Received 10/27/16

Revised 01/20/17
Accepted 01/25/17
DOI: 10.1002/cdq.12112

A Phenomenological Study of Career Anxiety

Among College Students
Christopher T. Pisarik, P. Clay Rowell, and Laura K. Thompson

This study explored the phenomenon of career anxiety through a qualitative investi-
gation of the experiences of 7 traditional-aged college students who were in various
stages of their undergraduate degree programs. Using Moustakas’s (1994) method
of transcendental phenomenology, the authors conducted in-depth interviews to
answer the following questions: (a) What are coresearchers’ (participants’) experi-
ences with the phenomenon of career anxiety? and (b) In what contexts do the
coresearchers experience career anxiety? Seven themes emerged: general symptoms
of anxiety, existential concerns, pressure, lack of career guidance, cognitive distor-
tions, social comparisons, and economic/occupational uncertainty. The findings
provide a contextual and developmental perspective on career-related anxiety that
can guide counselors in the implementation of interventions for reducing anxiety
associated with career choice and development.

Keywords: career anxiety, college students, phenomenology, anxiety, career indecision

More than half of all college students surveyed report having experienced
overwhelming anxiety during the previous year, making anxiety the most
commonly reported mental health issue among college students (American
College Health Association, 2014). Anxiety as it relates to college students’
career development has generally been examined from the focal point of
career decision making and indecision (Brown & Rector, 2008; Daniels,
Clifton, Perry, Mandzuk, & Hall, 2006). The research generally and consis-
tently indicates that anxiety is positively related to college students’ career
indecision (Chartrand, Robbins, Morrill, & Boggs, 1990; Fuqua, Blum, &
Hartman, 1988; Fuqua, Newman, & Seaworth, 1988; Miller & Rotting-
haus, 2014). More specifically, career-related anxiety is negatively associated
with self-exploratory and career information-seeking behavior (Germeijs,
Verschueren, & Soenens, 2006), career choice certainty and vocational
identity (Vidal-Brown & Thompson, 2001), coping and perceived control
(Weinstein, Healy, & Ender, 2002), and general career decision making
(Saka, Gati, & Kelly, 2008).
This swath of research has many constructive implications for career coun-
seling; however, it is limited in breadth. For example, it is common for re-
searchers examining anxiety in the context of career choice and development
(e.g., Campagna & Curtis, 2007; Fuqua et al., 1988; Miller & Rottinghaus,
2014; Weinstein et al., 2002) to use quantitative methods that utilize a
modified version of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger,
1983). Consequently, the extant research reflects a clinically focused (i.e.,
Christopher T. Pisarik, Division of Academic Enhancement, University of Georgia;
P. Clay Rowell, Department of Clinical and Mental Health Counseling, Univer-
sity of North Georgia; Laura K. Thompson, Office of Counseling and Personal
Development, Regis University. Correspondence concerning this article should be
addressed to Christopher T. Pisarik, Division of Academic Enhancement, University
of Georgia, 221 Milledge Hall, Athens, GA 30602-1554 (e-mail: [email protected]).
© 2017 by the National Career Development Association. All rights reserved.

