Career & Vocational Counseling
A career and vocational counselor's work focuses on such career-related matters as career preparation and finding work. These counselors work with individuals starting at young adult levels, where they work in schools often under the title of "guidance counselor." Career counselors also work with adults of all ages on career-related concerns; those who work with adults may work under the title of "employment counselor."
Other People Are Reading
-
Services
-
Some services career counselors assist clients in developing job search skills, provide help in locating jobs, refer individuals to career-related training programs and assist clients with job applications. Many career and vocational counselors administer tests to help them evaluate good career matches for the individual, particularly tests focusing on skills, aptitudes and personality style, as described at the Careers.stateuniversity and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) websites.
Employment Settings
-
Although many career and vocational counselors work in self-employed settings, some work for other types of organizations. The organizations that employ such professionals include school departments, colleges, veterans' programs and state employment agencies, as indicated at the BLS and Careers.stateuniversity websites. Additionally, some private employers may employ career counselors either on an ongoing or a consulting basis to assist employees to find new jobs after a layoff or to plan career advancement within the company, for example.
-
Methods
-
Career counselors start by compiling information about the individual's career interests, aptitudes, personal work values and work style based on interviews with the client, usually combined with test results. They also keep up with current job market information. The counselor then works to assist the client with career development in varying ways, such as through referrals to additional training, connecting the individual with job leads or coaching the client on interviewing skills. Vocational counselors employed by high schools may focus primarily on helping students choose a general career area and select and apply to colleges. At the postsecondary level, vocational counselors employed by academic institutions may help students in selecting and applying to advanced degree programs such as master's or doctoral level programs, or preparing for a job search for work outside of the academic environment.
Training and Outlook
-
Work as a vocational or career counselor usually requires a master's-level degree---often in human services, education or psychology. State licensure requirements may mandate ongoing participation in workshops and other post-degree studies to maintain licensing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lumps this profession into a more generalized occupation that includes a variety of counseling specialties. The counseling field overall has a strong employment outlook; the BLS projects an 18 percent growth rate between 2008 and 2018---an increase that compares favorably in relation to all occupations.
Salary
-
As of 2010, the average range salary for career and vocational counselors came out to $34,488 to $47,491, according to the Payscale website. State and local governments offered the highest annual salary prospects, with potential for annual salaries reaching just short of $70,000. Nonprofit organizations and the federal government had the most restricted salary prospects, with annual salaries in these two types of organizations topping out at just about $40,000.
-
