Career Path of a Career Counselor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Travis's career path began unexpectedly, as a psychology major unsure of their future, and "didn't have a good idea of what I was gonna do with my degree". A pivotal internship in student leadership at Cal Poly, followed by a master's in education with varied student affairs roles, ultimately led to discovering and developing expertise in career counseling within the university's career center.
Career Counseling, Higher Education, Student Affairs, Internships, Career Development
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. During his undergraduate psychology studies, Travis wasn't sure about his career path but knew he wanted a helping profession. He explored various internship options before discovering student affairs at Cal Poly, which sparked his interest in working with students in a university setting.
2. His internships in student affairs involved training students on topics such as alcohol abuse prevention and bystander intervention, which gave him presentation experience and a deeper understanding of student life.
3. Travis pursued a master's in education focusing on counseling and guidance, completing further internships in various university departments, ultimately leading to his role as a career counselor at the Cal Poly Career Center. This highlights the value of internships and graduate education in this field.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role as a career counselor.
The career path that led me to become a career counselor started when I was in college. I attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for undergrad, majoring in psychology. At that point, I didn't have a strong inclination or a clear idea of what I wanted to do with my degree.
I knew I wanted to be in some type of helping profession, and I thought I wanted to be a counselor. However, my only perception of counselors was as licensed therapists, like MFTs (Marriage and Family Therapists) or MSWs (Master of Social Work), who can have their own private practice. Both of those required rigorous advanced degrees, like a master's or PhD, which I didn't think I wanted.
Toward the end of my senior year, I was required to complete two quarters of an internship. I could do this with various sites, either at the university or in the local community. I could have shadowed a guidance counselor at a high school or worked with kids in after-school programs, but none of that was appealing to me.
Then I considered working at Cal Poly with what was then a student leadership program. I thought that would be great, as I could work with my peers in a helping profession that wasn't focused on mental health. That internship was with Student Life and Leadership, which is now part of what universities call student affairs. This includes offices like orientation, athletics, Greek life, and the international center.
I completed two internships with that department, starting with trainings on alcohol abuse and bystander intervention. These trainings were related to issues like intimate partner violence and rape prevention. I led these trainings for athletic teams, such as the football or wrestling team. This was my first exposure to giving presentations to students.
That experience introduced me to working at a university with students, but not as a professor. After graduating, I discovered that I could pursue a master's degree focused on counseling without being a therapist. I completed a two-year master's program, typically called a Master of Education in Counseling and Guidance for Education or a Master of Education for Student Affairs Advising, at Cal Poly.
During the master's program, you have to complete continuous internships at the university. I worked in orientation, athletics, Greek life, and the gender equity center. In my final year, I did a full two quarters with the career center. That's where I first received training on how to be a career counselor, which is how I chose this profession.