The Career Development Quarterly DECEMBER 2017 • VOLUME 65 339

symptomatology) concept of career-related anxiety as conceptualized by the
STAI and as a correlate of individuals’ initial career decision-making status.
The default definition of career-related anxiety has thus become experiences
of somatic and affective distress related specifically to one’s present career deci-
sion (Germeijs et al., 2006). Although the research shows associations between
anxiety and indecision, especially for those individuals who report indecisiveness
(e.g., chronic and inherent problems with decision making; Gordon, 1998),
most undergraduates report experiencing some degree of career-related anxiety,
which can persist after clear and developmentally timely career decisions have
been made (Daniels et al., 2006; Gordon, 1998). Missing from the literature
is a robust and vivid depiction of anxiety experienced by college students as a
by-product of contextual factors inherent in the often challenging process of
developing a career.
Anxiety is a complex and elusive concept (Iacovou, 2011). It is characterized
by negative feelings, worried and/or dreadful thoughts, and physical changes
like increased blood pressure, sweating, trembling, dizziness, tension, and rapid
heartbeat (Barlow, 2002). Anxiety differs from fear in that it is an expectation
of a future threat, rather than a real and immediate threat, and a perceived
lack of control over that threat (Barlow, 2002). Anxiety is a natural response
to stressful life events such as job interviews, possible job loss, employment
evaluations, and choosing a major. When the response is proportionate to
the stressful situation, it is referred to as normal anxiety (May, 1977). When
an individual’s response is prolonged and disproportionate to a perceived
threat, and the incapacity for coping becomes subjective (i.e., self-perceived
incapacity), it is referred to as neurotic anxiety or clinical anxiety (Iacovou,
2011; May, 1977). Existential anxiety represents a third type of anxiety,
which also manifests as worry, dread, and panic, that results from a realization
and confrontation with essential concerns related to being human—that is,
freedom and responsibility to create meaning in life, constructing a sense of
purpose, imminent death, and the quest to live authentically (Yalom, 1980).
Each type of anxiety may play a role in an individual’s career development,
and although the types may be similar symptomatically, their etiologies can be
quite different. For example, normal anxiety may be present for individuals who
discover that they did not get into the major they intended and must quickly
decide on a different major. Physiologically, a fight-or-flight response associated
with anxiety may be triggered (Lilienfeld & Arkowitz, 2008) as individuals real-
ize that their career goals could be altered to some extent. From the prevalent
cognitive–behavioral perspective, ruminating about an altered educational plan
and distorting the gravity of the event could lead to prolonged and heightened
anxious feelings, thus resulting in neurotic anxiety (Murguia & Diaz, 2015).
From an existential perspective, the awareness of individuals that they are ulti-
mately responsible for choosing a major that offers them an outlet to realize an
authentic and meaningful life through their work role may result in prolonged
anxious feelings (Cohen, 2003). The differences in these etiologies suggest there
are different approaches to managing these anxieties (Iacovou, 2011), requiring
that counselors have an understanding of the context of career-related anxiety.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of our study was to qualitatively examine the phenomenon of
career anxiety—that is, the experience of anxiety that is embedded in the
career concerns of college students as they engage in the career development

340 The Career Development Quarterly DECEMBER 2017 • VOLUME 65

process. The two questions that were central to this study were (a) What are
college students’ experiences of the phenomenon of career anxiety? and (b)
In what contexts do college students experience career anxiety (i.e., how, why,
and when does it occur)? Putting forth descriptions of these experiences can
help frame the phenomenon more broadly than as a correlate of indecision.
Broadening the phenomenon and grounding it theoretically can also begin
to guide future research and new measurement approaches that capture the
essence of career anxiety. Moreover, our research can inform practitioners of
the lived career experiences of college students and the social forces that cur-
rently influence career anxiety (Groenewald, 2004). This perspective can guide
counselors as they attempt to facilitate college students’ career development
against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world of work in the 21st century.

Method
Phenomenological research is intended to describe the meaning of individu-
als’ lived experiences of a phenomenon and is concerned with uncovering the
subjective experiences of individuals by expressing the essence of these experi-
ences (Creswell, 2007). We chose transcendental phenomenology (Moustakas,
1994) as the grounding research method for this study. Because this method
is concerned with exploring and describing experiences from an individual’s
perspective, it may provide practitioners with a basis for intervention.

Participants
Seven individuals participated in this study, which is within the recommended
sample size range of five to 25 for a phenomenological study (Creswell,
2007). We refer to these participants as coresearchers (Moustakas, 1994)
because the essence of career anxiety was derived from the participants’ lived
experience rather than from our interpretation of the phenomenon. All seven
coresearchers were enrolled in one of two four-year residential colleges in the
southeastern United States. Five of the coresearchers were female and two
were male. Six coresearchers identified as White; one identified as multiracial.
Their ages ranged from 18 to 23 years. Two coresearchers were freshmen:
One declared her major as biology with a physical therapy intent, and one
declared psychology and biology as her majors. One coresearcher was a
sophomore with a declared English major. Two coresearchers, one a junior
and one a graduating senior, declared marketing as their major. The last
two coresearchers were both seniors: one was an advertising major, and one
studied speech pathology and was accepted into graduate school to further
pursue her studies.
We were deliberate in selecting these particular coresearchers as they had
previously disclosed experiences with career anxiety. Referred to as intensity
sampling, this method of selection is a purposive sampling procedure that
is appropriate for phenomenology as it furthers the ability of researchers to
develop an understanding of the phenomenon (Raffanti, 2008). We sought
participants at different points of matriculation in college so we could examine
differences in the experience of career-related anxiety across developmental
positions within the traditional college years.

