Career Counseling Connecticut
Feeling Lost at 28: When Career Uncertainty Starts to Affect Mental Health
Pamela felt desperate.
“I’m 28. When will I figure out what I want to do?”
She had bounced from job to job while waitressing in New Haven, Connecticut, paying the bills but feeling increasingly stuck. Like many young adults along the Connecticut shoreline and in the New Haven area, she had graduated from college with good intentions but no clear professional direction.
“I don’t want to feel this way for the rest of my life.”
As someone a bit older than 28, I was quite certain she was overreacting. Most people do not have their lives fully figured out by their late twenties. Career development is often slower and less predictable than young adults expect.
But I also fully understood the feeling — both from years of running Career Counseling Connecticut and from my own experience as a career changer.
Yes, I had been “a lawyer,” which is certainly something. But I did not want to practice law long-term. Years ago, I faced a better version of the same problem Pamela was facing: having a respectable path that still did not feel right.
Career uncertainty can affect anyone — including successful and capable people.
When Career Uncertainty Turns Into Emotional Stress
Pamela’s situation is more common than most people realize.
Across New Haven County, Middlesex County, and the Connecticut shoreline towns like Madison, Guilford, Clinton, Westbrook, and Old Saybrook, we regularly meet intelligent and motivated young adults who feel stuck professionally.
They often say things like:
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“Everyone else seems to have direction.”
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“I feel behind.”
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“I should know what I’m doing by now.”
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“I feel anxious all the time about my future.”
The emotional weight of career uncertainty can be significant.
For many clients, the stress is not primarily about money or even about a specific job. It is about the feeling of drifting without direction.
Human beings want progress. We want to feel that our efforts are building toward something meaningful.
When that sense of direction is missing, anxiety often grows.
Getting to Work: A Structured Career Counseling Process
Pamela and I got to work.
One of the first things she noticed was how little she had actually done to systematically explore her career options. Like many young adults, she had relied mostly on guesswork and trial and error.
She had tried jobs.
She had thought about possibilities.
But she had never gone through a structured career discovery process.
After completing our career personality and skills assessments, Pamela began to see herself more clearly.
She developed a deeper understanding of:
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Her natural strengths
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Her work preferences
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Her personality patterns
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Her learning style
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The environments where she could thrive
We then discussed specific careers that could realistically match her interests and strengths.
For the first time in years, she began to see a path forward.
The Moment When Hope Returned
Then Pamela stopped talking.
She smiled and said:
“This is the first time I’ve felt hopeful in years.”
That moment is one of the most meaningful parts of career counseling.
Clarity brings relief.
Direction brings energy.
Hope replaces anxiety.
Pamela then shared something important. Her anxiety had increased steadily since she left college. Recently, she said, she had been struggling enough that medication had become necessary just to maintain normal functioning.
Yet the rest of her life was in good shape.
She had strong relationships with her parents and friends. She was in a committed relationship. She exercised regularly. She ate well. She loved spending time with her dog.
“Life is pretty good — actually pretty great — except my career. But feeling lost has brought me down.”
That statement captures something essential.
Career dissatisfaction can affect overall well-being even when everything else in life is going well.
Career Direction and Mental Health Are Closely Connected
Over the years, I have seen this pattern repeatedly while providing career counseling in Connecticut.
Clients often arrive thinking they have a career problem.
But in many cases, they are also experiencing:
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Anxiety about the future
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Loss of confidence
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Reduced motivation
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Feelings of stagnation
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Persistent worry
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Difficulty making decisions
Career uncertainty can create a background level of stress that affects daily life.
For many young adults and professionals in New Haven, Middletown, Branford, West Hartford, and throughout Connecticut, gaining career direction is not only a professional goal — it is also an emotional turning point.
When people begin to see a realistic future, their sense of stability improves.
Career Counseling as Career and Life Guidance
Over time, I have come to realize that my work often becomes more than career guidance alone.
Career decisions touch nearly every part of life:
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Financial stability
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Geographic choices
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Relationships
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Lifestyle
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Identity
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Long-term goals
For this reason, career counseling often becomes a form of career and life counseling.
The goal is not simply to identify a job title.
The goal is to help people build a sustainable and meaningful direction.
That direction often improves both professional outcomes and emotional well-being.
You Are Not Behind
One of the most important messages for young adults to hear is this:
You are not behind.
Many successful people find their direction later than expected.
The twenties are often a period of exploration rather than certainty.
Feeling lost at 25 or 28 or even 32 is far more normal than most people realize.
What matters is not having everything figured out immediately.
What matters is taking deliberate steps toward clarity.
Career Counseling Connecticut
If you or someone you care about is experiencing career-related stress or anxiety in Connecticut, professional guidance can make a meaningful difference.
At Career Counseling Connecticut, we work with clients across:
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New Haven
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Madison
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Guilford
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Clinton
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Westbrook
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Old Saybrook
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Essex
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Middletown
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Branford
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West Hartford
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and throughout Connecticut
We provide career counseling, career direction, and career coaching in Connecticut for:
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Young adults who feel lost after college
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Professionals considering career changes
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Students planning their future
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Adults seeking more meaningful work
If you or someone you care about is facing mental health challenges that stem from work or career uncertainty, you are not alone.
Clarity is possible.
Direction is possible.
And hope can return sooner than you might expect.