What a school and career counselor really does
You keep hundreds of students on track to graduate and plan their next step, while being the person they come to when something goes wrong.
FieldPeople and community
Preparation (O*NET Job Zone)Extensive preparation needed
What the work involves
What fills a typical week for school and career counselors, built from O*NET occupation data.
- Meet one on one with students about classes, grades, attendance and plans after high school
- Audit transcripts and credits so seniors actually meet graduation and college requirements
- Drop everything when a student is in crisis, then follow the school safety protocol
- Meet with parents, teachers and administrators about students who are struggling
- Refer students and families to outside counseling and community services
- Write recommendation letters and help with college, trade school, financial aid and apprenticeship applications
- Keep accurate records and notes as required by law and district policy
What the days are like
What people in the job know
- Conflict is part of almost every day, between students, with parents, and over schedules and discipline. Conflict Situations: 48% every day, 23% once a week or more (O*NET Work Context)
- You will deal with upset or angry people often, and many of them are parents. Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People: 34% every day, 20% once a week or more (O*NET Work Context)
- The paperwork matters as much as the counseling. Record keeping is the highest rated task. Task rank 1, importance 91: Maintain accurate, complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and regulations (O*NET Tasks)
- You are rarely alone with your work. Nearly everything is coordinated with teachers, admins and families. Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team: extremely important 86%; Face-to-Face Discussions: 98% every day (O*NET Work Context)
- Deadlines bunch up, especially around scheduling, college applications and testing. Time Pressure: 56% once a week or more (O*NET Work Context)
How people get into it
O*NET places this job in Job Zone 5, which usually means a master's degree. School counselors typically complete a master's in school counseling with a supervised internship and then earn a state school counselor certification; some advising roles in colleges accept a bachelor's.
The Firstday trial, easy to hard
Three simulated tasks with AI coworkers who message you, react to your work and coach with questions. Nobody scores you.
What the trial can't show: This trial cannot show the noise and interruptions of a real school office, reading a teenager's body language, leading a classroom lesson or assembly, or the long term relationships you build over four years. Crisis scenes are simplified and you act as a counseling intern under a certified school counselor; real crisis response follows district protocol and licensed staff.
Reading about it is one thing.
Find out how the work feels to you before you spend on a degree, course or job change. Your first trial is free.
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Job details on this page are built from O*NET OnLine, 21-1012.00. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.