Procedure
We received institutional review board approval and coresearcher consent
before collecting any data. Coresearchers engaged in recorded interviews

The Career Development Quarterly DECEMBER 2017 • VOLUME 65 341

individually. Each of the interviews was between 40 and 50 minutes in
length. The first two authors transcribed the interviews for later analysis.
Although the interviews were informal, flexible, and collaborative, three
general prompts were used, reflecting the research questions closely: (a)
What are your experiences with anxiety related specifically to your current
career concerns? (b) In what situations do you experience this anxiety? and
(c) What precipitates your career-related anxiety?

Epoche
Phenomenological researchers attempt to understand and describe reality
without bias. To arrive at this understanding, researchers are called to engage
in an epoche process that entails an effort to become conscious of one’s
own experiences related to the phenomenon being studied by identifying
personal judgments before and during data collection (Moustakas, 1994).
The authors conferred with each other about their experiences with the
research topic. The first two authors disclosed personal experiences with
career-related anxiety; however, both noted that over the years their anxiety
had subsided substantially and become less clear in their memory as their
careers became secure. The third author disclosed experiencing anxiety
related to her career concerns, primarily around securing employment
that would support her desired lifestyle. The epoche process continued
during data analysis as the authors routinely questioned and challenged
the sources of the themes as they emerged. This often led to meaningful
dialogue about the nature of the authors’ biases, which in turn led to
deeper discussions about the coresearchers’ lived experiences.

Data Analysis
Moustakas’s (1994) systematic process of phenomenological analysis entails
data reduction (i.e., identifying and clustering relevant meanings of the
phenomenon), imaginative variation (i.e., describing the meanings of the
phenomenon), and synthesis (i.e., expressing the essence of the phenomenon).
Data reduction entails a process Moustakas referred to as horizonalization, in
which researchers identify statements in the transcripts that provide signifi-
cant information about the phenomenon being examined. These statements
represent the range, or horizons, of perspectives about the phenomenon, and
they serve as the foundation for the textural and structural meanings that
ultimately define the phenomenon. For our study, the first two authors in-
dividually analyzed each interview transcript and compiled a list of horizons
that included coresearcher statements that added to the understanding of the
phenomenon. The horizons were then collaboratively analyzed, and those that
were overlapping and/or redundant and that did not sufficiently add to the
understanding of the phenomenon were eliminated. The remaining horizons
were clustered into themes (i.e., invariant constituents).
Using the horizons and themes as foundations, the first two authors col-
laboratively created textural (e.g., what was experienced) and structural (e.g.,
how and why it was experienced) descriptions of each of the coresearchers’
reported experiences. These narrative summaries included verbatim excerpts
from the transcripts. The creation of the descriptions was followed by a
process of imaginative variation in which the first two authors continued to
freely imagine and discuss the relationship between the structural and textural
qualities of the coresearchers’ experiences. A combined textural–structural

342 The Career Development Quarterly DECEMBER 2017 • VOLUME 65

description that relayed deeper meanings of the experiences was created
for each coresearcher. Finally, the first two authors created a composite
textural–structural description to serve as a synthesized description of the
phenomenon for all coresearchers.
The third author served as an auditor. She was provided with a copy of
each interview transcript and the combined textural–structural description
and was charged with analyzing the congruence of the themes, the descrip-
tions, and the final composite textural–structural description. Finally, the
authors cooperatively revised the composite textural–structural description.
Three of the coresearchers agreed to engage in a process of member check-
ing. They were each provided a copy of their own interview transcript and
textural–structural description, the composite textural–structural descrip-
tion, and the results of the study. They were charged with questioning and
confirming the congruency between the interviews and the interpretations.
All three of the coresearchers serving as auditors strongly concurred with
the data interpretation. One coresearcher stated, “I did not see anything
that was discordant with my experiences or that needs tweaking. It’s amaz-
ing how well my interview was interpreted. The way it was summarized is
exactly how I feel and in line with my views.” Another coresearcher stated,
“I’ve read everything you sent, and I honestly feel as though you hit the
nail on the head. Your interpretations really felt as though they had come
from my own mind.” The use of an external auditor and the process of
member checking with the coresearchers promoted consensual validation,
which establishes credibility of the findings (Creswell, 2007).

Results
Of the 88 horizons identified in the interviews, 25 were deemed necessary, suf-
ficient, and nonredundant. These invariant constituents were clustered into seven
themes: (a) general symptoms of anxiety, (b) existential concerns, (c) pressure,
(d) lack of career guidance, (e) cognitive distortions, (f) social comparisons,
and (g) economic/occupational uncertainty. The collective textural–structural
description is also offered at the end of the Results section.

