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[Andy]

I am thinking about a degree in Counseling. The study of human behavior is interesting to me.  With a MA in Counseling, are the job prospects good for those who want to counsel college students?  Do you need to become an LPC before you can do this?

[Anon 2]

I think it depends on the type of position that you want after you finish with your program.   I have a former co-worker who went back to school to get her Master's in counseling and is now working as an academic advisor because she couldn't find any counseling positions that would give her the necessary hours to get licensed.  

I do think that Student Affairs, in general, is very competitive.   Most big institutions hire counselors who are licensed, have Ph.D., and have signficant clinical experience.   And many of the smaller liberal arts colleges don't hire people specifically to serve as a college counselor.  The person is usually an Assistant Dean of Student Life (for example).

So I think a lot of it depends on the type of career path you are interested in, and how realistic you are  and what type of position you are willing to take when you graduate.  Advising positions in many institutions are at the bottom of the pay scale and also at the bottom of the organizational hierarchy.   But, it's not a bad place to start.  And on the administrative side of academia most people start towards the bottom if they don't have experience and/or a Ph.D.

[info]

Dear Andy,

I'm currently working at a university counseling center.

For mental health counseling in college/university counseling centers, most places hire a licensed psychologist with a doctoral degree. Some places hire a licensed clinical social worker (L.S.W.) with master's degree. But there are not that many places that hire master's level counselors with LPC.

For academic advising positions, master's degree in student affairs/student development/higher education is good enough.

If you don't want to pursue a doctoral degree but wants to do mental health counseling in college/university settings, master's degree in social work will provide better job opportunities than master's degree in counseling.

Hope this helps!

[reality check]

Andy,

Even though lots of universities hire Ph.D.s for counseling centers, the trend recently has been moving toward hiring those with master's degrees (anything to cut costs...).  Be sure to attend a CACREP-accredited program (google for their website).  The major place that counseling centers advertise for positions is on PICC: http://www2.kumc.edu/people/llong/picc/list.asp.  Reading through these job announcements will give you a better idea of what kind of training and experience you may need to get hired.  

Even though counseling centers are typically considered part of student affairs, the fact is, no counseling center that I know of will hire someone to do real therapy who has a degree in higher ed admin.  Higher ed admin people are usually hired for positions that might be called "counselor" but they are typically for academic advising, NOT providing individual therapy to students.

Good luck!

[Ms. Collegiality]

If you are considering community colleges, make sure you aim to work in a state where counseling is not piggy-backed onto teaching.  I am talking about academic counseling.  This is the case in Oregon.

In California, counselors at the cc's where I've worked have provided both academic and personal counseling, with a Master's in counseling.  And they are paid as faculty.

Good luck.

[Pecos]

Counseling requirements also vary by state.  (Degree title, program accreditation, testing, and internship time, to name a few that come to mind.)

[Andy]

THANKS FOR THE ADVICE

My entire background is in business and IT...Im a new college grad but my job wont pay for me to get a degree in Counseling..I can get a MBA which I was wondering would be good or not?

I dont know if anyone heard of this school...Troy State University...but they offer a masters in counseling/psychology which can be completed in under 2 years and reqs internships as well

Im just afraid my background being in business would not be a plus for me. I see some job salaries are based on experience and I was wondering if I get a masters would I still be making about the same as I do now

[Anon 2]

Andy, I don't know how much money you make, but universities simpely do not pay what corportations do in general.  There are trade offs, I think the benefits in education are better, you tend to get more vacation (if you have a 12 month position, which most non-teaching positions are, even if you have a faculty appointment), and most places are very supportive of you obtaining higher education.  At least in the two universities I've worked at in an administrative role,  my boss didn't had any issue with anyone leaving early, or taking time off once or twice a week to attend a class.  

Like faculty salaries, an administrative positions salary is often dependent upon the University and the field (or in your case the role you'd serving in).  For example, many of the smaller private (usually reglious) colleges might pay a new faculty member 35K,  when a faculty member at a R1 institution, even with the similar background would get paid perhaps twice as much.

[Andy]

I make 30k not out of college in the IT industry which I dont like. The pay is ok but the hours are bad evening trying to take 1 day off is a pain itself

With that said, I have been focusing on education and I had thought about counseling...Now I see there are MS degrees in Student Affairs which may be cool

So may I ask Anon2 what type of position you have held in higher ed

[Anon 2]

I've held several positions in higher edu, from an academic advisor position to a Directors level position.    And when I first graduated with my MA, I didn't think I'd have any problems finding a job in student services.  But, I had a really difficult time, because I no professional experience (even though I had been a graduate teaching assistant while working on my masters and worked in residence life and admission while an undergrad). My first job was basically an academic advising position at a state university.   I enjoyed the work, and that experience certainly allowed me the foot in the door I needed to move-up into higher positions.  But the pay was terrible.   The university in question now advertises a salary of approximately 24K for this same position, although I think this is probably on the low side.  I've seen similar positions advertised for anywhere from 27-35K depending on the institution and the region.

Now, perhaps I wouldn't have had such a difficult time if I had earned a Master's in Student Personnel.   And perhaps my personal experience is not representative of people within student affairs.  And once I got my foot in the door and made the appropriate contacts, got involved with NASP, I had a much easier time moving up.  But, I'll never make the same money as someone in the corporate world.  And it took me a good three years and promotion to crack the 30K mark.

I don't mean to be a downer.  And I think that you can make a livable wage (depending on the institution) in Student Affairs.  But, those people who have Ph.D's and have M.S.W's usually command a higher salary, and are also far more likely to have positions that are more than glorified academic advisors.

I wish I had done what you are doing before I began my MA program and that is ask what type of degree would best serve me, and how best to get my foot in the door.  Because I was stupid and naive and I didn't.  And as a result I suspect I had a far more difficult time, finding that first job.

[Legal Beagle]

Talk about "bad advise" or no advise when in school, that is my experience.  I hold a JD (law degree),practiced for years (seems forever) and switched careers about 10 years back to move into education.  With 6+ years as a Trauma Counselor and years as a "legal counselor" and years of teaching in higher education, "paper over experience" seems to rule my application cycle. Is academics going to "specific paper" (degrees) as the sorting gounds for the interview in Counseling/Advising?