Favorite Parts of Being a Career Counselor at Cal Poly SLO
Travis, a career counselor, finds the most rewarding aspect of the role to be "the students," witnessing their diverse accomplishments and celebrating their successes, such as landing jobs, as "every day" brings new stories of students "starting their own companies" or returning from impactful experiences abroad. The work is deeply fulfilling, even if not the highest paying, because it provides the opportunity to witness and support students' growth and achievements.
Career Exploration, Job Search Strategies, Resume Building, Student Success, Mentorship
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. Helping students achieve their career goals and seeing their successes is the most rewarding aspect of the job.
2. The role allows for interaction with students from diverse backgrounds and majors, who are engaged in interesting and unique endeavors.
3. Witnessing students' personal and professional growth, such as starting companies or completing impactful international experiences, is a significant source of job satisfaction.
Transcript
Q5: Favorite parts - role
What do you enjoy most about being in your current role as a career counselor?
A hundred percent. It's the students. That is what it's about. Let's start with the big picture. Being a career counselor, whether at a community college, a four-year institution, or even a high school guidance counselor, all fall under the education umbrella.
Everyone knows those aren't the highest-paying jobs. Education is universally not seen as the highest-paying industry. So the question is always, why stay in a job if you're not paid super well?
The response is almost always, it's the people. It's the students. Every day, I get to work with college students in every major and grade level who are doing the coolest stuff. They're starting their own companies, coming back from teaching English in Peru, or leading groups of high school students on a backpacking trip around deforestation in the rainforest.
Every time they come in to show me their resume or talk about a new job, I'm amazed. How are you able to do that? College is a time to explore and try new things and test limits, and I get to see that. I get to see all the work they do.
When they come in and say they got a job based off of that resume, I get to feel excited. It's not because I did anything for them other than encourage them. They get to be so excited to call their mom or their grandparents to say they got a job. It's all about getting to see the successes of the students you work with.