General Symptoms of Anxiety

Most of the coresearchers described the anxiety they experienced in rela-
tion to their career lives in physical, cognitive, and emotional terms rang-
ing from moderate to extreme. Physical experiences included hot flashes,
nervousness, tension, and sleep disturbances. Emotionally, they experienced
pervasive feelings of angst, frustration, fear, and irritation. Cognitively, they
described thought-racing and a plethora of negative self-defeating thoughts
and cognitive distortions. Experiences were also discussed in the context in
which they occurred. For example, Coresearcher 2 noted that these experi-
ences of anxiety arose as she encountered students who were in the major
into which she aspired to be accepted: “I walk past that lab or classroom,
and I become very nervous. . . . I feel like the weight is constantly on my
shoulders.” Coresearcher 1 shared her physical and cognitive symptoms:

It’s not severe insomnia; I probably will fall asleep 3 or 4 o’clock kind of every
night, and so it’s just one of those, you lie awake, and you start thinking about
“Wow, there’s like this weird shape in my ceiling,” which turns into “Oh my
God, I’ll never be employed.”

The Career Development Quarterly DECEMBER 2017 • VOLUME 65 343

 Existential Concerns
The coresearchers grappled with various existential concerns as they con-
templated immediate career decisions and their long-term career futures.
Among the most commonly expressed concern was securing employment
and developing a career that provided a medium for meaning, purpose, and
fulfillment in life. All of the coresearchers voiced this concern, with most
of them expressing this concern frequently throughout their interviews.
Coresearcher 6 stated,
I mean yeah, still now I do [experience anxiety], but um, especially just because
it’s the rest of your life, like it’s kind of scary, like you want to love what you do,
and find meaning in what you do . . . you want to enjoy what you do.

The desire to find meaning and fulfillment in work was often coupled
with the awareness that the responsibility for doing so resided with each
coresearcher. Coresearcher 1 expressed this sense of responsibility, and the
dread that accompanies such awareness, saying,
I would say I’m more anxious and worried than scared. I don’t feel scared be-
cause, I guess I’m a realist in the sense that I know the world doesn’t owe me
anything, and that’s something I’ve accepted, and that’s something that I know.
It’s just kind of, in the grander scheme of things, no one cares about you out
in the world, you’re kind of on your own, and that’s not what scares me, it just
makes me more anxious.

Fear was also expressed in relation to the awareness of responsibility regard-

ing their career decisions. Freedom to choose was commonly expressed as
a fear of not knowing what the future held and a fear of being regretful
of the decisions they might ultimately make. Coresearcher 6 expressed her
anxiety as, “Fears, definitely, am I competent? Am I where I’m supposed to
be? I mean there are lots of possibilities as far as what kind of setting and
that kind of stuff. And um, not knowing.”

Pressure
The experience of anxiety related to the coresearchers’ existential concerns
was often augmented by a sense of pressure related to career decisions. This
pressure stemmed from their parents, their respective colleges, and themselves.
These feelings began well before college for some of the coresearchers, as
they grappled with career choices against the backdrop of their parents’
desires. Coresearcher 3 expressed this sense of pressure:
I just feel like if I did [study law] that I would be doing that for my parents, and
also because that’s what I’ve always said I want to do. I really did at one point
want to. And I think that it would be more just like fulfilling my old dreams,
their dreams, more than trying to make myself happy, and I don’t know that I
would be good at it. . . . I don’t think I would like it. . . . They don’t want to
force me into anything, but then it’s like we talk about it and their like, “If you
do this, if you go into law, you’re going to make money.”

The coresearchers expressed feeling pressure related to the notion that career
decisions come very fast with little time to reflect and explore as they move
through college. Coresearcher 1 stated, “One of my favorite quotes is, um,
‘You ask a freshman in college what they want to do the rest of their life,

344 The Career Development Quarterly DECEMBER 2017 • VOLUME 65

and last year they had to raise their hand to ask to go to the bathroom.’”
Coresearcher 6 reinforced this sense of urgency:
I didn’t realize how early. A lot of people are like, “Oh you have plenty of time [to
decide].” But it’s not like that. Especially if you come in with a lot of [advanced
placement] credits, you get started as soon as you’re here.

