If you are considering going back to college and retraining in a whole new field, there are a wide variety of options open to you. The career path that’s right for you will depend on a number of different factors, including your previous experience and qualifications, your specific aspirations, what level of study you’re willing to commit to, and where your personal interests lie. However, one option that is well worth looking into is school counseling. From career satisfaction to valuable skills development, here are ten reasons why this could be the perfect degree for you.
You can help to boost students’ academic performance and career prospects
A large part of the role of a school counselor involves assisting those students in your care with academic support and career guidance. This is vital for helping them reach their full potential regarding their education and their future. For example, you could find yourself assessing a student’s specific strengths and weaknesses, so they can choose the most appropriate classes, working with them to develop good study skills and learning habits, or using aptitude tests to assist them in discovering their passions and interests.
A key part of this is setting realistic but challenging academic goals and helping students understand how to achieve them, as well as offering specialist assistance to those with specific learning difficulties. In terms of careers, counselors help older students to decide what kind of job they want to aim for, what they want to major in at college, and which institutions to apply to, as well as working with them on their actual applications. This means you have the chance to completely change the course of your students’ lives for the better by encouraging them to dream big and then follow those dreams all the way to fruition.
With the right program under your belt, you will also be an expert in the intricacies of higher education, so you’ll be well-placed to offer practical support and guidance whenever needed. Make sure to browse through some masters online courses to find the best ones for your needs. Once that’s done, you can start focusing on the other reasons why this is a great option!
You can provide crucial emotional support for those in your care
As you’ll learn on an online masters in school counseling program, a school counselor’s job is not only concerned with academic success and job prospects. One of the most important parts of the role is offering emotional support to your students regarding any personal or social issues that they might be going through. This essentially means having an open-door policy for those in your care to come and speak to you at any time about anything. For instance, you might work with those who are playing truant, being disruptive in class, or exhibiting other behavioral problems, to try and discover the root cause of the issue and help the student to overcome this.
In other cases, you could find yourself helping students who are suffering from mental health concerns such as depression, stress, or anxiety. This could be related to their experiences at school – for example, bullying or other social concerns – or to their home life. In line with this, school counselors should also be on the lookout for signs of neglect, abuse, alcohol or drug misuse, and other similar problems that students might not be comfortable reporting openly. Occasionally this might involve liaising with teachers, family members, or external professionals as and when appropriate.
It will be great for your career prospects
School counseling is a fantastic field to work in when it comes to job prospects. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for those working as a school or career counselor is set to grow by 8% in the decade between 2019 and 2029, much faster than the average across all occupations. Therefore you can expect to be able to move into a stable job after graduating from your online masters in school counseling and enjoy good levels of employability and job security.
With an annual median salary of $58,120 in 2020, you can also anticipate having a reasonable level of financial stability too. Although not all school counselor roles will require you to study to master’s level, having a higher degree gives you the edge when it comes to applying for positions, promotions, or certifications. It also looks great on your resume and demonstrates to employers that you are committed to your career and becoming the best school counselor you can be. All of which makes climbing the career ladder that much easier.
An online masters in school counseling will help you progress to a rewarding and interesting job
The role of a school counselor is an extremely varied one, and you are likely to find yourself dealing with different duties and types of cases every day. This makes it a particularly fascinating career to have, and one in which you will constantly find yourself developing and learning. As such, it’s a great choice for people who enjoy a challenge and want to push themselves to be the best in their field. More than that, however, doing an online masters in school counseling enables you to dedicate yourself to helping young people.
Consequently, it’s a very rewarding role that can bring you high job satisfaction and fulfillment levels. You get to make a lasting difference to the lives of your students, whether that’s by helping them to achieve their dream job, to get into their number one college, or simply to graduate high school when they didn’t believe they could. Seeing those in your care develop into productive, happy, and well-rounded young adults is an unbeatable feeling and one that you’re sure to cherish.
You get to study some fascinating modules
By taking an online masters in school counseling, you will have the chance to study a broad curriculum that covers a number of interesting and relevant topics. The exact module list will vary depending on where you study and which specific program you pick, but you can anticipate something like the following:
- The impact of psychosocial issues on learning
- Ethical and legal issues in school counseling
- Academic and career counseling
- Crisis, trauma, and disaster response
- Mental health and substance use
- Counseling families
- Introduction to special education and learning disabilities
- Psychological testing
- Educational assessment and intervention
- Developmental psychology
- Theories of personality
- Biological bases of behavior
- Play therapy
- Foundations of education
- Child and adolescent counseling
- Management of school counseling programs
- Interventions for school counseling
- Multicultural counseling
- Group counseling
- Theories of counseling
- Principles of school counseling
- Roles and responsibilities of a school counselor
- Counseling techniques
- Abnormal psychology
For those who have an interest in the topic, an online masters in school counseling is the ideal opportunity to take a deep dive into various different areas of the subject and truly hone your knowledge to the highest level.
