PathSource - SCHOOL COUNSELOR: Helping Students With Skill & Career Development

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SCHOOL COUNSELOR: Helping Students With Skill & Career Development

About this video

Helping students with social skill development, career guidance and transitioning through educational phases are the talents of an effective School Counselor.

Degree: Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services

Job Title: School Counselor

Job Summary: Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors

Job Description

School counselors help students develop social skills and succeed in school. Career counselors assist people with the process of making career decisions by helping them choose a career or educational program.

On-the-Job Training

None

Additional Info

School counselors must have a state-issued credential to practice. This credential can be called a certification, a license, or an endorsement, depending on the state. Most states require a criminal background check as part of the credentialing process.

Certification Requirement

Required by the American School Counselors Association.

Quick Facts

Average salary

National Statistic Change Location

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$30,000 - $90,000

Projected Job Growth

15 to 25 percent

Typical schedule

Full-time

Typical workplace

Office, Indoor

Personal Qualities

Patience, Problem solving skills, Written communication skills, Verbal communication skills, People skills, Empathy

Educational Path

Education Requirement

Master's degree

Recommended Education Degree

Master's degree

Recommended Majors

Counseling
Psychology
Education
English Language and Literature
Social Work
Social Sciences

Related Careers

High School Teachers
Human Resources Specialists
Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers
Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists
Middle School Teachers
Psychologists
Rehabilitation Counselors
Social and Community Service Managers
Social and Human Service Assistants
Social Workers
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors

View Detailed Career Data

P3.instances[0].transcript.parse_transcript_data({"transcript":"I am a graduate student in my second year at Wake Forest University. And I'm learning to be a school counselor. So I graduate this May and I'll become a school counselor, hopefully by the Fall. Typically, right now in this semester, I have classes one day a week, and then the rest of my week is devoted to my internship. And I am in an elementary and middle school, so I get to see a range of ages and a range of populations. I work with kids one-on-one. I get to work with kids in classroom guidance activities. Some of those I get to create myself and talk about social skills, career guidance things, a wide spectrum of issues for kids. And then I also get to do some small groups with kids about maybe transitioning to middle school, or grief groups, things like that. My career path, or my education path to get here, I have a degree in human development and family studies. I explored elementary ed for a little while, but I liked human development because it had a more holistic view of a person. But I also sort of always had that education, elementary ed side to me. I always loved working with kids. I was a tennis teacher for a little while. I babysat for a long time. I also worked at a children's museum for AmeriCorps. For my year between graduating from Penn State with my bachelor's and going to Wake Forest, I did AmeriCorps. And so I always have worked with kids in a variety of different occupations, different ways of working with kids, and I've always known that I liked it. So that's sort of what motivated me to go towards school counseling. It sort of meshes the holistic view of the person with the different ways of working with kids. Something that I wish I knew when I started this job, I think is that it's different in every state. So depending on where you want to work and where you might get your degree, it might look different. So it's important to know the different licensure, certification, different requirements for every state. Or at least the states that you're interested in. And what the job might look like there as compared to what you're learning about. I think my advice, or my suggestion would be-- and it's something that I have to remind myself of still-- is that you're working for the kids and you're going to do the best for the kids. And if you keep that in mind, that's what important. I think it's cool to be in a public school because I get access to every kid, and every kid has access to me if they need it. And so I think if you keep that motivation behind what you're doing, then that will take you pretty far. And you'll be successful as a school counselor working with kids. ","file":{"id":167992,"video_id":"2700314122001","name":"121461706","duration":161912,"thumbnail_url":null}});