A Phenomenological Study of Career Anxiety Among College Students

an article by Christopher T. Pisarik (University of Georgia, USA), P. Clay Rowell (University of North Georgia, USA) and Laura K. Thompson (Regis University, Colorado, USA) published in The Career Development Quarterly Volume 65 Issue 4 (December 2017)

Abstract

This study explored the phenomenon of career anxiety through a qualitative investigation 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:

1. What are coresearchers’ (participants') experiences with the phenomenon of career anxiety? and
2. In what contexts do the coresearchers experience career anxiety?

Seven themes emerged:

1. general symptoms of anxiety,
2. existential concerns,
3. pressure,
4. lack of career guidance,
5. cognitive distortions,
6. social comparisons, and
7. 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.

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