Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors

What Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors Do

Advise and assist students and provide educational and vocational guidance services.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

0.6%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.1/5
• English Languageimportance 3.9/5
• Therapy and Counselingimportance 3.6/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 3.4/5
• Psychologyimportance 3.1/5
• Administrativeimportance 3.1/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 2.9/5
• Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 2.8/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
• Telephone Conversations5.0/5
• E-Mail4.9/5
• Contact With Others4.9/5
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.8/5
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.7/5

Related Careers

• Rehabilitation Counselors
• School Psychologists
• Instructional Coordinators
• Education Teachers, Postsecondary
• Child, Family, and School Social Workers
• Social and Human Service Assistants
• Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School
• Health Education Specialists

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Clinical and Counseling Psychologists99% skill match
• School Psychologists99% skill match
• Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs98% skill match
• Human Resources Specialists98% skill match
• Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education98% skill match
• Special Education Teachers, Preschool98% skill match
• Special Education Teachers, Middle School98% skill match
• Correspondence Clerks98% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.1/5
• Service Orientationimportance 4.0/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.8/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.6/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.6/5
• Instructingimportance 3.6/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.6/5
• Negotiationimportance 3.4/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Empathy
• Cooperation
• Dependability
• Optimism
• Social Orientation
• Sincerity
• Integrity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• SocialHigh
• ConventionalMedium
• EnterprisingMedium
• InvestigativeMedium
• ArtisticMedium
• RealisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Gainesville, FL4.45× national avg
2. 2Lake Charles, LA3.66× national avg
3. 3Amherst Town-Northampton, MA3.60× national avg
4. 4Ames, IA3.18× national avg
5. 5Columbia, MO2.86× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• School PsychologistsCareer Change
• Clinical and Counseling PsychologistsCareer Change
• Genetic CounselorsCareer Change
• Special Education Teachers, Middle SchoolCareer Change

See the full career path from Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.