Advisors can be helpful, especially when you know what direction you’d like to aim your life in.

It’s important to know who your advisor is, set up a career plan with them, and check in quarterly.

However, if you are driven, research-oriented and passionate about your goals, it is possible to achieve almost as much on your own.

Some students go through their academic lives either unaware of or indifferent to their access to career counseling.

Yet they still manage to determine schedules that meet their credit and time-restriction needs, apply for transfer to four-year universities and keep their grades in check. This comes from a learned method of isolating specific deadlines and objectives, organizing to-do lists, and juggling career goals with social stimulus.

When it seems like a process or subject in your life is overwhelming, take a breath.

Writing out what needs to be done and when can alleviate the pressure that comes from having several jumbled due dates in your head. After this, mentally organize your goals in order of importance. An advisor takes these steps with you, guiding you through a maze of calendars and credits.

Nonetheless, rest assured that a focused personal perspective on your academic life will benefit you over time, advisor or not.