What should I study to become a school counselor?

You should study education, psychology, and sociology to become a school counselor. If you major in any one of these areas, it will give you the right prerequisite knowledge for the profession.

What is a school counselor and how to become one

Q: What are the pros and cons of being a school counselor?

There are several pros and cons of being a school counselor. The pros are flexible work hours and rewarding work, while the cons are extensive educational requirements and emotional drain.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Juleen Buser Ph.D.,

Christopher Todd Belser Ph.D.

A school counselor provides support and guidance to students in academic, personal, and social matters. They work in elementary, middle, and high schools to help students with academic planning, college and career readiness, mental health issues, and behavioral concerns. School counselors also collaborate with teachers, parents, and administrators. These counselors play a crucial role in helping students overcome challenges to achieve success both inside and outside the classroom.

What general advice would you give to a School Counselor?

Juleen Buser Ph.D.

Professor and Director, School Counseling and Coaching Programs, Rider University

Counseling Services (school counseling concentration) and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (we have a CMHC concentration and a Dance Movement Therapy concentration in this program). The general advice I would give to graduates starting positions in the counseling field would be to understand the critical importance of the work of helping professionals. Counselors optimally provide a safe space for clients to discuss their fears, worries, anxieties, joys, traumas, insecurities, accomplishments, etc. This ability to be an empathic, listening, accepting presence will be even more crucial for clients in our current situation.

ScoreSchool CounselorUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $49,904

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.0

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 3.74%

Black or African American 10.64%

Hispanic or Latino 14.20%

Unknown 3.76%

White 67.03%

Gender

female 73.93%

male 26.07%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress Level

9.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.7

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.7

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a School Counselor?

Pros

Variety of duties and responsibilities
Exposure to diverse student populations
Flexibility in scheduling and work hours
Opportunities for professional growth and development
Job security, stability, and competitive salary and benefits

Cons

High stress levels due to the heavy workload
Limited resources and funding for counseling programs
Dealing with difficult or resistant students and families
Limited autonomy in decision-making
Burnout and compassion fatigue

Key steps to become a school counselor

Explore school counselor education requirements

Most common school counselor degrees

Bachelor's

48.0 %

Master's

34.8 %

Associate

7.1 %

Start to develop specific school counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Mental Health	10.05%
Community Resources	7.91%
Crisis Intervention	5.50%
Professional Development	5.01%
Behavioral Issues	4.48%

Complete relevant school counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New school counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a school counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real school counselor resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed school counselor usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed school counselor in most of states. 32 states require school counselors to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License Url
Kansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Master Social Worker
Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW)
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Certified Social Worker
Hawaii	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Social Worker
Idaho	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Social Workers

Research school counselor duties and responsibilities

Manage open houses, recruitment, and conduct interviews for GED student enrollment.
Travel to professional conferences and to visit colleges and universities across the country for professional development.
Attend educational meetings (IEP, IST, CCT, etc . )
Create and implement FBA's.

Prepare your school counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your school counselor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a school counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable School Counselor Resume templates

Build a professional School Counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your School Counselor resume.

Apply for school counselor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a school counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do school counselors rate their job?

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School Counselor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Pros

Helping people find their own paths, incorporating values and interests. I love it when people identify what they really want and get excited about working towards it.

Cons

I'm in private practice so there's always some task that needs doing: bookkeeping, marketing, etc. It's a lot but it's not unbearable.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019