Where Do I Even Start?”: Navigating Career Confusion

Why Traditional Career Advice Fails Gen Z (and How to Fix It)

Introduction

If you’re 16–25 and feeling lost about your next steps, you’re not alone. Across Hertfordshire, Essex, and Suffolk, young people keep telling us: “I don’t know where to start.” Career advice at school is often outdated, confusing, or just not there when it’s needed most. Instead, most rely on parents or friends if they have those networks at all.

To understand why this happens, we analysed tons of interviews, local focus groups, and major surveys (e.g. Youth Voice Census 2024). We found a system that’s failing to keep up with the real needs of Gen Z, especially for those without strong personal networks.

1. Young People Rely on Personal Networks. But Not Everyone Has Them

Key Findings

• 69% of young people in the Youth Voice Census 2024 said parents or guardians are their main source of career advice, down only slightly from last year.
• Teachers (46%) and friends (29%) are also consulted, but only 17% go to employers, and 9% say they have no one to turn to.
• The Jack Petchey Youth Survey (London/Essex) found 65% rely on family, 51% on school or college, and 44% on friends.
• Digital sources (websites/social media) are growing but still less common.

Why It Matters

Relying on family and friends for advice means those with limited networks are left behind. It reinforces existing inequalities. If your parents don’t have industry connections, your options are limited.

2. Most Career Support Isn’t Actually Useful

Key Findings

• Only 53% of young people found advice from parents/guardians useful or extremely useful.
• Less than a quarter found friends (23%), careers advisors (22%), or careers websites (22%) useful.
• Around 20% described social media as “not useful or useless.”
• Gaps are even wider for disadvantaged groups and non-binary youth, just 16% of non-binary respondents found parental advice useful.

Why It Matters

Even when support is available, it’s often generic, outdated, or irrelevant, especially for those outside the “mainstream.” Digital sources are widely used but rarely trusted.

3. Careers Education and Work Experience: Falling Short

Key Findings

• 50% rated their careers education as “average,” 30% as “good or excellent,” and 21% as “poor or very poor.”
• Only 34% felt school helped them develop the skills they need for the future (down from 41% last year).
• A quarter of 16–25-year-olds received no career guidance during education.
• 31% of NEET (not in education, employment, or training) young people said there were no good work-experience opportunities in their area.

Local Bright Spots

• In Hertfordshire, 92% of young people using Services for Young People rated the support at least 7/10, and 48% gave it a perfect 10.
• 94% felt youth workers were supportive, and 82% said one-to-one sessions helped them think about their future.

Why It Matters

Work experience and practical guidance are what young people value most, but access is patchy and often depends on where you live or which school you attend.

4. Uncertainty About What Employers Want

Key Findings

• Only 36% of young people say they understand what skills employers are looking for.
• The most valued skills: communication (70%), teamwork (56%), problem-solving (33%), listening (19%), and self-management (17%).
• 77% believe parents/guardians should help develop employability skills, 72% say teachers, and only 33% mention careers advisors.

Why It Matters

There’s a clear mismatch between what’s taught in school and what’s expected at work. Most young people want more real-world information about labour-market needs.

5. Confidence in Local Opportunities Is Low

Key Findings

• 47% are not confident about finding quality jobs locally; only 10% feel “very” or “extremely” confident.
• Confidence is lowest among 17–19-year-olds, care leavers (69% not confident), and those with additional needs.
• Only 31% believe employers are supportive of hiring young people; 32% think employers are unsupportive.

Why It Matters

A lack of confidence in local opportunities undermines motivation and leads to “career confusion”, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

6. Why the System Isn’t Working

1. Informal networks limitations:

Parents and friends are the main sources of advice, but this reinforces social and regional inequalities.

2. Limited access to meaningful experiences:

A quarter get no career guidance, and a third report poor access to work experience, even though hands-on experience is highly valued.

3. Outdated or irrelevant school provision:

Most rate school careers education as average or poor, and satisfaction is declining.

4. Low confidence in local opportunities:

Many doubt that good jobs exist nearby, and a third think employers don’t want to hire young people.

5. Disadvantaged groups face compounding barriers:

Young people eligible for free school meals, care leavers, and those with additional needs consistently report lower confidence and less useful support.

What Needs to Change?

1. Invest in local, personalised support:

Relationship-based youth work (like Hertfordshire’s model) makes a huge difference.

2. Expand work experience and mentoring:

Young people want hands-on opportunities, not just classroom theory. Employers and councils should collaborate to provide placements, internships, and apprenticeships, especially in growth sectors.

3. Update school careers education:

Bring real labour-market info and employer expectations into the curriculum. Digital platforms can help but need to be curated for quality.

4. Tackle regional inequality:

Invest in growth sectors and better transport so young people don’t have to move away for opportunities.

5. Target support for those most at risk:

Disadvantaged groups need tailored, accessible guidance, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Conclusion

Gen Z isn’t unmotivated. They’re navigating a fragmented, outdated system. Surveys across the UK, and especially in London, Essex, and Hertfordshire, show that young people overwhelmingly rely on parents and teachers for advice, but rarely consider digital or formal services useful. Most don’t fully understand what employers expect, and many doubt that good jobs exist in their communities.

But where young people receive personalised, relationship-based guidance, like local youth projects, their confidence and readiness for the future improve dramatically. Fixing the system means investing in these programmes, expanding work experience, updating careers education, and targeting support to those most likely to be left behind.

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