Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors: Job Description
Advise and assist students and provide educational and vocational guidance services.
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What Tasks Do Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Do?
Typical responsibilities of educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors include:
- 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.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Types of Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Jobs
This career also goes by job titles like:
- 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.
How Much Do Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Make?
| 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 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Make in Different U.S. States?
| 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 |
Where Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Earn the Most
Compensation for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| 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 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
| 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 |
Top Industries Employing Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
The largest employers of educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors are concentrated in the following sectors:
| 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)
What the Workplace Is Like
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
Education and Training
Entry-level 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.
Related Careers
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
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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