Career Advice on How to Become An Educational, Vocational or School Counselor |
General Career Information |
| As long as there are students, teachers and institutes of learning and high learning, there will likely also be educational, vocational and school counselors. A career as an educational, vocational and school counselor is one that might not receive a good deal of attention, but it is one that comes with a simply tremendous amount of responsibility. Anyone who is in the middle of career planning or a job search should keep this fact in mind when contemplating this job. |
Career Facts: |
|
High school counselors work to advise students regarding the best ways to prepare for college, technical school or a job search. Counselors will also advice students about personal problems and issues that they might be having, especially when those issues and problems impact their schoolwork or their interaction with other students. Much of the work between students and counselors is one on one. Vocational counselors help students pick career paths and find out what the necessary training and schooling for those paths may be. |
Career Opportunities and Job Outlook- Good: |
| As of 2008, there were about 275,000 educational, vocational and school counselors working in the United States alone. Those numbers are expected to grow by about fourteen percent between 2008 and 2018, which is faster than the norm for all careers. |
 |
A Day in The Life: |
| The role of the educational, vocational and school counselor is to help students find the best future career path. In theory, they will work with students to help be sure that students are on an appropriate path considering their future educational and employment goals. Many people who are currently in the process of changing careers or going back to school may seek advice from a counselor. It is necessary to emphasize how important this career can be in shaping the future careers of students, and thus, their overall futures and earning potential. A poor educational, vocational and school counselor has the ability to do a tremendous amount of damage to someone’s future. With this in mind, it is very important for anyone who is currently a student or is planning on going back to school or college to research every piece of information that is given from a counselor of any sort. Often counselors are given wide latitude by deans and principals, and often the advice they dispense is overlooked unless there is a problem. If you ever hear something along the lines of “what do you parents do?” it is time to become very suspicious. There are wonderful educational, vocational and school counselors working in the educational system today, but there also some simply dreadful ones. Like most things in life, it’s a buyer beware situation, regardless of your age or background. In short, because educational, vocational and school counselors garner so much power over the career paths of students, it is necessary that one checks all of their advice against other sources. |
Average Salary: |
| The earnings for an educational, vocational and school counselor can range from between $35,000 per year to $58,000 per year. |
$35k - $58k |
Career Training and Qualifications: |
| Usually counselors are required to be state certified and thus pass state exams. Educational, vocational and school counselors are required to hold bachelor’s degrees, and most have their master’s degree in counseling, education or a related field. |
