Summer work in an employment agency is a good way to explore the field of employment counseling. Interviewing the director of a public or private agency might give you a better understanding of what the work involves and the qualifications such an organization requires of its counselors.
If you enjoy working with others, you will find helpful experiences working in the dean's or counselor's office. Many schools offer opportunities in peer tutoring, both in academics and in career guidance–related duties. (If your school does not have such a program in place, consider putting together a proposal to institute one. Your career services office should be able to help you with this.) Your own experience in seeking summer and part-time work is also valuable in learning what job seekers must confront in business or industry. You could write a feature story for your school newspaper on your and others' experiences in the working world.
If you are interested in becoming a career counselor, you should seek out professional career counselors and discuss the field with them. Most people are happy to talk about what they do.
While in high school, consider working part time or as a volunteer in a library. Such work can provide you with some of the basic skills for learning about information resources, cataloging, and filing. In addition, assisting schools or clubs with any media presentations, such as video or slide shows, will help you become familiar with the equipment used by counselors.
- Adapted Physical Education Specialists
- Addiction Therapists
- Adult and Vocational Education Teachers
- Adult Day Care Coordinators
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors
- Art Teachers
- Athletic Directors
- Behavioral Health Technicians
- Biophysicists
- Book Editors
- Career and Employment Technicians
- Child Life Specialists
- Clinic Managers
- College Administrators
- College Professors
- Community Health Nurses
- Community Health Program Coordinators
- Community Health Workers
- Community Nutrition Educators
- Computer Trainers
- Conflict Resolution Specialists
- Contact Tracers
- Cooking Instructors
- Creative Arts Therapists
- Curriculum Coordinators
- Dance School Owners and Managers
- Dietetic Technicians
- Directors of Volunteers
- Distance Learning Coordinators
- Driving School Owners and Instructors
- Education Directors and Museum Teachers
- Edupreneurs
- Elementary School Teachers
- Employment Firm Workers
- English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Executive Recruiters
- Flight Instructors
- Geriatric Care Managers
- Geriatric Nurses
- Geriatric Psychiatrists
- Geriatric Social Workers
- Grant Coordinators and Writers
- Grief Therapists
- Guidance Counselors
- Health Advocates
- Health Educators
- HIV/AIDS Counselors and Case Managers
- Home Health Care Aides
- Home Health Care and Hospice Nurses
- Hospice Workers
- Human Resources Consultants
- Human Resources Managers
- Human Services Workers
- Instructional Coordinators
- Instructional Designers
- Journalism Teachers
- Labor Union Business Agents
- Learning Innovations Designers
- Library and Information Science Instructors
- Management Analysts and Consultants
- Mathematics Teachers
- Military Recruiters
- Music Teachers
- Music Therapists
- Neuropsychologists and Clinical Neuropsychologists
- Nursing Home Administrators
- Nursing Instructors
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides
- Office Administrators
- Orientation and Mobility Specialists
- Payroll Directors
- Personal Care Aides
- Personnel and Labor Relations Specialists
- Physical Education Teachers
- Preschool Teachers
- Psychologists
- Public Interest Lawyers
- Recreational Therapists
- Rehabilitation Counselors
- Retail Business Owners
- Retail Managers
- School Administrators
- School Nurses
- Secondary School Teachers
- Sign Language and Oral Interpreters
- Social Workers
- Special Education Teachers
- Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
- Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
- Teacher Aides
- Temporary Workers
- Tutors and Trainers
- Workplace Diversity Experts