Career Counseling is a profession for motivated and passionate individuals, who find it delightful to help others with their careers. Not only young students find themselves tormented with the choices about their majors, but even dissatisfied professionals seek advice on how to realize their true potential while also satisfying their personal needs for growth. A career counselor helps them in shaping better careers for themselves in a realistic manner, offering advice on writing resumes, giving better interviews and assisting in self-improvement.
Pursuing a Position in a Career Counseling Center
You can work as a career counselor in a career counseling center if you have an educational qualification in psychology or one of the liberal arts, and even more than that, if you are well familiar with the art and science of counseling. You need to be passionate about your counseling responsibilities which would require you to encounter people from all types of backgrounds, temperaments and patience. You would not only have to support them emotionally and psychologically, but would also need to have a good understanding of their professional constraints to offer a suitable advice.
Career in Career Counseling Center: Qualification, Courses, Training
In order to join a career counseling center, you need to hold at least a Bachelors degree in Psychology or other liberal arts. For senior positions, you may even be required to have a Masters degree or higher in these disciplines. Some of the career counseling centers could even required accreditation from CACREP, or the Council of Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. A certification from National Board of Certified Counselors could also be useful. This would be better for your prospects as a career counselor in any case but are sometimes not required.
Career in Career Counseling Center: Schools, Colleges, Universities
Some of the best Psychology schools in United States for career counselors are listed below.
- Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- University of California-Berkley, Berkley, CA
- Harvard University, Boston, MA
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL
- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, St. Paul, MN
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Career in Career Counseling Center: Job Opportunities, Salaries and Recruitment
On average, the career counselors working at Vocational Rehabilitation Centers earn an annual mean of $35,220, with a job growth of 14% expected fro m the year 2008 to 2018, as per the BLS statistics.