WHEN the phone rang in December last year, Nicola Stevens was packing boxes and preparing to move house.

She’d been expecting the phone to ring but still nervously answered as her mentor, and would-be manager, called to offer her the osteopathy job of her dreams.

The Carlton defender had only recently graduated from Victoria University with a Bachelor of Science (Osteopathy) but experienced significant trepidation and uncertainty about where her future lay — it was a thought that, at times, was often overwhelming.

“Planning for this year was a really scary thing for me,” Stevens told AFLPlayers.com.au.

“I didn’t have the safety net of going back to university at the end of the year. Having to think about what to do next year for the first time ever was a really stressful thing for me.”

Ahead of graduating, Stevens sat down with a tutor and mentor to seek advice as a graduate and beyond.

“I was in the middle of my emotional breakdowns,” Stevens joked.

“I was getting so worked up about what I should be doing and where I should be.

“(This tutor) had crossed my mind quite a lot in the past few weeks so I wanted to have a chat with where I was at with things.”

After sitting down with her and discussing the future, Stevens’ mentor alerted her to an opening at her clinic in Carlton.

“I really just wanted some advice and support, but the conversation changed a bit from there,” Stevens said.

It was a coffee catch-up that proved vital for Stevens being able to manage the challenges associated with job-hunting.

Click here to keep reading Nicola's article on the AFL Players website.