For Coresearcher 4, the pressure stems from external and internal drives:

I’ve always held myself to a high expectation, and my parents have held me to
a high expectation. . . . I’d be very disappointed if I graduated and didn’t have
a career, and just settled for a temporary job.

Lack of Career Guidance

Each of the coresearchers discussed a lack of career guidance before college.
For some of them, this lack of guidance also continued throughout their
college experience. The resulting lack of information about occupations
and the career development process served as a structural component that
seemed to support the experience of career anxiety. Coresearcher 1 described
her lack of career guidance:
I had one career aptitude test I think in my humanities class senior year, but
everyone kind of just “Christmas treed” it [randomly marking the bubbles on a
scan sheet to resemble the shape of a Christmas tree] because it wasn’t seen as
important, it was kind of like, “Oh, this is another standardized test.”

Coresearcher 6 stated,

I just remember filling out the [college] application, and I’m like, “Mom, I
don’t know what to put,” like I never thought about it. I was so naive and
so unprepared to choose, and believe it or not, I put down special education
because that’s all I knew.

Coresearcher 7 stated,

Uh, I think some people have tried to help but I didn’t get anything from it.
My parents talk about jobs and money and stability whenever I used to talk
about majors or careers. They wanted to be helpful, but telling me to “follow
the money” isn’t really specific.

Cognitive Distortions
The coresearchers engaged in inaccurate, erroneous, and biased thoughts
and thought processes often depicted within cognitive–behavioral therapy
literature (Beck, 2011). These thought processes included ideas about
their skills, performances, and their futures, as well as the nature of
career development. Coresearcher 7 expressed a thought process that
depicted catastrophic thinking regarding his choice and a polarized
thought process regarding career development as he stated, “Yes, I’ve
got to choose what I want to do for the rest of my life and I just don’t
know what the hell that is.” The coresearchers often engaged in negative
prediction regarding the consequences of their academic performance,
which exacerbated their feelings of anxiety related to their future careers.
Coresearcher 2 stated,

The Career Development Quarterly DECEMBER 2017 • VOLUME 65 345

 With classes every day and just like the stress of classes, trying to get better in
my classes I always have that on my mind like I have to get this, I have to get
that [grade point average] to get into [physical therapy] school.

Even as participants gained awareness of the errors in their thinking process,

it was difficult for them to control the erroneous thoughts. Illustrating this
difficulty, Coresearcher 3 said,

Logically and rationally, a lot of my concerns are invalid because I’m 18 years
old and most people, even if they know what they’re going to do, they change
it. But to me they seem valid, like in my own perspective, because I just feel like
I’m going to be the one that doesn’t figure it out. It sounds funny when I say it.

Social Comparisons
As college students, the coresearchers lived with constant opportunities to
compare their abilities, experiences, and career development progress with
that of their peers. Most of the coresearchers expressed anxious and nega-
tive feelings as they engaged in comparisons. Coresearcher 3 stated, “I just
look at other girls and think to myself, ‘Oh they’re so much smarter than
me.’” However, feelings of anxiety also arose when their peers expressed
negative evaluations of themselves against the coresearchers. Coresearcher
2 shared this experience:

And everyone’s always like, “You got it all figured out.” And people assume
that, and then they come to me and ask me if I can help, and I’m like, “I don’t
know what I’m doing.” And then their like, “You’re going to be fine.” And
I’m like “Haaa.” And that’s like, so even though they’re not like, the fact that
they assume that I know what I’m doing with my life, it seems like there is an
expectation there that I have to live up to.

Social media also served as a forum for coresearchers to compare themselves

and their career development with their peers. Coresearcher 1 conveyed
this reality as,

I’m in a sorority and one of our chapter advisors posted on our Facebook wall
and it was like, “Seniors! I’m curious to know what you are doing after gradua-
tion. Call me and let me know.” I made the mistake of clicking on it to see, and
it was like, “I’m working at a [public relations] firm in Atlanta.” “I’m interning
at PWC this summer in [New York City] and then I’m going to do this.” “I’m
going to be in [New York City] doing this.” “I’m going to be in Los Angeles
doing this.” For me it’s like kind of upsetting. I’m sorry [tears], it’s like really
making me stressed.

