Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors: Career Overview
Advise and assist students and provide educational and vocational guidance services.
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What Do Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Perform?
The core tasks performed by educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors span:
- Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- Counsel students regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.
- Provide crisis intervention to students when difficult situations occur at schools.
- Counsel individuals or groups to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational or vocational situations.
- Review transcripts to ensure that students meet graduation or college entrance requirements, and write letters of recommendation.
- Prepare students for later educational experiences by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Refer students to outside counseling services.
- Refer students to degree programs based on interests, aptitudes, or educational assessments.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Effective educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Academic Advisor
- Academic Counselor
- Admissions Counselor
- Adult School Counselor
- Advisor
- Articulation Officer
- Assessment Specialist
- Career Advisor
How Many Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Are There?
There are about 193,477 educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +5.9% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $87,699 |
| Hourly median | $42.16 |
| 10th percentile | $57,759 |
| 25th percentile | $72,729 |
| 75th percentile | $102,669 |
| 90th percentile | $117,639 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| California | $94,320 |
| Washington | $83,930 |
| District of Columbia | $80,280 |
| Alaska | $80,020 |
| Massachusetts | $78,840 |
| New Jersey | $77,940 |
| New Mexico | $76,490 |
| Maryland | $74,970 |
| Oregon | $74,000 |
| Delaware | $72,450 |
| Rhode Island | $71,590 |
| Connecticut | $70,400 |
| New York | $69,900 |
| New Hampshire | $68,410 |
| Virginia | $67,350 |
| Louisiana | $67,070 |
| Hawaii | $66,720 |
| Nebraska | $66,650 |
| Texas | $65,660 |
| Wyoming | $65,070 |
| Nevada | $64,960 |
| Kentucky | $64,390 |
| Georgia | $63,990 |
| Colorado | $63,900 |
| Wisconsin | $63,690 |
| Michigan | $63,240 |
| Minnesota | $63,230 |
| Utah | $62,500 |
| Ohio | $61,960 |
| Virgin Islands | $61,760 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,460 |
| Illinois | $61,210 |
| Vermont | $60,920 |
| Alabama | $60,530 |
| Idaho | $60,340 |
| North Dakota | $60,330 |
| Arkansas | $60,110 |
| Mississippi | $59,630 |
| Montana | $59,480 |
| Maine | $59,160 |
| Tennessee | $59,090 |
| Kansas | $58,430 |
| Arizona | $57,940 |
| South Carolina | $57,400 |
| North Carolina | $57,100 |
| Indiana | $56,470 |
| Iowa | $55,910 |
| West Virginia | $55,420 |
| Florida | $54,080 |
| Missouri | $53,790 |
| South Dakota | $52,450 |
| Oklahoma | $51,140 |
| Puerto Rico | $51,080 |
| Guam | $38,880 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Earnings for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $89,923 | 16.9% | 1.03 |
| New England | $73,792 | 6.1% | 1.31 |
| Middle Atlantic | $70,260 | 15.0% | 1.00 |
| Southwest | $63,352 | 13.2% | 1.06 |
| Rocky Mountains | $62,776 | 3.9% | 0.99 |
| Great Lakes | $61,506 | 13.0% | 0.92 |
| Southeast | $59,801 | 24.5% | 1.01 |
| Plains States | $57,770 | 6.9% | 1.06 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Centro, CA | CA | $134,820 | 220 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | WA | $109,390 | 140 |
| Grand Island, NE | NE | $108,030 | 90 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | CA | $102,130 | 730 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $100,960 | 5,460 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $100,020 | 450 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $99,570 | 2,310 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | CA | $99,540 | 3,800 |
Which Industries Hire Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
Most educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 305,520 | $67,070 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 18,290 | $47,560 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 3,650 | $49,210 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,930 | $57,610 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 920 | $51,850 |
| Finance and Insurance | 230 | $64,540 |
| Information | 80 | $66,840 |
| Retail Trade | 60 | $50,010 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Tools and Technology
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
- Data base reporting software: Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
How to Become Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
Most educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary (Supplemental)
- Education Administrators, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
- Training and Development Specialists (Supplemental)
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (Supplemental)
- School Psychologists (Primary-Short)
- Mental Health Counselors (Supplemental)
- Rehabilitation Counselors (Primary-Short)
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers (Primary-Short)
Where to Study
Students preparing for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors commonly pursue programs in:
Education
3 programs across 1 majors
Psychology
1 programs across 1 majors
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 21-1012.00 (Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors).
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