0
65/100 career outlook
Mixed picture. AI will change how you work, but the role itself is growing. Lean into the parts only you can do.
16% ai exposure+3.5% job growth
job growth
+3.5%
2024–2034
employed (2024)
376,300
people
annual openings
31,000
per year
ai exposure
11.8%
Anthropic index
how you compare
career outlook vs similar roles
1/2
the full picture
AI will handle the routine stuff: sketching out career paths based on standardized assessments, compiling labor market data, drafting educational timelines. That frees you up. But here's what matters. You're irreplaceable in the work that actually changes outcomes. Referring students to programs that fit their real strengths, not just test scores. Following up when a student drops out of a program to understand why. Teaching interview skills by watching how they stumble, then coaching them through it. Evaluating personality and motivation through conversation, not algorithms. These tasks need judgment, context, and trust.
Your edge is in recognizing what a student isn't saying. Noticing when course selection anxiety masks something deeper. Building relationships that make a struggling kid believe you see their potential. AI can suggest options. You decide which option matters for this person in this moment. The role isn't shrinking. It's shifting toward what counselors are actually good at: the human assessment and intervention that moves students forward.
task breakdown
this is all you
8
tasks where you're irreplaceable
- Refer students to outside counseling services.
- Refer students to degree programs based on interests, aptitudes, or educational assessments.
- Evaluate students' or individuals' abilities, interests, and personality characteristics, using tests, records, interviews, or professional sources.
- Provide students with information on topics such as college degree programs and admission requirements, financial aid opportunities, trade and technical schools, and apprenticeship programs.
- Conduct follow-up interviews with counselees to determine if their needs have been met.
- Instruct individuals in career development techniques, such as job search and application strategies, resume writing, and interview skills.
- Assess needs for assistance, such as rehabilitation, financial aid, or additional vocational training, and refer clients to the appropriate services.
- Plan and promote career and employment-related programs and events, such as career planning presentations, work experience programs, job fairs, and career workshops.
ai speeds this up
3
tasks AI can assist with
- Plan, direct, and participate in recruitment and enrollment activities.
- Teach classes and present self-help or information sessions on subjects related to education and career planning.
- Collaborate with teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of school programs and in the preparation of master schedules for curriculum offerings.
ai handles this
2
tasks with high AI penetration
- Counsel students regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.
- Compile and study occupational, educational, and economic information to assist counselees in determining and carrying out vocational and educational objectives.