"Getting Unstuck": The Young Adult Cognitive Impasse 

Students
In my practice for  over 14 years, I have learned that students often "get stuck" (Butler, 2010). The pressure to succeed can be overwhelming – there’s school work, extracurricular activities, internships and you are expected to have your future figured out before you graduate. Whether you in high school or in college navigating your future is stressful, if you have finished college and are still confused about your direction in life know you are not alone! Your hope is not to settle for just some job, you want to find a career that you will love, where you will flourish, and feel proud of your contribution. You don't want to get lost of this journey and lose hope.

Young Adults
Young adults who never found a career path in college or whose work seems more like a job than a calling, are experiencing the same cognitive impasse as students. They just want to find work that has a sense of purpose. Reality is setting in and the stress to find themselves is growing exponentially. However, as bright as they are, they just do not know "how" to resolve this career dilemma.

70%students change their majors after enrollment at least once before graduation ​(Princetonian 2014).
36% of full-time students complete their bachelor's degree in 4-years (​NY Times, 2014). 
50% of students pursue a career unrelated to their major (Forbes, 2013).
35k​ is the average debt of college graduates (Wall Street Journal, 2015).

Problem:
Grasgreen (2013) argues only 28.3% of college graduates say they "are engaged in their jobs," citing 2 reasons: 

1. Students were without clear career paths in college and or
2. They were lacking strong mentorship, all of which resulted in their disengagement or getting stuck in life. ​

​The takeaway from this suggests that if students never have the opportunity to define a clear career path or find a mentor to guide them, then what they need is professional counseling to guide them through a discovery process that helps them find that path. Otherwise, as Gallop (2020) research reveals, this uncertainty has led far too many young adults feeling stuck after graduation in jobs that do not fit them. 

This Video articulates the student career readiness dilemma:

"How can I get interested in pursuing a career path if I don't know if I have the inborn abilities necessary to succeed in it?"

Solution:
Young adults yearn to discover "what" their inborn gifts are and "how" they will naturally support future professional pathways. This awakens students to their role in this world:  to take develop their inborn abilities into skill sets through  education, so that they may share them with others in the world of work.

Why? Without this knowledge, they may never develop the willpower to engage in their studies and develop their abilities into skill sets necessary to thrive in the professional world. 

Abilities Assessment: Objection Affirmation
Our Hope-Focused Model © uses a highly accurate objective Abilities Battery, that identifies their natural abilities, and in our report presents"how" intersecting ability patterns will support distinctive professional pathways.

Narrative Assessment: Subjective Self-Authentication
We also use a subjective Narrative that draws out a self-understanding of "what" drives them, "what" career paths  are congruent with "who" they are, and creates the willpower to explore "why" a career path matters to them. Finally, clarity of purpose ensues. 

​Using results from these sophisticated assessment instruments, we work with individuals one-on-one through a program tailored specifically to fit your needs. In this process, they have the rare opportunity to become architects of their own career path, and engage in taking ownership of career pursuits that reflect their uniqueness.
​
 I use a unique approach to help students and recent college graduates by integrating my education and training in  Career Development and my training as a Board Certified Counselor to understanding how to awaken individuals to an awareness of their giftedness and pathways they will support that resonate with them.  This begins with interpreting and administering sophisticated assessments, integrating them in individual counseling. Importantly, this practice is the only one that has perfected this unique approach.  I have guided students and young adults successfully who are seeking  clarity of purpose in order to make  astute career decisions.                                                                                

                                                      Attitude-> Emotions-> Behavior 
​
In experience, I have leaned that Hope is found through discovery of their inborn abilities and an understanding of "how" these gifts may be shared in endeavors that matter. This process alters their attitude, impacts "how" using their gifts offers a positive emotional response, which inspires the relevance of learning  and adopts behavior that drives exploration and further cultivation of these gifts. Developmentally, it creates  a new perspective on "why" education is a catalyst to change, helps construct the scaffolding to prepare for a career vision, and manifests an awakening of the meaning or purpose of that pathway.

Sources:

1. Butler, T. (2010). Getting unstuck: A guide to discovering your next career path. Harvard Business Press. 

2. Oliviera, D. (2018, August 1). Freedom to Explore. https://admission.princeton.edu/blogs/freedom-explore

3. Lewin, Tamar. "Most College Students Don’t Earn a Degree in 4 Years, Study Finds." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Dec. 2014. Web. 
​
4. Adams, S. (2013, May 28). Half Of College Grads Are Working Jobs That Don’t Require A Degree.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/05/28/half-of-college-grads-are-working-jobs-that-dont-require-a-degree/?sh=11f1dc966d7a4.
   
5. Sparshott, J. (2015, May 8). Congratulations, class of 2015. you’re the most indebted ever (for now).

6. Grasgreen, A. (2013). College grads less engaged in work than those with less education, survey finds. Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/18/college-grads-less-engaged-work-those-less-education-survey-finds

​7. AMERICA’S CALL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION REDESIGN. (2013). THE 2012 LUMINA FOUNDATION STUDY OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC’S OPINION ON HIGHER EDUCATION. https://doi.org/https://www.luminafoundation.org/files/resources/americas-call-for-higher-education- redesign.pdf?utm_source=link_newsv9&utm_campaign=item_163538&utm_medium=copy

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Sample Features of Our Abilities Report

​Read more about Our Approach  here.
Read more about our Assessments here.

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Student Testimonials 

“I was amazed at how accurately these assessments targeted not only my personality, but also my innate abilities and skills. In the vast sea of medical specialties a student has to choose from, I now have a much needed sense of direction."
- Matt Hartman, Loma Linda School of Medicine 
 
“Blair Hollis helped me focus on all the pieces of the puzzle that make me who I am and understand that I have the capacity to succeed with my particular ability patterns. Thank you so much for your time and confidence in me!"
- John, pre-med student, Rice University
 
All the elements that we discussed seemed to connect in a logical way. For the first time in my life this all made sense to me. He opened my eyes to my potential, thank you so much!!"
- Paul, engineering student, Vanderbilt University 

Parent Testimonials

​"The process was comprehensive and executed with care and much thoughtfulness.  I would highly recommend Blair Hollis for anyone, no matter what age or stage of life, to help determine a personalized career path."
- A Grateful Mom

"I would highly recommend Crossroads Consulting to any parent who wishes to offer their young adult a program that helps them better understand themselves and pursue the careers they dream about!"
- Susan 

"Blair Hollis was the guiding light that transformed my son’s self-esteem into a confidence that changed his outlook on his career search."
- Cheryl

Read more from  professional testimonials ​​HERE.

Read more from student and parent testimonials HERE.