Become a Career Counselor with Grace College’s Online Master’s in Higher Education

Most students struggle to know what kind of career to pursue. They need guidance, advice, and leadership from someone with experience and an excellent education. That person could be you. If you find yourself longing to help others discover their career path, an online Master’s in Higher Education can get you there. A Higher Education degree will help you gain the understanding you need of students at a pivotal place in their career journey. This master’s will not only give you the advanced education and credibility you need, but will put you in the best position to resolve your students’ academic and personal needs. By getting your degree online, you can manage your schedule alongside your other responsibilities and take courses in your own time.

 An estimated 20 to 50 percent of students enter college as “undecided,” and 75 percent change their major before graduating, according to Virginia Gordon in her book The Undecided College Student: An Academic and Career Advising Challenge. Many students do not receive proper guidance on education and career decisions, and as a result, they end up working in a job unrelated to their major. Only about a quarter of college graduates in the labor force work in a job that is directly related to their major, Jaison Abel and Richard Deitz write in Liberty Street Economics.

Career counselors can make a difference in people’s lives and hopefully reverse these trends by pointing clients to the right education and career path for them.

What Does a Career Counselor Do?

A career counselor helps people make decisions that impact their careers, such as choosing a profession or degree program. Career counselors base their advice on the following.

• Education and Training: A career counselor uses a client’s current and desired educational level to develop realistic career goals. Additional education or training may be possible or recommended.
• Personality and Interests: Questions and assessments help a career counselor determine how a client’s personality type and interests relate to career choice. Considerations might include work engagement, environment, flexibility and salary.
• Skills and Abilities: Aptitude and achievement assessments can help define a client’s skills and abilities. Interviews and tests can help pinpoint the careers where the client is more likely to be successful.

A career counselor works with clients at various stages of their careers, including those in college and people who have already entered the workforce. Roles and responsibilities largely depend on the client and work environment. More than 80 percent of career counselors work at higher education institutions and public and private schools, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A small portion of career counselors work in government agencies and career centers.

The median annual wage for school and career counselors is $57,040. Employment is expected to grow 8 percent by 2029.

How do I Become a Career Counselor?

If you don’t have your bachelor’s degree yet, start your path to becoming a career counselor with an online bachelor’s degree in psychology. If you’re a graduate ready to go further, a master’s degree in Higher Education will make you more likely to be employed and boost your knowledge and skills in the field of career counseling.

Grace College’s online Master’s in Higher Education is for you if you are serious about creating an impact in a higher education career. Students completing a Master of Higher Education will graduate with a biblically sound and balanced view of their field, a current awareness of the trends in higher education, and a sharpened perception of the world acquired through assessment, evaluation, and research. With this education, career counseling will be right at your fingertips. This is the only online Master’s in Higher Education program offered exclusively online, taught by professors who all have extensive experience in the field.