Tick tock, tick tock—the sound of another stressful second passing without answers to the infamous questions: What career do I want? How do I get there? Am I behind because I don’t know? NWACC counselor Bridgit Richie explains that the “average person will go through 6+ careers in their life” and encourages students to “take the pressure off, work hard, and make the absolute most of the next step.”
Sometimes, it is easier said than done. The steps taken in this season of life can feel like they determine a person’s entire future. Society often makes us feel like we should know exactly what we want to do and how to get there, and when our path becomes unclear or derailed, it can leave us feeling defeated. Stress builds from expectations we place on ourselves, parental pressures, and financial responsibility.
However, it’s funny how life happens when we are busy making plans for it. General Psychology professor Becky Meacham says, “Any rigid timelines also don’t take into account ‘life’ circumstances—relationships, children, geographical moves, etc. I think it is best to have a general idea of what you would like to achieve—as well as a general idea of when—but realize that you may have to tweak your goals and deadlines.”
Former NWACC student Johnathan Hartman is all too familiar with adjusting timelines: “It took me two and a half years to finally conquer calculus, and I know that might sound crazy to some people. But you cannot live by someone else’s timeline or expectations.” For some, clarity comes early. Hartman said, “I’m fortunate enough to have known what I wanted to do since I was in seventh grade.” But even with that clarity, following a set timeline is not always realistic. He said that reassurance meant a lot, especially since he had been at NWACC for a long time and sometimes wondered if he was behind. Counselors helped him feel seen, reminding him that his goals mattered and that he was being taken seriously. As Meacham explains, “The key is being able to define success for yourself and to decide what is motivating for you.”
Oftentimes, those pressures begin to fester. Uncertainty, stress, and anxiety can become overwhelming and consume a majority of our energy. It can feel like our control panel is being overtaken by a little orange, spastic creature with wiry hair. We lose our joy—or more simply, we lose sight of why we started in the first place. We forget why we are here: to pursue a degree that leads us toward a career that genuinely interests us.
So what happens when “life” happens? Those same feelings of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety can quickly take over. According to Meacham, “Stress only becomes a problem when it is chronic and we are unable to manage our response to it.” When the weight of the future becomes unmanageable, she suggests counseling. Seeking help from an expert can be a valuable resource when navigating careers and life decisions.
Ritchie, who previously worked as a talent coordinator for large corporations such as Google and Facebook, focused on ensuring people were the right fit for their roles. Through that experience, she worked with individuals who were also unsure of their next steps. She explains that her approach to career counseling is holistic, “helping people understand their story by combining strengths, values, and challenges they’ve overcome to explore their career options.”
Rather than giving students a “right” answer, her approach encourages exploration. Through conversations and reflective techniques, such as narrative-based career counseling, students begin to shift their perspective. Ritchie emphasizes that a career is not a single destination, but a long journey. With that in mind, the pressure to have everything figured out right now begins to fade. At its core, career counseling provides clarity. It helps students better understand what they want, what they need, and how to move forward which saves time, energy, and unnecessary stress.
In psychology, a theory developed by Erik Erikson explains that people develop through a series of life stages, each with a key conflict that shapes their identity and growth. Traditional and slightly older college students often fall into the Identity vs. Role Confusion stage. According to Meacham, “This is the stage of adolescence (which currently lasts for many until the mid-20s) when it is important to explore the possibilities of who you would like to become.”
Maybe the clock isn’t something we’re racing against; it’s something we learn to move with. The pressure to have everything figured out right now begins to lose its power when we understand that careers are not a straight path, but a series of evolving steps. There is no single timeline, no one “right” answer, and no reason to measure your progress against someone else’s. What matters is continuing to take the next step, even when it feels uncertain. Because clarity doesn’t always come before action, Sometimes, it’s built along the way. That ticking clock isn’t counting us down after all but reminding us that we still have time to figure it out.
Erin Shields was enrolled in the spring Media Writing class and graduated in May.
