Education · 1 of 4

The path

A bachelor's degree gets you in the door. A master's degree is what moves you up, and it is required for school counseling.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Psychology, English and anything that forces you to talk to strangers. Peer tutoring and mentoring look good on an application.

2. 2

   Bachelor's degree

   4 years

   Psychology, sociology, human services or education. Any major can work, but these line up with graduate school prerequisites.

3. 3

   First job in the field

   1 to 3 years

   Academic advisor, admissions counselor, job coach at a workforce office or case aide. This is where you find out whether you actually like the work.

4. 4

   Master's degree

   2 to 3 years

   Counseling, student affairs or career development. Programs accredited by CACREP (the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs) are the ones state boards recognize.

5. 5

   Credential or state license

   After the master's

   The National Certified Counselor credential, or your state's school counselor certificate, or a full state counseling license if you want to do therapy too.