A College Academic Advisor counsels college students on academic issues, has a large caseload, and helps students pick classes and stay on track to graduate. They assist students who are at risk of failing as well. While there is no single educational path, most obtain a master's degree in counseling or higher education. The job offers the reward of helping students but may involve evening and weekend hours.

1. Cluster: Education and Training

2. • Counsels college students on academic issues
• Has a large caseload of students
• Helps students pick out classes to make sure they are
on track to graduate
• Helps students who are at risk of failing classes

3. • Not one specific educational route to take
• Could just get experience working in a college setting
and work toward this career
•Most effective way to become a College Academic
Advisor is to get a graduate degree (Master’s) in either
counseling or higher education

4. $53,540 (U.S. National average)

5. Pros: Helping college
students make important
decisions 
Cons: Evening and Weekend
hours 

6. Friends: I think I would make a lot of friends in this
job because I would work with a lot of people in a
college setting.
ISU: I could be a College Academic Advisor at ISU!!!
Helping Others: This is the main aspect of this job!
Family and Leisure Time: I’m worried that some of the
evening or weekend hours could cut into family and
leisure time.

7. Communication Skills:
•Talking to and listening to students
•Explaining course schedules
Organization Skills:
Keeping all student files organized

8. Dependable:
Be on time for appointments with students
Sense of Humor:
Keep the job fun
My students would be able to relate to me

9. I could be a restaurant server. This would
help me gain lots of valuable skills,
particularly communication skills.

10. Q: “What are your strengths?”
A: "I have strong communication skills, as I have lots of
practice communicating with different people. I also
am very dedicated to my job. I’m willing to put in a lot
of extra time when I’m new to a job so that I can learn
the job and do it well.”

11. • Still very interested in being a College Academic
Advisor
• My current and future experiences of being a school
counselor will really help prepare me
• I will probably stay within the Education and
Training cluster. It’s often fairly easy to move around
within the same cluster.