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What does the demand for Vocational Counselors look like?

#psychology #career #counseling

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Barry’s Answer

Hi Ashley!

According to the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) the outlook for Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors is bright, in that this occupation is expected to grow rapidly in the next several years, or will have large numbers of job openings. (see here)

In this age of exponential change and growth where:

then in my opinion the need for Vocational Counselors will be more than it has ever been and not just in the High School setting but more broadly as we will all need to constantly assess, reassess and reskill.
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Danielle’s Answer

Hello Ashley,

The demand may be protected to rise, the need is definitely there; however in my experience it is an incredibly undervalued area of counseling both by employers and potential clients. Even when I was completing my master's in counseling internship with a private college career services center, I had to sell the department's offerings to students. When they did show up in a panic during junior and senior years, their expectations and anxiety were highly informed and I spent as much time providing mental health counseling as I did resume, job or grad school search guidance. That was 10 years ago, and when the same college recently faced some strategic decisions and decided to cut staff, the highly experienced and capable career services director was one of the people let go. I myself have had much more luck finding work in jobs that emphasize my other skills, and most of my teacher friends still say the guidance counselor pretty much points students to a computer with a career search program on it.

I am NOT writing any of those things to dissuade you. I custom tailored my master's degree to be a career counselor. I found myself being passed over for people who had a Student Affairs and Higher Education degree or, if I applied for recruiting jobs, a sales background. I still believe career counseling is incredibly important and useful and I'd love to do it again. The work I did with veterans for three years was my favorite job to date. That's said, I recommend that everyone considering this career do their own informational interviewing and job shadowing at length and expect to move closer to urban areas. It is a niche field and in my opinion, it is considered unnecessary by many. I hope this is useful to you as you weigh your options, and I wish you all the best on your path.

Danielle recommends the following next steps:

Informational Interviews
Job Shadowing
Volunteer/work in community career offices
Experience (all you can get)
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