I Went on a Podcast to Talk About Why Career Exploration Is So Hard (And Why It's Not Your Fault)

What I learned from talking about Advize on The Upshift—and why the problem you're facing is bigger than you think.

by Emily McSherry, Advize CEO

I sat down with Angel Howard on The Upshift podcast to talk about something I think about every single day:

Why is figuring out your career so unnecessarily hard?

Not hard like "learning calculus" hard. Hard like "I literally don't know where to start and I feel like everyone else has it figured out except me" hard.

Here's what we talked about—and why it matters for you.

The Problem: You're Making Huge Decisions With Almost No "Real" Information

During the conversation, Angel and I talked about something that still frustrates me:

Students are expected to make high-stakes career decisions with limited information from people actually in the job, outdated advice, or access that depends entirely on who they know.

Think about it:

You're supposed to pick a major (or stick with one). Declare a career direction. Network with professionals. Build relevant experience.

But no one actually shows you what different careers look like day-to-day. What the path really takes. What people in those roles actually do all day.

You get:

• Job descriptions (written by HR, not the people doing the work)

• Salary ranges (doesn't tell you if you'd actually like the job)

• Maybe one alumni panel per semester (if you're lucky)

• Random assessments (that tell you text-based job description "results")

And then you're supposed to just... figure it out?

That's not a you problem. That's a system problem.

Why Networking Feels Impossible (Even Though Everyone Says to Do It)

One of the things Angel and I discussed: Networking is crucial, yet most students don't actually do it.

Not because you're lazy. Not because you don't care about your future.

But because networking feels like this mysterious skill that some people just "get" and others don't.

How do you reach out to someone you don't know? What do you even say? What if they ignore you? What if you sound stupid?

And here's the thing that makes it worse: Students without existing professional networks are starting from scratch, while students with connected families get career guidance at the dinner table.

That's not fair. And it's exactly why I built Advize.

What Advize Actually Does (And Why It Exists)

During the podcast, I explained what Advize is—but more importantly, why it exists. Advize gives you access to 12,000+ short video interviews with real professionals talking honestly about their careers.

Not polished LinkedIn bios. Not sanitized success stories. Real people answering the same 13 questions about:

✅ What they actually do day-to-day

✅ How they got there (including the messy parts)

✅ What they wish they'd known

✅ Whether they'd do it again

You can filter by:

✅ Identity (first-gen, transfer, worked through school, veteran)

✅ Industry, role, skills

✅ The specific questions you want answered

Why this matters:

When you see someone who started where you started—who didn't have all the connections, who worked through school, who switched majors twice—and they're now doing work they care about?

That's not just inspiration. That's permission.

Permission to believe people like you actually make it.

"I wouldn't think there'd be any university out there that wouldn't do this."

— Angel Howard, host of The Upshift Podcast

After hearing about Advize, Angel said something that stuck with me:

"I wouldn't think there'd be any university out there that wouldn't do this."

That validation—from someone outside of education, just hearing about the problem for the first time—reminded me why this work matters.

Because when you explain the problem clearly (students making huge decisions with no real information) and the solution simply (give them access to authentic professional stories), it's obvious.

Every student deserves this. Not just the ones with connections.

The Part About Entrepreneurship That No One Warns You About

Angel asked me about the entrepreneurship journey, and I was honest:

Building Advize has required resilience and emotional strength I didn't know I had.

There are days when a university partnership comes through and I feel unstoppable.

And there are days when I'm pitching to someone who doesn't get it, and I wonder if I'm the only one who sees this problem.

But here's what keeps me going: Celebrating small wins.

Every time a student tells me "I wish I'd had this earlier."

Every time a university reports that 96% of their students took concrete action after using Advize.

Every time I see the data showing 89% of students can now articulate their professional strengths after one assignment.

Those aren't just metrics. Those are students who now have clarity they didn't have before.

And that's why I keep building.

What This Means for You

If you're reading this and thinking, "I don't know what I'm doing. Everyone else seems to have a plan. I feel behind."

Here's what I want you to know:

You're not behind. The system is broken.

You were handed a broken process and told to figure it out. That's not on you. But here's the good news: You don't have to wait for the system to fix itself.

You can start exploring careers through people who actually do the work. People who share your background. People who prove that your path—whatever it is—exists.

Listen to the Full Conversation

Angel and I talked about a lot more than I covered here:

❓Why universities are struggling to provide career support at scale

❓How alumni engagement makes career exploration more authentic

❓Why hiring the wrong person is so costly (and how better career exploration helps)

❓ The emotional reality of building a startup

If you want to hear the full story—why I started Advize, what we're building, and where we're going—check out the episode.

[Listen to The Upshift: Emily McSherry on Advize → https://open.spotify.com/episode/2TQBDQDjZp56lAscifdbqa?si=aa167d48a6bb48b1)

You're Not Alone in This

Career exploration feels overwhelming because it is overwhelming with the tools you've been given.

But you're not supposed to have it all figured out right now.

You're just supposed to start exploring. Start watching. Start seeing what resonates.

One video. One reaction. One step.

That's how you build clarity.

Ready to start exploring?

→ Watch professionals who share your background at www.students.advizehub.com