You’ll develop some great personality traits
Becoming a school counselor is not only about having the requisite academic knowledge. There are also a number of crucial life skills and character traits that you’ll work on during your online masters in school counseling. For instance, you’ll greatly develop your compassion and empathy, both of which will enable you to better relate to your students and put yourself in their shoes. Another important aspect is patience.
Many students are reluctant to open up to counselors or won’t always tell you the whole truth. Building up relationships with them over time will help you to gain their trust and overcome these barriers. Going hand in hand with this is the ability to set clear boundaries between your home life and your work life. At first, it might not be easy to prevent troubling cases from having an impact on your own mental wellbeing, but an online masters in school counseling can train you to do so without becoming desensitized. All of these life skills you develop on the course will be helpful outside of work as well.
You’ll gain crucial transferable skills
In addition to the characteristics discussed above, doing an online masters in school counseling will help you develop a number of vital transferable skills that will be of use to you no matter what career you progress. For example, you will spend plenty of time working on your communication to interact with parents, students, and teachers from different backgrounds. Part of this involves learning strong, active listening and observation skills so that you can fully understand both what people are saying to you and what they are not saying. You’ll also work on your adaptability because, as a school counselor, you may well have to handle problems that arise unexpectedly or see students at a moment’s notice if they need your help. Perhaps years down the line you decide that you want to take on a new challenge like changing careers to a different field completely like a professional nurse. You’ll already have valuable skills to rely on and then consider that these online BSN to MSN programs can help you in becoming a better version of yourself. When you need the urge to start making drastic changes in your life, it’s not always a bad thing.
As with any higher degree, you will also be improving your time management and organizational skills. Not only are these necessary for passing the course, but they are also vital for juggling lots of different cases at once and handling all the necessary administrative work.
Online study is flexible and convenient
When talking about studying for an online masters in school counseling in particular, as opposed to a course held on campus, there are many reasons to choose this option. Firstly it offers you a much more flexible method of study because you can decide exactly when and where you want to learn. So whether you prefer to work in a coffee shop, a local library, or your home office, the choice is yours. Distance learning also broadens the range of colleges that you can study with because you’re not limited to those that you can viably commute or move to. You could even study at a college in another country!
An online masters in school counseling could also be cheaper than a traditional program due to the fact that tuition fees are often lower, and you don’t have to worry about other costs such as commuting, accommodation for the semester, parking on campus, and so on. It can even be a fantastic way to boost your tech skills, as you’ll be using a lot of different virtual learning methods.
You can easily balance your studies with your other commitments
Many people are dissuaded from returning to college-level education because of existing work or family commitments and fears that they won’t be able to manage everything simultaneously. However, one great reason to choose an online masters in school counseling is that it makes this much easier. You have the ability to fit your studies around whatever else you have to do, meaning you can learn on your lunch break at work, first thing in the morning, or last thing at night. So whether you have a job you don’t want to quit, kids or elderly relatives to care for, or simply other hobbies that you don’t want to give up, an online masters in school counseling makes it possible for you to balance everything. Make the challenge easier for yourself by setting up a dedicated study space, figuring out your ideal study schedule and sticking to it, and working out how you learn best. Remember you can always ask for help if you need it and use the support services offered by your college.
Finally, be sure to look after yourself in order to prevent burnout – eating healthily, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep will all make a world of difference to your wellbeing when you’re a student.
You’ll be making a valuable contribution to society
In addition to the specific students that you help directly, taking an online masters in school counseling enables you to make a difference to the wider society that you’re a part of as well. The availability of school counseling is credited with a number of benefits, including lower rates of college dropout, improved academic achievement, plus an increase in class attendance, high school graduation rates, and college attendance.
In addition, it helps to inspire and empower young people from marginalized groups and reduce inequalities in educational achievement. All of these benefits are linked with lower rates of antisocial behavior and crime; therefore, school counseling can be said to help the entire community. In addition, a well-educated society tends to be a happier, healthier, and more economically successful one, so having a career in this field truly enables you to make a valuable contribution to the community that you belong to and work in.
