Help Me Find a Temporary 'Chute.
...so to speak.
Now that I'm back on the job hunt, I'm investigating some different career ideas that I haven't in the past. As far as the "dream job" thing, I've had that figured for a while now -- but frankly I have neither the confidence nor financial resources to give it another go right now. I have to do something else in the meantime, and hope "the meantime" doesn't end up being the rest of my friggin life.
As I sit here pondering how in the hell I ended up in this situation - looking back over my college career, all my jobs, even high school - it occurs to me that I wouldn't wish this feeling on any but my sworn enemies. Even then it's kind of cruel. That being the case, I thought, why not see what it takes to be a collegiate guidance counsellor? Even part time...
...I figure if I can help even one kid a week steer themselves away from something they won't enjoy doing, it'll be worth it.
So my question is, how exactly does one become a guidance counsellor at the college level? Any special degrees or prior work experience required? Are there actually many paid positions in this line of work or are they all volunteers? Any data would be helpful.
Maybe tomorrow I have a new question about a totally different job [(at this point my mind is all over the place) but for now this is a good place to start]. Ideas?
Now that I'm back on the job hunt, I'm investigating some different career ideas that I haven't in the past. As far as the "dream job" thing, I've had that figured for a while now -- but frankly I have neither the confidence nor financial resources to give it another go right now. I have to do something else in the meantime, and hope "the meantime" doesn't end up being the rest of my friggin life.
As I sit here pondering how in the hell I ended up in this situation - looking back over my college career, all my jobs, even high school - it occurs to me that I wouldn't wish this feeling on any but my sworn enemies. Even then it's kind of cruel. That being the case, I thought, why not see what it takes to be a collegiate guidance counsellor? Even part time...
...I figure if I can help even one kid a week steer themselves away from something they won't enjoy doing, it'll be worth it.
So my question is, how exactly does one become a guidance counsellor at the college level? Any special degrees or prior work experience required? Are there actually many paid positions in this line of work or are they all volunteers? Any data would be helpful.
Maybe tomorrow I have a new question about a totally different job [(at this point my mind is all over the place) but for now this is a good place to start]. Ideas?
Comments
On a side note, if anyone else here is in a similar predicament and needs career advice, by all means feel free to hijack this thread for your benefit as well.
Honestly I don't know of *any* industry or niche that is gung-ho on hiring right now.
Prison Guard? I hear it is boomin times in the new corporate outsourced three strikes and you're out world of prisons. Plus when you loathe your job, you know that you'll be 100% justified.
There are jobs out there. Someone in your dream job is going to drop dead. Not a nice thought but it's true. maybe that person will just retire?
Or I could assasinate him,
The best approach is to find two job titles that closely match the one you'll be in (the actual salary is also dependant upon work zip code), then average the numbers. If they offer you something fairly close to the median salary (within say 4 grand) I don't think you're going to have much leverage. If on the other hand you're closer to the 25% percentile (or lower) then you should definitely have some leverage in your discussions.
The tricky part is of course, how to phrase things in such a way that your boss isn't put off. I would wait to see if they bring up salary and start your talking points at that time. Politely tell them what you bring to the table, what kinds of things you hope to accomplish and note that you feel it only fair you be paid in line with the median salary at a minimum. Remember: you're better than the average employee, therefore your pay should be above average also if you have a good record there.
If they try to go through the whole meeting without talking about it, you're going to have to bring it up. Just be gentle but always look them in the eye so they know you know what you're worth, etc. It's not easy but it can be done (salary negotiations I mean). Good luck on that. Let us know how it goes.