Economic/Occupational Uncertainty
Most of the coresearchers expressed a view of the current economic and
occupational climate as uncertain, fluid, and unpredictable. This view
served as a structural component of the anxiety they expressed and de-
picted a rather negative perception of their future careers. Coresearcher
1 related her concerns: “I think it’s more, it’s more, you can’t, what’s
the point of being passionate about a career, and like really giving every-
thing into a career when tomorrow isn’t promised in that field.” Some of
the coresearchers further qualified this perspective by offering glimpses
of the economic climate they have themselves witnessed. For example,

346 The Career Development Quarterly DECEMBER 2017 • VOLUME 65

Coresearcher 3 shared,

My dad has been with the same company since I was in second or third grade,
and they are starting to lay people off. They have been laying people off for like
2 years now. And he’s like made it, and they’ve been moving him to different
departments and stuff trying to keep from having to cut him, but he doesn’t
know how much longer he has, and he’s like starting to look for other places.
It’s like scary because I mean I don’t know.

Coresearcher 4 expressed his awareness of the fluid nature of the job

market he intended on entering:
Basically, the whole concept of freedom. I mean, you’re no longer stuck. Um, for
me personally, um, I, when I look at jobs and when I look at different companies
that I want to work for. . . . I look at their environment inside the workplace,
and with the society that we live in today, it changes daily.

Composite Textural–Structural Description

The experience of career anxiety is comprised of a constellation of physical
sensations, thoughts, and feelings that are associated with general anxiety
and that fluctuate in intensity. However, existential angst is a prominent
feature. This angst is related to the sense that the individual is responsible for
developing a career that holds meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. Accompa-
nying this angst is a constant sense of pressure from parents and institutions
(universities) to achieve developmental tasks “on time” and without error,
yet with little time to engage in an exploratory growth process that includes
time for self-reflection. These feelings of pressure and angst co-occur with
distorted thoughts about one’s abilities, one’s developmental progress, the
actual trajectory of career development, and the notion that a career will serve
as an ultimate source of fulfillment. Career anxiety is further exacerbated
by the backdrop of social comparisons and peer-group feedback through
the use of social media. Fear of the unknown and fear of not flourishing
are common and are often fed by the view of an unpredictable, constantly
changing, unstable, and libertarian world of work, in which much of the
responsibility for one’s career success has been assigned to the individual.

Discussion
The present study examined career anxiety (i.e., anxiety embedded in indi-
viduals’ career concerns as they engage in the career development process)
as expressed through the lived experiences of individuals. Although some of
the themes that emerged in this study have been addressed to a varied ex-
tent within the career development literature (Miller & Rottinghaus, 2014;
Saka et al., 2008; Weinstein et al., 2002), our use of the phenomenologi-
cal approach allowed the emergence of deeper meanings and the structural
contexts of anxiety in this context. These findings offer career practitioners a
contextually rich and complex perspective of the relationships between what
was experienced (i.e., textures) by the coresearchers and how and why it was
experienced (i.e., structures).
For these coresearchers, anxiety consisted of a variety of related general
somatic, cognitive, and emotional experiences. These experiences were
similar to those items that comprise the STAI (Spielberger, 1983). The
coresearchers did not disclose nearly the number of symptoms that are listed

