"Guidance counseling, when I was growing up, focused more on overachieving students getting assistance to apply for college, but now guidance counseling has improved to be much more than that. Now, we help all students. We're advocates for all students. We get to hear what our students are experiencing and work with their teachers and their coaches to share what is going on and how to help them down a successful path. In some cases, our students need more resources so we connect them with the right help. Whether it's finding out information from a planned one-on-one session with our students or just picking up on small clues from each interaction - we are constantly reminding students that we are here for them and finding ways to motivate them. We want to help them map out their possibilities and work to achieve those goals because, honestly, that is the best part of the job; seeing them transition into the outstanding person you know they can be."

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Job Description

SOC Code: 21-1012

Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors advise and assist students and provide educational and vocational guidance services.*

*Source: This information is based on O*NET™ data. O*NET is a trademark registered to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.

Top Job Skills:

• Counsel clients
• Write reports or evaluations
• Develop educational programs
• Conduct interviews
• Customer service

General Work Activities:

• Mental Processes
  • Evaluate characteristics of individuals to determine needs or eligibility
• Interacting With Others
  • Counsel clients regarding educational or vocational issues
  • Counsel clients regarding personal/interpersonal issues
  • Intervene in crisis situations to assist clients
  • Help clients get needed services or resources
  • Collaborate with other professionals to assess client needs or plan treatments
  • Confer with family members to discuss client treatment plans or progress
  • Refer individuals to educational or work programs
• Information Input
  • Interview clients to gather information about their backgrounds, needs, or progress
• Work Output
  • Write reports or evaluations

Source: SC Works Online Services (SCWOS)

*All data is factual, but names, images, and quotations have been adapted to protect the identity of employees and businesses

 

Job Statistics

Examples of Workforce Areas with Job Openings

• Greenville
• Trident
• Midlands
• Upstate
• Waccamaw
• Upper Savannah

Examples of Employers with Job Openings

• Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands of SC and SCVIA
• Coastal Carolina University
• Charleston County School District

Related Occupations

 

• Rehabilitation Counselors
• School Psychologists
• Social and Human Service Assistants
• Special Education Teachers, Elementary School
• Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten

 

Learn More with SCWOS

SC Works Online Services (SCWOS) is the state’s largest job database and provides all of South Carolina's job postings from all major sites, including Monster and Career Builder, in one resource. SCWOS has thousands of positions listed by employers all over the state. To access SCWOS, visit jobs.scworks.org.

Find in-depth breakdowns of occupational statistics such as necessary job certifications, job skills and abilities, current job openings, overview of general work activities, and more by visiting O*NET.org.