I do not know any career counselors working primarily with adults, but career counseling is a key aspect of school counseling (also known as guidance counseling). I know lots of those, since I work in a high school. Vocational rehabilitation counselor is also a related field.
If you are thinking about this or related areas, a background in psychology is helpful, but your undergraduate degree does not have to be in psych. (Mine are not.) The psych courses you would take for a minor will probably be perfectly adequate for entering a graduate program, which generally is necessary for entry-level jobs in any kind of counseling. (A master's degree, minimally.)
I would also consider that broad and varied life experiences can be quite valuable--even essential--to success in a counseling field, since your clients will come from diverse backgrounds, with diverse needs. Giving yourself a bit more space to investigate all aspects of yourself (not only focusing on concentrated academics), and time to unfold and develop as a human being can be very worthwhile investments both personally and professionally. You will benefit the most from these varied life experiences if you are navigating only a few at a time, and allowing them each to sink in and process.
I look back at some of the studies and readings I did in my undergraduate years, and although I have no regrets about the age I was or the pace of my education, I do see some aspects from which I would have derived different and richer nuances if I had encountered them at another stage of life. I also echo indigo's cautions about safety, as I essentially navigated high school-level social and emotional development around legal adults, many of whom were of age to indulge in controlled substances. [Edit: also, not every legal adult in university is going to respect--or even ask about--the age of consent with a minor, which suggests other possible risks.] Thankfully, I did not come to any lasting harm from that confluence, but not because there were no opportunities for harm. Having mature, responsible adults emotionally and physically present in my life (my parents) was critically important to my positive outcomes.
One of the benefits of your search at this point in history is that there are many more options for quality university-level studies; you are not limited to traditional brick & mortar institutions. Your thought regarding synchronous online courses is a valuable one, and one that would not have been a serious option only a few years ago.
Last edited by aeh; 12/05/23 06:04 PM.
