Muhammad Naushad Anjum · 2026-08-15
When people hear "career counseling," most picture something for confused university students trying to pick a major. In fifteen years of doing this work, that's actually one of the smaller reasons people end up in my office. Far more often, it's a working professional who's successful on paper and quietly miserable, or someone facing a decision they can't make alone because half of what's driving it isn't really about the job at all.
What career counseling actually covers
Career counseling is structured support for working through career-related decisions and difficulties — but "career-related" covers more ground than people expect. In practice, it includes:
Choosing a field of study or a first job, when the pressure of getting it "right" feels paralyzing. Feeling stuck or unfulfilled in a role you're objectively doing fine in. Burnout that's built up over months or years without a clear turning point. Considering a significant career change later in life, after everyone around you has already decided what you are. And — very commonly, especially here — navigating family expectations about what career you "should" have, versus what actually fits you.
How this is different from career coaching
Career coaching is usually practical: resume feedback, interview prep, networking strategy. Career counseling includes that, but goes further — it addresses the anxiety, self-doubt, or family pressure that's often the real thing keeping someone stuck, which no amount of resume advice actually resolves. If you've already tried the practical fixes and still feel no closer to a decision, that's usually a sign the real obstacle isn't practical at all.
Signs you might actually benefit from this
You dread going to work most days but can't quite explain why. You've stayed in a role well past the point it stopped feeling right, mostly out of fear of starting over. You're choosing a degree or job based on what your family expects rather than what fits you. You've had similar conflicts follow you from job to job. Or you're doing well by every external measure and still feel disconnected from the work itself. Any one of these is a reasonable enough reason to start the conversation — you don't need to be in crisis to benefit from it.
What a session actually looks like
The first session is mostly about understanding what's really driving the concern — external pressure, fear of failure, or a genuine mismatch between the role and what matters to you. From there, we work through it at a realistic pace, combining practical exploration of strengths and options with the psychological work of untangling the anxiety or family pressure sitting underneath. I've written more about what this looks like session-to-session in a separate piece here, if you want the fuller picture.
My approach
I've been doing this work since founding The Meeting Matters in 2010, with an MPhil and MSc in Psychology and UK/UAE clinical registration. What I've learned over that time is that career indecision is rarely just about the career — it's usually anxiety, family pressure, or fear of failure wearing a career-shaped disguise. Treating it as a practical problem alone tends to leave people stuck exactly where they started.
If any of this sounds familiar, you don't need to have it all figured out before reaching out. Learn more about career counseling at The Meeting Matters, available online across Pakistan or in person at our Islamabad clinic.
About the Author
Muhammad Naushad Anjum
CEO/Lead Psychologist
Muhammad Naushad Anjum is the Founder of Meeting Matters Clinic, established in 2010 with the vision of bringing evidence-based, academically sound, and internationally benchmarked counselling services to Pakistan and Pakistanis abroad. He is a UK and UAE registered psychologist, with an MPhil and MSc in Psychology, and is a member of the European Association for Aviation Psychology. His specialist areas include relationship counselling, couple therapy, and family counselling. Through Meeting Matters, he focuses on selecting, training, and supporting a culturally sensitive team of psychologists who serve clients in Pakistan and overseas through in-person and online therapy. Note: Mr. Naushad has a busy travel schedule and thats why he is mostly available for online sessions. His booking is handled by our Client Facing Team through normal booking lines based on availability.
What Muhammad helps with:
