. A life coach is a person who enjoys helping others make plans to reach their future goals. Often, clients will work with life coaches for three, six, or even 12 months. And while certain healthcare professionals focus on past traumas and experiences, life coaches focus on the future.

Mentors are a little different from life coaches because they are highly focused on the present. You can work alongside a mentor for a very long time, whether that is one year or one decade. Mentors often meet with their mentees in public places, unlike life coaches, who prefer to meet in private locations. Mentors are usually focused on the present, and unlike life coaches, most of the conversation will be focused on things the mentee is experiencing.

It is possible to be a mentor and a life coach at the same time, but your mentor clients may not want the same thing that your life coach clients want. It is important to understand that, even though the life coach industry is not regulated, it is still important to seek out programs and certifications that help you help your clients. Mentoring, on the other hand, needs little expertise or experience.

If you enjoy connecting with people and helping them make plans to reach their goals, you may have considered a career as a life coach. While life coaching and mentorship sound similar on the surface, they are quite different. While a mentor often talks about current events, life coaches focus more on the future. You can be a life coach and mentor, but it is important to hone your skills as a life coach through a certified life coaching course.