The Career Development Quarterly DECEMBER 2017 • VOLUME 65 347

on either form of the STAI (i.e., State or Trait). This is understandable. As
Macquarrie (1973) suggested, “Anxiety has a subtle and elusive character
that thought can scarcely grasp” (p. 173). Without the specific prompts
indicative of a self-report instrument, simply describing characteristics of
anxiety would be difficult. The descriptions the coresearchers did express
were congruent with those that comprise both the State and Trait forms
of the STAI. This resonates with literature suggesting that state and trait
anxiety are strongly correlated; independent contributions of either one to
career indecision have never been confirmed (Campagna & Curtis, 2007).
Although the coresearchers did express experiences of anxiety that are
typical within the research, the textures of the phenomenon were more
broadly stated. For example, each of the coresearchers expressed a deep
desire to eventually secure work that offered a personal sense of fulfill-
ment and meaning. From an existential perspective, a sense of purpose
and meaning must be constructed and achieved by the individual because
there is no inherent meaning in life (Frankl, 2006; Yalom, 1980). Career
can be viewed as a means of creating meaning and ultimately realizing this
fundamental existential concern (Cohen, 2003). Simply becoming aware of
one’s freedom of choice and one’s responsibility to confront this concern
produces anxiety, as one imagines a life of regret that might result from
making choices that betray one’s authenticity, and that do not support the
development of one’s true self (Yalom, 1980).
The coresearchers also expressed fear that they will ultimately make career
decisions that will detract from their happiness. In fact, they expressed an
overwhelming fear of not knowing what the future holds and a lack of self-
knowledge indicating what is right for them or whether they can trust in their
decisions. This fear of not knowing and the seeming intolerance for ambiguity
are also catalysts for anxiety from an existential perspective as individuals often
grapple with the reality that there is no inherent structure in the world and
that it is each choice the individual makes that creates structure (Yalom, 1980).
Anxiety related to career concerns from an existential perspective has been
addressed in the literature (Cohen, 2003; Miller & Rottinghaus, 2014), albeit
to a minimal extent. Moreover, this theme has identifiable elements found in
past quantitative studies examining anxiety. For example, Saka et al. (2008)
identified tolerance for ambiguity and fear of making wrong choices as emo-
tional aspects of career decision-making difficulties. Saka et al. also identified
pessimistic views about the world of work and pessimistic views about individual’s
sense of control that are congruent to elements of the economic/occupational
uncertainty theme, the pressure theme, and the lack of career guidance theme.
The results of our study add rich and necessary context to these past quantita-
tive studies. For example, some of the coresearchers expressed pessimistic and
rather cynical views about the world of work as they stated their desire to
find meaning through career. They depicted a view that employers are not
fully committed or responsible for an individual’s career or well-being, and
that the job market is unstable and rapidly changing. The career literature
has given credence to this narrative, often depicting the 21st century world
of work as unpredictable, insecure, nonlinear, and rapidly changing (Gubler,
Arnold, & Coombs, 2014). This narrative highlights a new social backdrop
in which organizations have relinquished responsibility for worker welfare,
individuals are charged with acquiring the skills of adaptability and flexibility
to navigate the new social structure, and anxiety can be regarded as a natural
by-product of such monumental changes (Baruch, 2006).

348 The Career Development Quarterly DECEMBER 2017 • VOLUME 65

 The coresearchers reported feeling pressure to make decisions regarding
their careers while navigating parental desires in what felt like a limited
amount of time for reflection upon their development. Moreover, they ex-
pressed a general absence of career guidance. In some cases, these themes
were related. The career literature suggests that such experiences may be
indicative of personality characteristics and/or problematic, pessimistic views
of one’s self (e.g., low career decision-making self-efficacy, an external locus
of control; Saka et al., 2008). In fact, the research suggests that anxiety
can lead some individuals to eschew career counseling, preventing them
from taking the actions that would relieve indecision and reduce anxiety
(Germeijs et al., 2006). Yet, the coresearchers’ experiences might also be
viewed from a systemic perspective—that is, the lack of career guidance in
secondary education in the United States has been referred to as a crisis,
with an average of only one guidance counselor available per 500 students
coupled with scarce time for actual career counseling (Young, 2015).
Moreover, dual credit and advanced placement programs are shortening the
college experience for many college students, and 3-year degree options are
beginning to become more prevalent (Jaschik, 2010).
One theme that emerged that has been explored only minimally in the
context of anxiety or career development is social comparison. Some of the
coresearchers expressed experiences of anxiety as they consistently compared
their career development with that of their peers. When the coresearchers
described these experiences, they often disclosed upward comparisons (i.e.,
comparisons with those who are perceived to be better in some way) and
negative judgments about themselves. Moreover, they reiterated a sense of
uncertainty. Supportive of this finding is research that suggests a relation-
ship among upward social comparison, a general intolerance of uncertainty,
low self-concept clarity, and anxiety (Butzer & Kuiper, 2006). For college
students, opportunities abound for such social comparisons via their prox-
imity to a large number of peers on a daily basis and the proliferation of
social media. Paradoxically, social media is quickly becoming a necessary
and integrated component of career counseling and career development
interventions (Kettunen, Vuorinen, & Sampson, 2015).

Implications for Practice

Anxiety has been researched and reported extensively as a factor in the career
development literature, generally as it relates to the career choice process.
The implications of these studies are clear: Anxiety is a factor that detracts
from the career decision-making process of many college students, and thus,
effective career counseling should include assessing and addressing anxiety.
The results of our study indicate possible directions for counselors to con-
ceptualize anxiety and provide interventions for managing it. For example,
within the context of career concerns, anxiety may present as constellations
of somatic and affective symptoms congruent with generalized anxiety, as
it did with some of the participants in our study. When anxiety presents
as such, the research has shown that cognitive–behavioral strategies such
as disrupting irrational thought patterns, correcting cognitive distortions,
practicing progressive relaxation, engaging in guided imagery exercises,
and engaging in mindfulness practicing are effective at reducing symptoms
(Baez, 2005). Counselors who are properly trained to implement these
techniques may find more success in effectively assisting students in their
career development goals and increasing mental health.

