Biggest Challenges Faced By A Career Counselor At Cal Poly
Travis's biggest challenges as a career counselor at Cal Poly stem from limited "funding" impacting resources like company tours and guest speakers, and the emotionally demanding workload of meeting with "30 students a week," requiring careful balance to avoid exhaustion. This highlights the tension between resource constraints and the high emotional labor inherent in career counseling.
Funding and Resource Management, Student Support and Counseling, Work-Life Balance, Stress Management, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Travis Raynaud
Career Counselor
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
Masters in Counseling and Guidance for Higher Education
Psychology
Coaching, Speaking & Writing, Education
Education
Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Funding limitations can restrict resources for student activities like company tours or guest speakers.
2. Balancing a high volume of student appointments (e.g., 30 per week) requires effective time management and stress-reduction strategies.
3. The role can be emotionally taxing, requiring counselors to support students dealing with job search anxieties and other challenges.
Transcript
Q6: Biggest challenge - role
What is your biggest challenge in your current role as a career counselor?
The biggest challenge is, I think, funding for sure. Education funding, typically in state budgets, can be subject to many cuts. Universities, community colleges, and even high school systems are always under pressure to maximize their limited budgets.
So, just having the funds to do the things we want to do can be challenging. For example, I might want to send my students on a company tour or host a speaker. It can be difficult to secure the money for these activities.
Another challenge is the high level of pressure. If I'm tasked with meeting with 30 students a week for career counseling appointments, that can be overwhelming and tiring. You have to find balance in a job like this.
Having 30 students come into your office and express anxiety about not having a job or internship can be very taxing if you don't have ways to mitigate that. So, those are some of the challenges.