We surveyed 2,419 school counselors to better understand the work environment and required skills of a typical school counselor. Here are the results.

How much intelligence is required as a school counselor?

Low

High

Working as a school counselor typically doesn’t require the use of high levels of intelligence in daily tasks.

Can I learn to become a school counselor?

Intrinsic Talent

Acquired Talent

A career as a school counselor typically depends predominantly on qualities you can gain through experience, with a small aspect of skills you are born with.

Is it easy to get a job as a school counselor?

Easy

Hard

It’s typically difficult to find a job as a school counselor. If you’re curious about the numbers, check out the job market for school counselors.

Info

Do school counselors work full-time or part-time?

80% of school counselors work in full-time roles while 20% work part-time.

Is being a school counselor stressful?

Low

High

Stress is not uncommon amongst school counselors, with daily work sometimes being quite demanding.

Is being organized important as a school counselor?

Low

High

Some level of organization is generally required to be a school counselor.

How competitive is the workplace for school counselors?

Low

High

Competition at work is not common for school counselors.

Does being a school counselor require frequent time pressure to complete tasks?

Low

High

Time pressure tends not to be a major contributor of stress for school counselors.

Are school counselors allowed to express themselves creatively?

Low

High

School counselors are afforded a certain level of ability to express themselves creatively, compared to other careers.

Do school counselors have control over the direction of their work?

Low

High

School counselors tend to have a set and inflexible work schedule that they are unable to deviate from too much.

Is being a school counselor physically demanding?

Low

High

Work as a school counselors is not the most physically demanding of careers, falling in the bottom half of all careers.

Are school counselors exposed to a wide variety of work?

Low

High

The workload of a school counselor changes frequently, with their day-to-day rarely being the same.

Does being a school counselor require attention to detail?

Low

High

Attention to detail isn't necessarily required to be successful as a school counselor.

Does being a good school counselor require compassion and empathy?

Low

High

Strong compassion and empathy are critical to success as a school counselor.