Academic / Guidance Counselor
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
An Academic or Guidance Counselor provides guidance to students in elementary, middle and high schools to help them succeed academically and socially. Works with school teachers and administrators to address problems that affect student performance, and identifies resources for students and families. Helps high school students to plan academic course work and advises on the college search and application process.
Job Outlook
There were 1207 Academic / Guidance Counselor job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 23441 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Academic / Guidance Counselor industry, which includes the Academic / Guidance Counselor career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2016:
Salary
Many new Academic / Guidance Counselor jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $64,068.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $60,295.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Academic / Guidance Counselor postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $58,156.
Education and Experience
Posted Academic / Guidance Counselor jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 26.71% |
| Master's Degree | 52.81% |
| Doctoral Degree | 3.66% |
| Other | 14.26% |
Posted Academic / Guidance Counselor jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 53.39% |
| 3 to 5 years | 43.89% |
| 6 to 8 years | 1.67% |
| 9+ years | 1.05% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Academic / Guidance Counselor positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication (41.58%)
- Planning (32.92%)
- Teaching (25.1%)
- Writing (19.3%)
- Leadership (18.23%)
- Confidentiality (17.63%)
- Interpersonal Communications (17.32%)
- Advocacy (17.24%)
- Ethical Standards And Conduct (16.87%)
- Problem Solving (12.78%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Student Services (23.38%)
- School Counseling (73.82%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Individualized Education Programs (IEP) (10.52%)
- Academic Advising (16.53%)
- Special Education (10.04%)
- Mental Health (12.51%)
- Social Work (15.1%)
- Crisis Intervention (10.08%)
- Career Management (8.34%)
- Psychology (15.11%)
- Social Development (11.42%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Educational Planning (4.26%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- School Counseling (100%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Academic / Guidance Counselor skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- School Counselor
- Elementary School Counselor
- Counselor
- High School Counselor
- Academic Advisor
- Middle School Counselor
- Guidance Counselor
- Elementary Counselor
- Academic Counselor
- School Guidance Counselor
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Dean of Students
- Career Counselor
- Higher Education Program Coordinator
- Curriculum Specialist
- Assistant School Principal
- Student Support Administrator
- Elementary and Secondary School Administrator (General)
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Academic / Guidance Counselor jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- City Year (237)
- ProCare Therapy (222)
- Broward County Public Schools (170)
- Montgomery County Public Schools (162)
- YMCA (143)
- Catapult Learning (142)
- Stride K12 (131)
- Chicago Public Schools (120)
- IDEA Public Schools (111)
- Sunbelt Staffing (107)
North Carolina
- Wake County Public Schools (60)
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (44)
- Cumberland County Schools (30)
- Union County Public Schools (26)
- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (23)
- YMCA (21)
- University of North Carolina (17)
- Moore County Schools (16)
- Rowan-Salisbury Schools (16)
- Stride K12 (14)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.