dreamstimefree_255747Have you ever wondered if a career counselor can help you? Well, age is not a barrier and you can never be too young or too old to gain from career counseling.

Typically clients will fall into one of the four categories listed below. Remember, these are broad categories, and people may be at different stages, even if their approximate age does not coincide with the given category. Regardless of age or stage, people who tune into their natural skills and abilities, will feel they truly own their career decisions. They will feel free to explore, not one, but several career paths that they will utilize in the future and throughout their lives.

Four Types of Clients

The Exploratory Client (ages 17-27). These are people at entry level or not far removed from it. Concerns usually involve initial learning about oneself and one’s place in the world of work and how to negotiate early career decisions.

The 30’s Transition Client (ages 28-39). People at this stage have already been part of the world of work, may have been involved in trial and error career starts and changes; they may have been floundering; or they may have stabilized into mastery of early to mid-level career tasks. In any case, they typically are meeting and living expectations of society and family.

The Mid-life Client (Ages 39-52). People at this stage usually have experienced a fair amount of advancement in their careers. They have consolidated their knowledge about the world of work in general and their career paths, specifically. They may be experiencing frustration or they may see themselves either in a holding pattern or stagnating in their career paths. Regardless, they no longer want to meet the expectations of society and are ready to make changes to careers more in line with their internal sense of self.

The Pre-Retirement and Retirement Client (Ages 52-75). These people are beginning to see an end to their working years. They are ready to begin thinking about disengagement from the world of work. A myriad of possibilities may seem just around the corner, or they may feel a sense of despair and dread.

Regardless of which stage you are in, the services of a career counselor can be helpful in aiding you in learning about yourself, the world of work, and your place in it.

Watch for our next post in this series:  What can I expect when I see a career counselor?

BBCS – Baskin Career Counseling offers Career Counseling Services, New Jersey (NJ) and Nationwide for individual and Corporate Clients/Outplacement and Career Coaching . If you are looking for resume writers in the NJ area or anywhere in the USA, we are also pleased to assist you with these professional services as well. Please visit our main site at www.baskincareer.com.