How to Become a Career Counselor

As a career counselor, you'll be a knowledge resource for people who need help choosing a career and finding long-term success. You might work in high schools, colleges, or universities, but many positions are available across the public and private sectors. Some career counselors run their own practices, working with anyone from students to C-level executives. Working as a career counselor requires a certain amount of education, essential skills, experience, and, in some cases, a license to qualify. 

Discover how to become a career counselor, career counselor requirements, and the career counselor salary and job outlook. 

What is a career counselor?

A career counselor is a professional advisor who works in various fields to support clients in making decisions relating to their careers using counseling approaches. As a career counselor, you help clients explore what careers suit them based on skills, experience, education, aptitude, and personality.

In high school or college, this role may involve guiding students through deciding what courses to take next to reach their goals. For working professionals, it may require supporting them through a career change, working toward a promotion, or navigating a skills gap.

Read more: What Does a Career Counselor Do?

Duties and responsibilities of a career counselor 

The duties and responsibilities of a career counselor vary slightly according to employer, industry, and nature of clients, but in general, you are likely to undertake the following:

• Administer aptitude and personality tests to build a picture of each client’s strengths, needs, and preferences. 

• Advise on available resources, resume writing, skills development, and professional development. 

• Counsel clients through transition and periods of stress and development.

• Work with individual clients and run group sessions for people with similar needs.

• Offer advice on suitable careers and the steps to reach them. 

Career counselor vs. career coach

When looking into how to become a career counselor, you may discover some overlap with a career coach. While they are similar roles, they have subtle differences, largely in approach.

A career coach, like coaches in other fields, focuses on improvement and attainment. This includes setting goals and providing accountability and motivation to move to the next step. In contrast, a career counselor works to understand more about the person, including their abilities, history, and concerns, using therapeutic techniques to set a course of action. 

Both roles are similar but require different skill sets and career pathways, so it’s important to determine which option is best for you. 

Read more: What Is a Career Coach, and Do I Need One?

Career counselor salary and job outlook

Average annual US salary (Glassdoor): $65,481 [1]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 5 percent [2]

The job outlook for a career counselor is positive, with the possibility of working within schools and colleges, as well as both the public and private sectors, and in an employed or self-employed capacity. With a 5 percent projected increase in available positions between 2022 and 2032, this role’s expected growth is faster than the national average [2].

How to become a career counselor

As a career counselor, you usually need to obtain important credentials from the state you want to practice in, especially when working in schools and colleges. You'll also need essential skills, education, and experience. 

1. Meet the educational requirements.

Career counselors typically need a bachelor's degree in social sciences, psychology, or a related field. Your employer may also require you to have a master's degree in counseling or career services. If you choose to earn your master's degree, your employer may require you to participate in a program that gives you supervised experience, such as an internship. 

Read more: How to Get a Bachelor's Degree

2. Gain the essential skills.

As a career counselor, you must master many skills related to counseling and career services. These include a combination of workplace and technical abilities you can develop while studying and through professional practice. 

Workplace skills:

• Communication

• Relationship building

• Problem-solving

• Empathy

• Compassion

• Active listening 

• Ability to motivate others

• Analysis and critical thinking

Technical skills:

• Job market knowledge

• Career development 

• Mock interviews 

• Teaching

• PowerPoint

3. Get work experience. 

Most employers look for professional experience, and this may be a part of your bachelor's or master’s degree programs as well. You can gain experience through internships and other relevant entry-level jobs in counseling or teaching positions. Experience may also be essential to acquire a license.

Read more: How to Write a Resume with No Experience: 5 Tips

4. Obtain licensing.

Some states require career counselors to have a license to practice, while others do not. A license typically entails completing a set amount of fieldwork, depending on what state issues it. You must renew your license through professional development, typically every two to three years. 

5. Earn optional certifications.

Earning certifications can show an employer you have the necessary experience and education to practice as a career counselor. Here are some certifications to consider:

• The National Career Development Association (NCDA) offers the Certified Career Counselor (CCC) credential, which is for master’s-level candidates in a relevant subject with at least 600 hours of practical, supervised experience.

• The National Certified Counselor Certificate (NCC) is awarded by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). Earning this certification shows employers that you have met the national standards for counseling,

• You may also consider certification from the International Association of Career Coaches, which offers certifications at varying levels. Career counseling and career coaching can involve similar tasks. 

6. Keep up with career trends.

Staying up-to-date with career trends is important, as this is your area of expertise as a career counselor. Professional development is required to update your license, so it is a great way to ensure your knowledge is relevant and current. You can do this through online courses, workshops, seminars, and personal research and study. 

Career counselor career path

The job outlook for a career counselor is better than average compared to other occupations. This is largely due to the need to replace workers who retire or transfer to new positions, as well as the fact that schools invest in providing students with career support. 

According to Glassdoor, for every two years of experience you earn as a career counselor, you can often advance to a more senior position within the career counseling career path [4]. Should you decide to switch to another career, jobs similar to career counseling that may allow you to leverage your education and experience include working as a teacher, marriage and family therapist, psychologist, social service assistant, and training and development specialist. 

Get started with Coursera

As a career counselor, you can help match others with the right career for their interests and passions, assist clients through career changes, and even help someone get a big promotion. In this field, it's important to become a lifelong learner. Online courses are a great way to do that.  

Consider starting with the Career Success Specialization delivered by the University of California, Irvine, on Coursera. Here, you can learn the basics of improving a career, which is the starting point for any career counselor. You can also try Wesleyan University’s Career Decisions: From Insight to Impact to explore motivations and mindsets related to career decisions and how to map out a career plan.