Way back in the mid-2000s, prior to the Great Recession, I recall Brendan walking into my office for a career counseling session. I knew Brendan when he was a high school student in Guilford High School. He had done all that was expected of him: good grades, good SATs, good college search, and wound up at a good college. He also did well enough at college. My memory of him in high school was as a happy-go-lucky guy. I was taken aback when he walked into our offices in Madison with the marks of low grade depression. Brendan was now working in a cubicle in a relatively large Connecticut-based corporation in New Haven County doing some form of account management and customer service that he bored him to tears. He realized (1) he had never really thought about his career (2) that if he stayed in his current job he would be building a career in something ill-suited for him and (3) he had no idea what to do for his career. Brendan would not have thought to see me because, even 10 years ago, career counseling was not common. His mom thought I would have insights because we had discussed career issues during Brendan’s college counseling sessions. She commented in her first call: a parent’s work is never done.
Of late, the necessity for parents to actively guide/help/support their children into their twenties has become increasingly clear. The number of lost twentysomethings has made Brendan’s situation – a silent epidemic even back then – an increasingly commonplace call. “My twentysomething son/daughter needs help with their career…”
Our mission is to provide career guidance for twentysomethings.