How to make money as a career counselor as a career is one of the most asked questions on Quora and other similar platforms. I’m sure you’re probably here because you’re also asking the same question.
The demand for career counselors is quite high these days. And why not? Every individual professionally or otherwise needs to know how to plan out their career paths.
It takes great maturity and wisdom for people to choose the right job option that will them gain immense satisfaction in life. Their livelihood depends on it. And it is your job to make that process easier for them.
Have you made the leap, become a career counselor, and now you are looking for ways to make money as a career counselor? Here is a list of 15 reliable ways you can make thousands of dollars as a career counselor.
1. Organize and Host Career Seminars
One of the great ways to make money as a career counselor is by hosting and organizing career seminars. The ability to share your knowledge with other professionals in a classroom setting is the best way to help your clients grow.
You can host and organize career seminars in your local community. As word spreads about your services, more people will attend and pay to attend your seminars.
You can hire counselors and meeting rooms for this purpose, and sell the tickets. Also, you can earn money by selling books of your choice at the seminar. A career counselor can earn $100-$200 per attendee, so basically it is about how many people you manage to bring to your seminar.
2. Be a life coach
Nearly every profession has its share of burnout, from those helping those less fortunate to those helping those with more money. While all of these professionals have noble reasons for entering their line of work, dealing with the high stress and low pay that often come with the job can lead people to look elsewhere for a better lifestyle.
You working as a life coach or career coach can be just the change they’ve been looking for. With a job as a life coach, you will have the chance to help others find their way out of a rut and back on track toward a more fulfilling and satisfying lifestyle, while also finding personal fulfillment yourself. In return, you get paid for your service.
SEE: How to Make Money as a Life Coach
3. Organize Career Fairs For College Students
If you love working with younger people and helping them make choices about their future, this could be an exciting way to earn money as a career counselor.
Career counselors operate out of local high schools, helping students plan for their future, find good jobs, and avoid bad ones. You may organize career fairs for school students to meet with representatives from potential employers and charge a little fee for it.
This will allow students to chat with employers, get on-the-spot job offers, and find out about internships and job opportunities. Simply contact the college or university to book a room, publicize the school’s careers fair, and help students to choose their future profession.
4. Make a Website and Blog About Jobs and Careers
Many people are interested in career counseling; however, fewer are willing to offer the service. To make money as a career counselor, you can expand your target market by creating a website and blog like Career Addict.
A good jobs blog can attract job seekers looking for either career counseling or career advice; it is easier to make money as a career counselor with clients who visit your website. In addition, you monetize your blog to earn even more.
There are many different jobs and careers listings. If you have a blog or website, you can add this information to it. You can check out questions and answers on Quora for jobs and career-related topics to blog about.
5. Become a Career Advisor at a School or University
School counselors and university advisors help recent graduates find their niche in the workplace. As a career counselor, you’ll work closely with students to help them develop the confidence and skills they need to succeed in challenging work environments.
As a student’s advisor, you will play a key role in helping them make informed choices about future education and careers, building their skills for future success.
This may be on a temporary or a permanent basis at the school or as an employee of a private company that provides career counseling services as part of its business model. In either case, you will get paid for your service.
6. Give Workshops to Different Age Groups About Careers and Job Hunting
Part of what made people’s career search so difficult or even impossible is that many of them don’t even know where to go to learn about careers. And this is an opportunity for you to make money as a career counselor.
You can give workshops to different age groups about careers and job hunting and charge an affordable fee for people to attend.
You can do these workshops for organizations or individual students who are preparing to enter the job market. During the workshop, you go over resume writing, cover letters, networking, mock interviewing, etc.
7. Work as a Career Group Facilitator
One of the best ways to remain on top of your field is to work as a career group facilitator. In these roles, you provide one-on-one career counseling on a small scale.
These positions also allow for a great deal of variety, as you may find yourself dealing with students, teachers, or company employees at different ages or stages of their careers.
Working with groups, both large and small, allows you to work with an entire community at once, focusing on various aspects of career development. You can charge more if you’re certified in your field.
8. Offer Resume and Cover Letter Writing Service
As a career counselor, you can increase your earnings potential by offering resume and cover letter writing services. Many people need help with these documents but do not know who they can trust or where to go.
With your resume and cover letter writing services, you will be able to help all of these people improve their ability to find work faster.
Your clients would be happy to get individualized resumes that showcase their strengths and qualifications that match the job requirements by you, who knows the job market and the world of industry.
