Volchemy Careers is a career service based in South Melbourne. It was opened by me, Mark Cowell, in 2023. Initially working part-time, alongside delivering career services in government organisations. I have been running Volchemy Careers full-time since July 2024.
It’s a weird name for a business, I know.
Volchemy is the combination of Vocation (to find a calling) and Alchemy (turning everyday items into gold).
When things aren’t going well at work, it can bleed into all other areas of life. Then we search for answers and find loads of unhelpful information that can make us feel even worse, like we have to make massive changes or start all over again…as if everything you’ve done previously is worthless. It ISN’T!
Volchemy facilitates an approach to finding unique ways to use skills and strengths you currently have, and to build a career or vocation that leverages your unique abilities.
Volchemy Careers operates out of a creative studio on Montague Street in South Melbourne (on the traditional land of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong / Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation), delivering both in-person and online career support, career counselling and career coaching services, as well as travelling around Melbourne to facilitate workshops.
I provide individual career sessions and programs that are goal and action-oriented, alongside workshops and support for organisations who may need help with career-related training, improving culture and teamwork, or to support exiting employees prepare for their next chapter.
Who is Mark Cowell?
Prior to training as a Career Development Practitioner, I was the default “careers” person, assisting colleagues to secure new roles or advancements. Employment arrangements are much less secure than in the past, and colleagues were often facing short-term contracts and having to compete for a reduced number of roles annually, or organisations were simply downsizing.
I had a natural interest in helping people get the most out of their opportunities
and a knack for supporting them to build their skills to navigate uncertainty in their careers.
This was to be my vocation.
I draw upon 30 years of experience building multiple private sector careers, including advertising and media strategy, as well as experience in the social, arts, government and Defence sectors, combined with formal training in career development and a dedication to creative thinking.
Approach
I help you find and highlight transferable skills,
(re)build your confidence and career management skills,
and design the steps in your career change,or compete in an industry you are dedicated to.
My approach is down-to-earth, and I use practical tools that encourage momentum and creative thinking.
I am here to support you in managing change and finding your way to the next opportunity. The chaos that comes with a career change can be overwhelming. I provide structure, practical support and creative thinking to design your way forward.
Expertise
-Building study skills and planning to reskill
-Identifying opportunities and decision-making
-Career transition
-Career strategy
-Career development, career planning and career wayfinding
Certifications
-Registered Career Development Practitioner (RCDP) – CICA Australian Register of Professional Career Development Practitioners (the Register)
-Professional Members – Career Development Association of Australia (PCDAA)
-Certified Practitioner – Designing Your Life
-Professional Member – Australian Centre for Career Education
Formal Education
- Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (Guidance, Counselling and Careers), University of Queensland 2019 – 2020
- Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, Workforce Development and Training, Victoria University 2017 – 2017
- Strategic Planning Principals, Advertising strategy / Account Planning, Ad School – Advertising Federation of Australia, 2009 – 2009
- Bachelor of Business, Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast, 2004 – 2008
Melbourne Career Counselling | South Melbourne Career Counselling | Career Development