How You Can Start a New Career as a School Counselor

Your career or your line of work can affect how you feel, and it can affect what your future holds too. If you are currently in a position or role that is draining you, and you are looking for a positive change, then why not look at starting a new career as a school counselor. A school counselor is a rewarding career that gives you the opportunity to be the change (and make the change) in the lives of students – helping them grow and develop at a key time in their lives. These students may need extra guidance, or they may well need direction. Providing it to them will help them build their confidence and even help them succeed further down the line. So, just how can you start this new rewarding career as a school counselor, and what should you look at doing first?

Taking the First Step – Making the Commitment

Firstly, you have to make a commitment to change. To become a counselor, you will need to invest between 2 and 4 years of your time. Commitment to starting a new career and committing to change is important. If you do not have this commitment from the outset, then you will struggle to get through your studies, and you will struggle to bring substance and value to what you do (simply because you will not be committed enough). When you are making the commitment, you might find it beneficial to think about what you will get out of your role and out of your career as a counselor. This will give then give you the motivation, drive, and dedication you need to successfully make a commitment to change. If you struggle to make the commitment as early on as you can, then you will find that studying can feel tedious – and of course, this is not what you want. To get the most out of your studies, you must be committed and focused at all times.

Establish Why You Want the Role

Once you have tackled commitment, you then have to firmly establish why you want the role. Do you want to be a guiding light in the lives of young people, or do you want to help them turn their education around before it is too late? Do you want to be a role model in their lives, or are you looking to instill confidence, inspire and lead change? Why do you want the role of the school counselor, and what can you bring to the role? Do you have personal experience from your own time at school that you can draw on? It is important to define why you want the role because this will give you direction and purpose. When you are studying, you will have times of self-doubt, worry, and concern. You will find that when you are driven, and you have a purpose that these worries will be less noticeable and certainly less of a concern.

Find Out What Drives You and Sets You Apart

Where does your drive come from, and what is going to set you apart from other candidates competing for the role. Yes, it is early to be thinking about this (especially if you are only just embarking on your studies or thinking about doing so), but the earlier you can think about the difference you have (and can offer) then, the better chance you will have at success. So, what is going to set you apart from other candidates? Will it be your commitment to learning, or will it be your previous experience (if you have some)? Is it going to be your skillset, or is it going to be your attitude and approach to growth, change, and development? As a school counselor, you have to lead and change with purpose and confidence. You will have the greatest deal of confidence if you know what you can bring to the table.

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Invest in Yourself

You are your best asset. To offer the best, you must be prepared to invest in yourself at all times. Investing in all areas of yourself and of your offering will help you to reap the best rewards. So, as well as focusing on your commitment and education, you also need to look at investing in building your professional network because who you know is sometimes just as important as what you know – especially when you are working in a school environment and you are liaising with educational professionals from all background. Identifying weaknesses in your skillset and then focusing on improvement is also going to be beneficial. When you have more to offer both in terms of hard skills, such as your education, and soft skills, such as empathy and listening, you will find that you will get the role and position that you deserve.

Starting to Make Plans

Plans can help you achieve your goals and your aims. Plans do not have to be set in stone or rigid, and they can be fluid to suit where you are at and where you want to be within your career. Plans can feel tedious, but they can help you land the role you want. They can aid you in the process of studying and in securing a suitable position. They can also outline what knowledge, awareness, and experience you should be working on at all times. If you simply try and start a new career without having a plan to work towards, then you may find that you lose your sense of direction and purpose. A clear and targeted plan can steer your ideas and ambitions and help you do what is necessary to start your career as a school counselor the right way.

Setting Goals and Objectives

Managing your expectations and even managing your time is important when you are starting out in a new career. Setting short-term and long term goals and objectives will help you reach and fulfill your expectations. When you are studying or preparing for a new role, everything can end up getting to you, and it can leave you feeling overwhelmed. This is something that you do not want to have to deal with or cope with. To ensure that this does not happen, you must break down larger goals and make sure that they are more manageable. For example, setting a short-term goal of gaining voluntary experience is important because this will help you prepare for your future role as a school counselor. Any experience you can gain will help you build your confidence and identify areas where you need to improve. Longer-term objectives (such as those based over the next year or two) can help you stay on track with your career plans and career aims. Having a goal or objective to refer to can aid your motivation and leave you feeling focused even at the lowest of points.

Focusing on Your Studies and Education

Self-development and self-growth are important when you are starting out in a new career, and when you are pursuing a career in counseling, you must be prepared to improve what you do, why, and how. You will be leading by example, so it is important that you lead correctly. Your studies and your education are going to play a key role in your new career and in your career progression too. To become a certified and licensed school counselor, you will see that most states require a master’s degree. Getting a master’s is crucial to securing a role. As well as focusing on advancing your education, you must also look at enhancing your education. As a counselor, you will need to stay up to date with industry practices and expectations, and mostly this will consist of learning, training, and development. Staying committed and focused on your studies and education (at all times and at all levels) will help you get the career that you want.

Gaining a Masters

When you are studying to be a school counselor, you will need to focus on gaining your master’s. When you are looking at which master’s to study, you have to look at what you need to learn and why – being involved and being in control of what you will be learning is important. Not all programs are created equally, and it is important that you compare the content and value on offer from each provider. Looking at a syllabus and program structure will help you decide which master’s is right for you and for your future. Also, looking at the expertise of a provider is crucial too. For example, if a provider is focused on counseling, or is it one of their specialist offerings, then you can expect more of a targeted and successful outcome, as opposed to those providers that may be offering degrees in multiple subjects, areas, or topics.

Getting Certified and Licensed

As well as completing a relevant master’s program in counseling, you will also need to focus on getting licensed and getting certified. Your program provider will be able to steer you in the right direction when it comes to state licensing and certification. However, it is worth remembering that state requirements can vary. Giving yourself a little while to get licensed and certificated is important. A process that can sometimes take days can end up taking weeks – so be prepared for this and make allowances where you can. 

Improving Your Skillset

Your skillset is an important part of your toolkit both when you are studying and when you are embarking on your career too. As your skillset is crucial to your success, you should look at improving what you are offering. There will always be room for improvement and room for growth, and identifying where this needs to happen is necessary. So, are you good at communication and listening, but you need to be active and excellent? Are you brilliant at working on your own but not so cooperative when you are working in a team? Soft skills will be used in your studies, in your professional development, and in your career. So, it is important that you focus on strengthening and developing your skills as soon as you can.

Building New Networks

Networking may be one of the last things on your mind when you are building a new career – however, it shouldn’t be. Making new contacts and building up your contacts (both professionally and personally) will help you build a network that you can turn to and rely on at all times. You do not want to feel isolated when you are studying or when you are starting out in your new career, and having the support of a network can help overcome these feelings. When you are building new networks, you may have to come out of your comfort zone. You may have to take a leap of faith and reach out to other professionals to help build your confidence and help you grow as a professional. New networks can give you inspiration, and they can give you direction and focus too. Having others you can bounce ideas off and having contacts you can relate to is important when launching and starting a new career.

Learning to Work With Other Education Professionals

As a school counselor, you will be working on your own with students, but there will be times when you will need to reach out for support and assistance from other professionals. Learning how to work with other professionals and learning how to get the best out of those situations is important. You can often bring out the best in yourself and in your attributes when you learn to work with others. If you struggle to work with others, then start by taking it one step (activity at a time). Jumping in at the deep end with teamwork can leave you feeling overwhelmed. So, focus on small group activities first while you build your confidence, and then use these experiences to progress to working in more diverse settings.