Winding Roads and Second Starts: Career Paths Aren’t Always Straight
When it comes to careers, the road is rarely as straight as we imagine.
Some people find their path early and stick with it. Others explore, detour, pause, or restart. None of these paths are wrong—they’re just different. And all of them are worth honoring.
In counseling, I often meet people wrestling with questions about direction, identity, and purpose. They might be feeling stuck, uncertain, or out of alignment with where they thought they’d be by now. Sometimes, they’re navigating burnout or rethinking what “success” looks like after a major life event.
Career Counseling Isn’t Just for Students
Career exploration happens at every stage of life, not just in high school or college. Whether you're entering the workforce for the first time, returning after a break, or considering a big change, it can help to talk through what you want and need from work, not just financially, but emotionally and socially too.
Career decisions are often shaped by more than personal interest. Cultural values, family dynamics, gender expectations, and systemic barriers all play a role. Psychotherapy can help untangle these influences so you can make career choices that reflect your values and goals, not just what’s expected of you.
Finding Fit, Not Just a Job
As a counselor, I draw from approaches like Self-Determination Theory and Family Systems Theory to explore how autonomy, purpose, and identity influence career satisfaction. We can talk about your values, strengths, stressors, hopes, and fears, not just your resume.
Sometimes, career conversations overlap with grief, identity work, or trauma recovery. That’s okay. Your path is personal. It deserves space and care, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Strategize Your Success
At Tactical Counseling, I support clients as they navigate big questions about work and purpose. Whether you’re exploring new roles or reclaiming direction in your current one, counseling offers a space to refocus, reflect, and realign to move forward on your own terms.
Resources for Further Reading:
- • Understanding career development: a convergence of perspectives (1998) - C.P. Chen
- • Self Determination Theory and How It Explains Motivation – Positive Psychology
- • So Good They Can't Ignore You (2012) - C. Newport