How To Become A Vocational Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a vocational counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Lisa Wallace

Are you someone who is good at listening to others and knows the right questions to ask, or are you good at analyzing ideas and using logic to determine strengths and weaknesses? If you are this kind of person, then working as a vocational counselor might just be the perfect career for you. It is a rewarding job where you can help others match the position that suits them.

Vocational counselors assist clients who are looking for a role that suits their job experience, educational background, qualifications, and potential career aims. They are also known as career counselors or job counselors. They typically interview clients for qualifications and check job listings to match them with open positions. Some vocational counselors are trained in working with disabled individuals and veterans.

To work as a vocational counselor, you must possess a master's degree that focuses on fields like mental health or community counseling. As a pre-requisite for this degree, you must first finish your bachelor's degree in psychology or any other related field. It is important for the person filling this role to have knowledge in measuring skills and personalities.

What general advice would you give to a vocational counselor?

Lisa Wallace

Director of Career Services, Rocky Mountain College

Stay in a learning mode.

ScoreVocational CounselorUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,135

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 3.74%

Black or African American 10.64%

Hispanic or Latino 14.20%

Unknown 3.76%

White 67.03%

Gender

female 70.16%

male 29.84%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

9.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a vocational counselor

Explore vocational counselor education requirements

Most common vocational counselor degrees

Bachelor's

62.4 %

Master's

24.2 %

Associate

8.3 %

Start to develop specific vocational counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Rehabilitation	20.24%
Social Work	12.33%
Mental Health	7.40%
Community Resources	6.80%
Substance Abuse	6.23%

Complete relevant vocational counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New vocational counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a vocational counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real vocational counselor resumes.

Research vocational counselor duties and responsibilities

Manage all program operation in accordance with HRA and industry regulations, agency policies, and HIPPA guidelines.
Direct vocational rehabilitation services to developmentally disable individuals.
Conduct eligibility determination process for applicants seeking vocational rehabilitation services.
Identify clients' transferable skills and aptitudes.

Get vocational counselor experience

Prepare your vocational counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your vocational counselor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a vocational counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable vocational counselor resume templates

Build a professional vocational counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your vocational counselor resume.

Apply for vocational counselor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a vocational counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do vocational counselors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

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Vocational counselor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2021

Pros

I like being practically helpful to people with disabilities to find a career direction, and to help the counselors working with those people to do their jobs better. I like the mental challenge of assessment and figuring out what is the true picture of the person, and what they really need to be able to overcome their obstacles. Assessment and Integration of data is my number one skill set. I like being a certified professional vocational evaluator (ICVE).

Cons

I don't like expectations such as that I have jobs in my back pocket, or that any old rehab counselor can do my job, or that I only need a couple of hours to do my job effectively. I don't like competing with folks who only give a few tests, without cross validating those results with work samples, situational assessments or community based assessment.