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What a career counselor can do for you!

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Tracey Joinson is a career counselor at Palm Beach Community College in Boca Raton, Florida. CareerZing asked Tracey to explain the service provided by a typical college/university career center.

What types of services does a Career Center at the college level offer?

Almost every college or university has a career center, but depending on the size and mission of the institution, services can vary. A “comprehensive” career center will provide services to assist students at all stages of their career development. A sample “menu” of services might include:

  1. Career Advising/Counseling – if you are undecided about your choice of major or career, help is available. This may or may not include taking a “career assessment” which can be either a “paper or pencil” or computer-based assessment. You and the career advisor/counselor will together decide if this may be helpful for you. Many students will walk into a career center and say, “I want to take that test that tells me what I should do”. Keep in mind, no assessment will tell you what you should do. A career assessment is designed to help you figure out what might be a good choice for you based on things such as your interests, values, and skills.

  2. Career Information – if someone has told you that you would make a great “botanist”, but you’re not sure what a botanist is, this is where career information comes in. The Career Center provides good resources to help you research occupations and majors. Resources may be:  books, websites, databases, “mentor” programs, or even a file of collected articles and/or pamphlets. Typical information you might want to know is:  a definition of the occupations, job outlook, salary, required education, etc.

  3. Employment Services – most schools will have job listings for students, but don’t forget about other employment-related needs. You can get help writing a resume, preparing for interviews, and some schools might even offer workshops on other topics such as etiquette and dressing for success. As far as getting a job, services can range from a simple list of job openings posted on a bulletin board or website to formal recruiting programs where recruiters come to campus and students meet with and interview on-campus.

  4. Experiential Education – internships, co-op, practicum, clinicals, volunteer, service learning… all of these can fall under the umbrella of “experiential education”. You might be required to do something like this depending on your major, but if not, it is always a great way to test whether you will really like your chosen career field or not. It is also a great way to start building relevant experience on your resume and network with people in your field. These may be paid or non-paid and some schools will even give you academic credit for participating.

  5. Education Planning Services – if you find yourself in need of continuing your education beyond the institution you are at (think:  transferring, graduate school, law school, etc.), the career center can often assist you with researching what schools might be a good option for you.

What kind of background do the counselors in a career center have and how much individual attention would a student get from one on their visit?

Background of counselors in a career center can also vary by institution, but position “title” will usually provide you with an idea of what you can expect. For the most part, any person who serves as the “coordinator” or “director” of a career center and provides career counseling will have a minimum of a masters degree, and the degree will most likely be in counseling, human resources, higher education/student affairs, or something closely related. Even if the person is not the director or coordinator of the center, but has the word “counselor” in their title, by professional standards, the person should have at least a masters degree. The other possibility is someone who is a “career advisor”. This person may or may not have a masters degree, and educational background can be almost anything. This doesn’t mean you will not get great help; many career advisors can assist students and graduates at all stages of their career development. What is most important is that the career services professional you are working with understands your personal needs and concerns.

Almost all career centers provide you with the individual attention you need and deserve. Expect to make an appointment to see someone; however some places will take “walk-ins” depending on staff availability. The duration of your appointment/s will also vary, but expect it to be anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour, and it may take more than one visit to get to the point you want to be. Last but not least, a bit of advice when making an appointment… do NOT say, “how long is this going to take?” in a way that communicates you are looking for a quick and easy fix to your career concerns. Expect a career counselor/advisor to put as much energy into the effort as you are. Ask yourself, if you were going to buy a new car, how long would you research the purchase? If you are willing to put in a few hours time into researching something you will commit to for a few years (the car), are you willing to put as much time into something you are potentially making a 30 year commitment to?

What advice would you give someone who is searching for the right career for him/her?  In other words, what kinds of things should they have in mind when thinking about choosing a profession?

When thinking about a career choice, consider the following:

  • Your values – what is most important to you? Values include things like variety, independence, leisure time, high income, contribution to society, etc.

  • Your interests – what do you enjoy doing? Think about your hobbies, favorite subjects in school, or even television shows you prefer to watch.

  • Your skills/aptitudes – what are you good at (or believe you can easily learn to do)?

  • Your personality traits – people tend to be happiest working in an occupation or environment most like themselves. For example, if you know that you are very social and prefer working in groups vs. alone, then look at occupations that allow you to do those things.

Chances are, the more of these things you consider when considering a career choice, the more satisfied with your choice you’ll be.  This is not to say that you’ll be able to find something that satisfies ALL your desires; the truth of the matter is, most people have to compromise on some things, but if you give it enough thought, you’ll know where you should and should not compromise.

On average, how many career direction changes does the average student make in the course of their university education?

Over half of college students are estimated to change their major at least once in college, and many change more than one time while attending college. As a matter of fact, the average student who enters college with a declared major changes it three to five times. On the other hand, the average student who enters college with an undeclared major changes only one to two times.

 

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