The Career Development Quarterly DECEMBER 2017 • VOLUME 65 349

 Our study also suggests that counselors can approach career-related anxiety
from an existential perspective if the etiology is of an existential nature. Such
an approach would require counselors to help students understand anxiety
as an inherent by-product of the awareness of responsibilities, choices, and
endeavors related to creating authentic and meaningful lives (Yalom, 1980).
Moreover, counselors could facilitate the development of those metaskills
(i.e., agency and adaptability) required to successfully navigate and man-
age the uncertainty, ambiguity, and anxiety that may be staple elements of
careers in the 21st century (Baruch, 2006). These very skills are simpatico
with an existential perspective. As Frankl (2006) stated, “what man actually
needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for
some goal worthy of him” (p. 166).
Another implication of our study is that anxiety is a prevalent experience
beyond initial career decisions. Our coresearchers were selected because they
expressed experiences with anxiety related to career concerns, regardless
of their stage in the career development process. However, none of them
claimed to be struggling with career decisions. Three of the coresearchers
had achieved their academic goals and were decided on a career direction,
and one coresearcher had committed to graduate-level education for career
preparation. Two coresearchers had chosen academic majors, and one core-
searcher, although undecided, did not express difficulties that were inordinate
for a college freshman contemplating a career. Thus, the anxiety expressed
by these coresearchers occurred within the context of a normal develop-
mental process, and not solely in relation to initial decisional problems or
indecision. Career indecision has evolved into a multidimensional construct
with various subtypes explained by elaborate typologies (Brown & Rector,
2008; Gordon, 1998). Common among these typologies is the notion that
indecision exists on a continuum from a normal developmental process to a
clinically significant struggle. Although the research suggests that anxiety is
a common factor among the different indecision types (Saka et al., 2008),
perhaps the experience of anxiety also differs, as a result of different etiologies,
across developmental continua associated with various career-related issues.
Finally, as the use of social media increases as a vital aspect of career counsel-
ing, counselors need to stay cognizant of the possible negative consequences
that social comparison via social media may have on college students. As with
all counseling interventions, thought should be given to the benefits and
risks that interventions may have on each individual and the level of training
one has to manage potential consequences arising from such interventions.

Limitations and Future Directions

Our study has specific limitations regarding the generalizability of the find-
ings. Indicative of phenomenological studies, our sample was small and not
randomly selected. The coresearchers were traditional-aged college students
attending a competitive research university or a small public university, and
most of them identified as White. The results should be interpreted in this
context. Also, qualitative studies are inherently subject to the implicit biases
of the research team analyzing the data. The authors attempted to mitigate
the influences of these biases through (a) the epoche process, (b) a process of
prolonged engagement with the data, (c) the collaborative process between the
research team members, and (d) the use of the auditors and member checking.
Despite these limitations, the results can facilitate future explorations. Future
studies may examine career anxiety as it relates to existential constructs, such

350 The Career Development Quarterly DECEMBER 2017 • VOLUME 65

as tolerance for ambiguity and the search for meaning and authenticity.
Researchers should examine these constructs from a wider developmen-
tal perspective than career decision making and indecision. For example,
researchers could examine the relationship between these constructs with
traditional-aged college students who are in various phases of career develop-
ment. Stratified sampling would allow researchers to study college students
who are freshmen, and in the initial stages of career exploration, versus
those who are transitioning into the world of work. Our intensity sampling
method necessarily resulted in selection of coresearchers who had vivid ex-
pressions of career-related anxiety. Future studies can begin to examine the
prevalence of these experiences within the population. We did not inquire
about whether our coresearchers struggled with anxiety in the past or the
extent to which the anxiety they reported was a function of generalized
anxiety. Future studies should examine whether the anxiety structures our
coresearchers expressed are distinct from trait-based generalized anxiety.
Another line of inquiry could be to explore career-related anxiety as
it relates to social comparison. Given the emergence of social media as a
component of career counseling, the omnipresence of social media among
college students, and emerging research suggesting that social comparison
has an effect on well-being, such an inquiry may add valuable context to
the understanding of the career development process of college students.
Finally, these results can facilitate a process of predictive modeling in which
the nature of the relationships among the textures and structures can be
examined inferentially.

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