SOC 21-1012.00

    Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors

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

    Median pay
    $64,330
    Growth
    +2.9%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    27,800
    Typical education
    Master's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $45,020
    Median
    $64,330
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $104,770
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    353,310 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors assist students with educational and vocational planning. They earn a median annual salary of $64,330, with opportunities across schools, colleges, and career centers.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

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

    Most need a graduate degree, such as a master's, PhD, MD or JD.

    What the work is like

    These professionals spend their days advising students and clients to help them make informed educational and career choices. The work is highly social, requiring strong skills in active listening, speaking, and social perceptiveness to understand each person's needs. Day-to-day tasks involve gathering information, solving complex problems, and providing direct consultation. Counselors must establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships while documenting client progress and working with computers.

    To succeed in this role, individuals need a strong foundation in therapy, counseling, psychology, and education. They must also understand sociology, anthropology, and customer service. Because the job involves guiding people through stressful life transitions, workers rely on key personal qualities like empathy, cooperation, sincerity, and self-control. They must remain optimistic and dependable while maintaining high stress tolerance and attention to detail in their administrative tasks.

    How to get there

    Entering this field typically requires extensive preparation. Most professionals need a graduate degree, and a master's degree is the standard entry-level education. Common college majors that prepare students for this career include student counseling and personnel services, clinical, counseling and applied psychology, and human resources management and services.

    Depending on the employer and location, specific credentials can help candidates stand out. Some states list a license for this work. Additionally, professionals can pursue voluntary certifications to demonstrate specialized expertise. These include credentials like the Associate Certified Coach, Certified Employment Interview Consultant, Certified Executive Resume Master, Certified Hidden Job Coach & Profile Writer Course, Certified Interview Coach, or Certified Professional in Talent Development.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for these counselors and advisors is $64,330. Earnings vary based on experience, location, and employer, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $45,020 and the highest 10 percent earning more than $104,770. With 353,310 people currently employed in this field, the occupation is projected to grow by 2.9 percent from 2025 to 2035, which is as fast as the average for all jobs. This growth, combined with normal staff turnover, is expected to result in approximately 27,800 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    0 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    38 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    36 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    49 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    52 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SCE. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Getting Information
    94
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    94
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    93
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    90
    Working with Computers
    86
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    85
    Providing Consultation and Advice to Others
    83
    Processing Information
    82
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    81
    Documenting/Recording Information
    78
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Service Orientation
    • Critical Thinking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Writing
    • Active Learning
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Learning Strategies

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Education and Training
    • Psychology
    • Administrative
    • Administration and Management
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Public Safety and Security

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Clarity
    • Fluency of Ideas
    • Speech Recognition

    Work styles

    • Empathy
    • Cooperation
    • Dependability
    • Optimism
    • Social Orientation
    • Sincerity
    • Integrity
    • Self-Control
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Attention to Detail

    Also called

    Academic Advisor · Academic Counselor · Admissions Counselor · Adult School Counselor · Advisor · Articulation Officer · Assessment Specialist · Career Advisor · Career Coach · Career Consultant

    Career pathway

    From your interests to educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$64,330 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Cornell University-New York logo
      Cornell University-New York

      Ithaca, NY · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $74,192
      4 yrs after
      $112,713
      Median debt
      $12,000
    2. 2Northwestern University-Illinois logo
      Northwestern University-Illinois

      Evanston, IL · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $98,392
      4 yrs after
      $108,498
      Median debt
      Not reported
    3. 3University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus logo
      University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus

      Ann Arbor, MI · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $69,663
      4 yrs after
      $99,594
      Median debt
      $20,596
    4. 4
      George Washington University

      Washington, DC · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $58,393
      4 yrs after
      $97,126
      Median debt
      $20,000
    5. 5Brigham Young University-Provo BYU Utah logo
      Brigham Young University-Provo BYU Utah

      Provo, UT · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $66,527
      4 yrs after
      $96,354
      Median debt
      Not reported
    6. 6Waldorf University logo
      Waldorf University

      Forest City, IA · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $68,676
      4 yrs after
      $94,822
      Median debt
      $25,747
    7. 7University of Richmond logo
      University of Richmond

      University of Richmond, VA · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $57,533
      4 yrs after
      $92,389
      Median debt
      $25,000
    8. 8University of St Francis logo
      University of St Francis

      Joliet, IL · Human Resources Management and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $90,495
      Median debt
      $14,553

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • College Student Counseling and Personnel Services
    • Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
    • Executive/Career Coaching
    • School Psychology
    • Student Counseling and Personnel Services, Other

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    45 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some common job titles in this career field?

    People in this occupation work under various titles, including academic advisor, academic counselor, admissions counselor, career coach, career consultant, and articulation officer.

    What level of college education is typically required?

    Most professionals in this field need a graduate degree, such as a master's degree, to qualify for entry-level positions.

    Are there professional certifications available for career advisors?

    Yes, several certifications are available, including the Associate Certified Coach, Certified Interview Coach, and Certified Professional in Talent Development.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.