Counseling can be an immensely rewarding field from an emotional perspective. Students get the opportunity to work with people who need help the most, and they can solve real problems with their work. The good news for these students is that counseling can also pay a decent salary if you choose the right focus. There are many areas of specialty within the field. From school counseling to drug and alcohol counseling to clinical counseling, each has a different earnings profile. Clinical counseling positions that require research work typically pay the best, and industrial counseling is not far behind. Though a highly specialized field, sports counseling is very lucrative. If you have the right degree, though, you can work your way into a nice salary in most counseling sub-fields.
Clinical Counseling and Salary Possibilities
A clinical counselor might have many different roles. She might work with patients who have a host of different mental issues. She might also be charged with researching certain issues. These positions tend to demand a doctorate. At the very least, people working in this sub-field will need a master’s degree from a solid, accredited university. People who have put in a few years in clinical counseling can expect to make close to six figures. The more research the position requires, the more you can expect to make.
Industrial Counseling to Assist Businesses
Companies have a lot of money tied up in their employees. With this in mind, they try to keep their employees on an even keel. This increases profitability and productivity. To achieve this goal, companies will often pay their industrial counselors big money to deal with employees and their needs. Getting one of these jobs is difficult, and the best candidates will usually have studied industrial psychology in addition to counseling. The salaries can also vary depending upon which company you land with. Large companies pay more, and they ask more out of the clinical psychologists they contract with.
Sports Counseling and the Holy Grail
Sports counseling is the holy grail of psychology jobs from a salary perspective. If you want to make the big cash, then you will need to land a position either working for a major team or working for an individual athlete. The sports industry is a big one, and people who can help athletes are compensated handsomely. As the APA indicates, sports counselors can make anywhere from $60,000 to $80,000 when they work for universities. The real draw, though, is the earning potential that comes with working for pro athletes. These professionals can expect to make well into six figures. If they’re good, these people can get a huge piece of the sports compensation pie.
Counseling is a field that usually won’t make its purveyors rich. If you want to make the most money, though, you should look to clinical counseling, industrial counseling, or sports counseling. These three fields will put you into industries that pay well, and they will offer you an opportunity to establish yourself as a leading expert.
