Career confusion hits differently when you’re in your 20’s or 30’s. It’s expected that you should have a direction by now and if you don’t, what’s wrong? However, many young adults are finding themselves confused. The degree they obtained isn’t what they want to do, they’re in a job (and have been since graduation) that pays the bills but feels all wrong, or they find themselves with too many interests and no clue how to narrow them down.
This pressure to make the “right” decision is unnerving. People say to do what you love and do what you’re passionate about, however, that’s easier said than done without a course of action to get from point A (confusion) to point B (clear decision).
Why Career Confusion Is So Overwhelming Now
Part of the problem is that there are so many choices available now. Gone are the days of solid paths per generation. Careers were made and education was created for that singular purpose without a lot of deviation. The average person changes careers at least three times in their life. Remote work has allowed for jobs to be accessible overseas (and vice versa) and industries we’re never heard of before today are expanding.
In addition, the average young adult faces things like student loan debt, cost of living that would dictate a job just to pay rent, and the anticipation for retirement accounts means that it’s not as easy to take a minimum wage “for now” job until something better comes along. Therefore, all choices feel high risk.
How Traditional Career Help Falls Short
Career counselors and job help offices focus on matching skills with job opportunity. They’re great for updating resumes and interviewing success but they’re not necessarily equipped to address what keeps young adults stuck in the first place. What do I envision my life to look like? What are skills I’m good at—so far I have no experience? What if my interests span drastically different topics? How can I switch paths/industries already when I’ve already dedicated years to this one under the watchful eye of parents who think they’ve raised an obedient child who doesn’t want to step out of line?
These are not community questions for employment services—they’re personal reflective questions best explored through Life Coaching for Young Adults who will help develop confidence, critical thinking skills and skills development. It’s not about getting placed, it’s about getting directed.
What Life Coaching Actually Does
Life coaching for career confusion starts with getting clear on what matters to the person—not what should matter or what others have expected thus far. Coaching helps a young adult identify their values and strengths and what they’re actually searching for with their working lives.
While this seems simple, it’s not. Most people have only ever gone through life checking boxes (good grades, graduation, first job). They’ve not spent time truly vetting what matters most to them on a personal value scale while still having the appreciation for time to pause and breathe before they’ve checked all the boxes and ideally should have their life together.
When a coach makes time for self-reflection through specific questions, this creates clarity. Not vague inquiries about what one wants to do with their life but questions framed as what’s your ideal reality? What tasks get you so lost in time? Where have you felt your most capable? What would you give up to get this job vs. what would make you never want to even consider?
Building Decision-Making Skills
One of the best strengths from working with a coach is developing how to make decisions without second-guessing everything that comes along. Career confusion can come with paralyzing effects—believing that any wrong choice will ruin everything down the line.
A coach helps implement processes for decision-making for consistent paths onward—not ones that will grant perfection (that doesn’t exist) but sound judgment based decisions based on all obtainable information that one can feel confident defending.
Life is not about making the right choice upon inception—it’s about learning how to make the best choice possible and understanding that career confusion will arise more than once throughout life. Thus, developing those tools makes a world of difference.
Creating Actionable Plans
Career confusion makes people feel stuck because it feels overwhelming—too many options, too many things to consider, too many steps it takes to get from here to there. However, with a coach’s help, this becomes smaller, digestible bite-sized pieces of concrete actions.
Not “figure out my whole life” but “research three companies within an industry of interest; have coffee with someone doing work you’d like to know more about; take one class toward certification; apply to take a side-project positioning yourself on this new path for three months.” These small actions aren’t just busy work but strategic movements toward finding out more about self and what’s best suited.
They gather data along the way about fit and what’s not working which in turn makes the next decision that much easier.
The Accountability Factor
Accountability is another game changer that people don’t think about. When someone’s working through career confusion personally and never reporting back to anyone else it’s easy to get stuck in analyzation mode—constantly researching, comparing pros/cons but never putting anything into action.
A coach holds an accountability element where they check in not scornfully but thoughtfully for continued movement. They help someone figure out a timeline based on what’s been dragging them down or what’s holding them back so even if a little progress is made in a day—or it’s decided that’s too much work for now—the act of communicating provides structure.
Stability From Confusion to Clarity
Finally, clarity doesn’t happen overnight. Clarity also doesn’t derive from intense crystal ball-making mentalities. Most young adults find comfort in receiving clarity after obtaining action steps and realizing through feedback and trial/error that there’s room for shifting gears at every juncture along the way.
Life coaching promotes that process without making it seem overwhelming. Instead, it becomes a matter of helping build confidence in making decisions, learning how to navigate uncertainty and figuring out what might work best because at the end of the day, once it finally happens, clarity feels great for anyone sick of feeling confused all the time.
