50% Of Young Adults Feel Unsupported In Career Planning, Per New Report

I remember my college graduation like it was yesterday—a day filled with ambivalence. I was very proud of what I’d accomplished and relieved that the constant grind of schoolwork had finally come to a halt. But there was also a lingering sense of being adrift. While many of my peers had secured jobs in fields they were passionate about, or lined up graduate programs or service years abroad, I felt like I was in the small minority—the one who hadn’t quite figured it out yet. And the more I thought about it, the more I feared I never would.

Fast-forward to 2025, and the picture for recent college graduates is even bleaker. A new report from career platform Tallo reveals that nearly half of over 2,000 young adults, aged 18 to 30, feel unsupported or isolated in navigating their career goals. Nearly two-thirds are unsure about their future career path, and one in four are struggling to break into the field they thought they’d pursue after graduation.

The report also highlights that young adults want to balance financial stability and passion in their careers—to earn enough to support their families while finding fulfillment in their daily work. But societal pressures are mounting, from soaring student debt and high living costs to career uncertainty and the absence of mentorship. The stakes are even higher with the fear of generative AI displacing thousands of jobs. The report says that in their search for guidance on navigating the professional world after graduation, young adults turn to social media, online resources and their family and friends far more than they turn to their professors or academic advisors.

Here’s Why The Resource Gap Is A Problem

Many college and university environments around the United States aren’t teaching students that jobs aren’t just destinations—they’re tools for discovering what you like and don’t, and how to build valuable skillsets. Instead, they often promote the idea that your first job out of college should be a perfect fit, immediately ticking all the boxes. This mindset creates the false impression that something is wrong if you haven’t secured your dream job by graduation.

That idea isn’t just unrealistic—it undermines part of the natural process of figuring things out. The higher education system doesn’t go far enough in teaching students how to network or navigate career uncertainties. Students are expected to know these things by instinct, which is flawed. The system pathologizes students who ask the standard, developmental question—what do I want to do with the rest of my life? And it leaves them feeling like there’s something wrong with them for not having it all figured out immediately. This is a normal part of the journey, and it’s a conversation that college career centers should be having much more often.

Here’s What Employers Can Do Differently

Employers need to get in front of talent pools early. Reach out to local universities to explore speaking opportunities or offer one-on-one mentoring with students, especially if you represent a unique industry or have experience switching careers. Seventy percent of early talent decide on their future employers while still in high school or early college— yet many struggle to navigate the next steps independently. Employers have the chance to step into those much-needed guiding roles, offering undecided students accurate, up-to-date information about industry trends, career opportunities and educational requirements.

This guidance helps students take those crucial first steps with clarity and connects them to a person they can return to for ongoing support or direction. It also creates a direct talent pipeline to meet prospective interns and potentially, future full-time employees.

Highlight the degrees, certifications and work experience your industry values. Let students know early if your company offers tuition reimbursement or financial assistance—a significant incentive for a generation already burdened by financial strain. Debt from further education or training remains among the most prominent barriers young adults face in navigating their career paths.

Additionally, take a closer look at your job postings. Are the education requirements truly essential, or would a specific skill set be enough for someone to excel in the role? A majority of surveyed young adults who are not working in their desired field said it was because they didn’t meet the educational qualifications. It’s worth reconsidering how you define the right candidate.

Here’s What Colleges And Universities Can Do Differently

Career coaching shouldn’t stop at graduation—that’s often when alums need support the most. Universities should ensure that students are more than familiar with the career services and resources available—they should be borderline sick of hearing about them before they leave. Mandatory one-on-one coaching sessions before graduation can help develop a regular meeting schedule for students who don’t yet have a plan for life after the university’s doors close. This approach leaves students feeling supported well beyond graduation and builds a lasting connection, making them more likely to engage with the university as proud alums.

But it’s not just about what the university can provide. Look outward to the local and regional community. Don’t limit outreach to industries that seem most attractive and popular to students—reach out to a diverse group of professionals from various fields or those who’ve made career switches to normalize those conversations about not knowing what’s next after graduation, or changing that answer more than once. Tap into the alumni network to expand these opportunities.

Invite experts in networking and career conversations to speak at your career center. These skills are critical yet often overlooked or taken for granted in today’s corporate world and educational system. Assess and acknowledge the gaps in your career services and expand your outreach to give students diverse perspectives. These actions strengthen the university’s relationship with the local community and foster long-term connections that benefit both students and the school.

What would the results of this survey look like if we, as a society, stopped pressuring recent graduates to have it all figured out immediately and instead reprioritized the journey of career exploration?

When more experienced professionals tell students to “follow their passion,” we’re leading them astray. Who says we’re only allowed to have one passion in life, that it won’t evolve or that we must know exactly what it is in our early 20s? Instead, let’s encourage young adults to focus on gaining something valuable from every professional opportunity, following their curiosity and continuously expanding their skillset. By shifting the focus from a destination to the journey itself, we’d empower graduates to see their careers as an evolving story, not a fixed goal.