le detention center, a half-way house, as a drug and alcohol abuse counselor, or as a teacher of any grade level with about six months additional schooling. Depending on the type of degree a counselor has, the typesof work environments they are qualified for is a variety of many settings. Counselors face considerable competition for jobs which is likely to increase due to the expected decline in the overall number of jobs for school counselors.Full-time counselors work longer than teachers do. Some counselors work only part-time or counsel part-time and teach. Usually they have their own offices for privacy reasons.Important qualities a school counselor should possess are patience, resourcefulness, stability, and good people relations skills.Starting salaries range from $20,000-$25,000 a year. This depends on qualifications and location. Experienced school counselors earn from $26,000-$31,000 a year. They receive full benefits as well.Overall, schoolcounseling can be a very rewarding and satisfying career, according to those I have spoken with. Ron Chesley, a school counselor at Merced College, says that the worst part of the job is paperwork andthe stressful pace during registration. The best part, according to Ron, is working with the people. I like working with people and helping others. I also like paperwork and often enjoy a stressful pace. I am highly considering school counseling as a career posibility....
