Career: School Counselor

My dream career is to become a school counselor. Researching the training and education, debt accrued, skills needed, work environment and so on educated me to a very full extent. My dream career will take a lot of focus and determination but I am confident in my ability to achieve what I set my mind too.

A fair amount of training and education is needed to become a school counselor. You must first have a bachelor’s degree preferably in a Psychology related program. I will be obtaining my bachelor’s degree in psychology at Western Washington University (WWU) next year. After completing that degree I will move on to graduate study at WWU into the M.Ed. School counselor program. This program typically takes around two years to complete with 83-quarter hours of study. Some of the courses you take while at this graduate level include developmental school counseling, group counseling, research methods in psychology, personality & psychopathology, as well as a counseling practicum and school counseling internship. To be eligible for employment with this degree you need to be additionally certified in the state you plan to work. Certification requirements differ from state to state. In Washington State you must have a graduate level degree from an accredited institution or you may take either the National Counselor Examination, or National Board of Certified Counselors (American School Counselors Association, 2014). If I seek employment in a school, background checks are required. Keeping a clean record and staying above the law is very important. I hope to complete my full master’s degree as life allows at Western Washington University. The debt that this level of education will lead to is very significant. My total undergraduate cost...

... middle of paper ...

...sible to live off this salary alone when you factor in any other family members like kids. If kids are in the picture, I would hope that I have a husband or significant other with a professional salary as well to contribute to the income.

The education, training, skills and abilities needed to become a school counselor entail a very wide range and require many years to accomplish. Psychology is not a major for those who just want an easy major or a simple job after graduation. Almost all psychology fields require a Master’s and that entails hours and hours and studying and preparation. In the end if you are successful, the rewards are what I want out of a career. The ability to help others and work them through life’s big or rough moments and coming out stronger and more confident in yourself than before. As they say: what does not kill you only makes you stronger.