SEE: How to Make Money Writing Resumes
9. Work With Outplacement Firms
Working with outplacement firms means that you will be offering your services to businesses that may be laying off some of their workers. However, they will want to help those individuals who are being laid off to find new jobs as soon as possible.
If you are good, the outplacement firms will pay handsomely for your services. You can offer your services to establish contacts with business leaders, and then work with the individuals who are about to lose their jobs on the best way to approach their job search, which can include updating resumes and preparing for interviews.
10. Work as a Self-employed Consultant
As a career counselor, you can work as a self-employed consultant. A self-employed career counselor who specializes in helping individuals identify their career goals and chart their course to success can charge anywhere from $75 – $150 an hour.
As a self-employed consultant, you can be your own boss. Become an independent contractor and sell your services to individuals or organizations that require your expertise in career matters.
However, to get self-employed career counseling jobs, you will need to market yourself and your services. You can do so via personal connections, job boards, and other similar venues.
11. Sell a Personal development Program to Business Professionals
Advising people in the business world is one of the fastest-growing occupations and also one of the highest-paid ones. As a career counselor, you can make a relatively good living by selling a personal development program to business professionals.
You have people on your call list who spend a lot on personal development programs, workshops, and seminars. You can offer a customized program for management-level professionals that is manageable in their busy schedules.
12. Consult on Short-term Projects
The average job counselor’s salary is based on factors such as experience, skill, and the size of the company. To collect a high salary, it is important to get your foot in the door of a highly recognized company. This can be achieved through completing short-term projects which offer an income ranging from $500 to $1500.
Many companies are looking for counseling professionals to provide insights into how to effectively recruit, train, or even retain employees. These jobs often pay much less than jobs working directly with clients, but the hours are very flexible and the pay is reliable.
13. Create a YouTube Channel to Provide Career Advice Online
One of the best ways to make money as a professional career counselor is to start a YouTube channel providing career advice. You can build your following by showcasing your willingness to share your knowledge with the world.
If someone has a specific question, you’re more than likely to receive a message asking for further insight on the topic. To draw in the viewers and subscribers of your channel, consider talking about topics that are highly searched for by clients searching for help online.
Once you have enough subscribers and viewers, you can monetize your YouTube channel and start earning passive income.
SEE: Ways to Make Money on YouTube
14. Become a Speaker and Give Speeches at Events
Would you like to know how to really make money as a career counselor? The key is by speaking at events. People are always looking for speakers at their conferences, seminars, workshops, and webinars.
If you can provide solid, fresh information that participants will appreciate, then your audience will see your name in a positive light and book you for future events because they know that you deliver great content. How much you make depends on the event and your experience.
According to Harvard Business Review, below is the breakdown of how much you can earn speaking at an event.
- $500–$2,500: Newbie speakers
- $5,000–$10,000: Beginning speakers, or those just establishing a brand with their first book
- $10,000–$20,000: Those with several books and other forms of “social proof”.
- $20,000–$35,000: Those who are very well-known in their field, such as best-selling authors.
SEE: How to Make Money as a Motivational Speaker
15. Publish a Book on Choosing the Right Career
As a career counselor, in addition to the above options, you could publish a book on the best careers for the 21 st century and how to choose which one is right for you.
It’s a busy world. And people don’t have time to explore 50 different careers, figure out which one is right for them, and then research the best schools that offer the degrees associated with that career. That’s where your book can help.
Your readers will benefit from your vast personal experience—you’ve already done the research. But more importantly, they can trust your opinion. They believe you are a professional with the right skills and experience to guide people on how to choose their major or find a dream job.
FAQs
How much can you make as a career counselor?
While this largely depends on your experience, as a career counselor, on average you can $25.61 an hour and $53,274 per year.
Are there free career coach certification?
Yes, there are free career coach courses that offer you certificates. For example, Oxford Home Study Centre has such an offer.
Conclusion
As a career counselor, you can earn a living by helping someone make one of the most important decisions in their lives, with patience, empathy, a listening ear, and sincerity.
Don’t limit yourself to only one method. If you’re new, you can start with creating a blog while also offering resume and cover note writing services. And you can also make money organizing career fairs for college students.
However, if you’re experienced, have written a best-selling book, have a lot of social media following or proof, there’s a lot of money for you to make in becoming a life coach, speaking at events, consulting on short-term projects, working with outplacement firms, and hosting career seminars.
Finally, Tosinajy offers top business ideas that you can implement immediately even with little-to-no capital, and reliable ways to make money regardless of your skills, profession, or experience.
I hope you found this post helpful. Thank you for reading.
