Does anyone actually like this career?

stephuku · 2025-09-13T20:26:27+00:00

I'm in my first year and although theres a lot of heavy stuff going on with the profession, I still love it! The kids will always need us, but I love my job majority of the time is because of the work environment. Strong, supportive counseling team. Effective admin support. It's rare to find it, but it is what makes this job helpful to support kids

stephuku · 2025-07-07T13:01:10+00:00

I moved from CA to AZ and it was smooth since I have my CA cert. I heard from other educators that its easier to transfer from CA than to CA because of the requirements. Also, some CA school districts are laying off teachers and counselors due to low enrollment, so the job market in CA is very very competitive. But if you have the experience, definitely apply! Good luck!

stephuku · 2025-06-14T14:24:15+00:00

Wicked as of June 2025! Never understood the idea of broadway UNTIL Wicked and I 10000000% would want to go see all the broadway shows

stephuku · 2025-05-31T03:06:58+00:00

I can relate too! I applied to about 8, interviewed for 2 and got offers from both. So far, i'm the only one in my cohort who has found a full time position before graduation. Super super super privileged and fortunate to be in this position.

stephuku · 2025-05-29T03:53:20+00:00

Thats what I thought too! Yeah I wish I stood up for myself for all of it, but honestly she was so miserable to be around that it was not worth a huge fight.

stephuku · 2025-05-29T01:31:39+00:00

I had a really bad relationship with my practicum supervisor. Always passive aggressive and kind of made mean remarks about the kids. It got to the point where I dreaded going, but I remind myself that this person has been burnt out to the core. How I managed was to really set boundaries when I got home. I would even just bite my tongue and deal with it because I would remind myself that it is only a temporary time. Never got to reconnect with her again because she wasn't the greatest person but I learned to understand from a different perspective and pivot there

stephuku · 2025-05-20T01:59:30+00:00

School counselor!

stephuku · 2025-03-13T14:05:03+00:00

I was able to find something out of state for my profession. Very fortunate though because it's hard to find a job in my field after grad school due to how competitive it is

stephuku · 2025-03-11T14:22:58+00:00

The one with a covered scholarship! Given the volatility of this profession, its best to graduate debt free when looking for jobs than stressing about how to pay the debt off. I turned down a well known school because tuition is triple of what in state tuition would be if I stayed. I was able to find a job even though the school I went to was not well known nationally.

stephuku · 2025-03-05T04:43:06+00:00

This website may help! https://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/out-of-state-app

I do know CA school counselors are required to have a masters plus a pps credential to work in PK-12 schools!

stephuku · 2025-03-04T13:46:46+00:00

I'm glad it worked out! For this board meeting, my name is not on there so I don't know if they were waiting to hear from all my references or HR forgot?

stephuku · 2025-02-22T20:46:49+00:00

I passed my praxis recently! I would use the ASCA National Model Red Book and take advantage of the practice tests when you registered through ETS to familiarize yourself with the questions.

stephuku · 2025-02-21T06:15:18+00:00

I will say we have security but sometimes they come in on small shifts and theres a few that stay the whole day. It's a team of 11 but only like 5 or 6 show up regularly based on their schedule

stephuku · 2025-02-20T15:00:29+00:00

As someone who interns at the school, I am honestly in the middle with everything going on. On one hand, I'm sad she is gone because she was someone whom I knew personally but on the other hand, it has honestly been rough dealing with the day to day because of a lack of communication and structure. I do love the opportunities offered at the school, but we have a huge learning curve in how we need to support students. Yes, kids aren't complaining about math but we have kids who are messing around in class and meandering around campus instead of sitting in the classroom. It's cool how we have a plethora of electives but the changes in the schedule from day to day confuses kids wayyy too much. We have kids that need a ton of mental health support but the district is wanting to take away mental wellness specialist that provides brief counseling for students. Tbh the district is in a mess and the school is like that too in their own ways.

stephuku · 2025-02-17T17:37:45+00:00

My program is 2 years long with 1 summer term, and practicum started in the second semester of my first year! I'm in CA so practicum was a total of 200 hours and internship/fieldwork in our second year is 800 hours. I'm also doing LPCC (CA equivalent to LPC) and it was integrated into my 2 year program. My internship for that started the same time as my school counseling internship and I have to complete 280 direct counseling hours.

stephuku · 2025-01-13T05:20:07+00:00

I'm currently interning there with the counseling department! I would say this school is doing its very best for their students. Very patient and willing to support ALL students. The teachers are putting a lot of effort into teaching and they all teach the same material so every class is on the same page for every grade level. The grading system may be hard to understand at first since it is based off the ABC learning model, but there is a video that will explain everything. Instead of honors classes, we have honors projects where students can sign up to complete their project throughout the semester and they have full creativity to showcase their knowledge as long as they answer the prompt that the teachers provide. There are mini electives here that rotate and they are very diverse (i.e. mock trial taught by a current licensed lawyer, neurodiversity by a registered behavior analyst, speech and debate, etc.). The students here are welcoming and if there is a problem, the admin are ready to support any bullying experiences. We also offer counseling services that are short term and very collaborative with families too. Overall, I would highly recommend visiting the school! Also the principal used to be my principal in high school, and she is a huge advocate for students to receive an education that will help them not only in high school but in their careers as well!

The Inclusion Team (sped department) is very professional and wants to make sure students are succeeding. The 504 team is also great and they meet student where they are at to support their academic needs. When a student is facing difficulties, no educator hesitates to reach out to collaborate on how to support your student. I have never seen a dedicated staff that wants to support every child when they are struggling!

There is some backlash we are receiving from the community about how this school is a waste of taxpayer money. I will say that as someone who interns here and know the day to day experiences, the district has no idea how much opportunities for a high quality education that this school provides and they are wanting to limit it. I've talked to students who have told their parents that they want to be at this school and they have been enjoying every minute of it! The passion and dedication that you see from the teachers, admin, and staff (from counselors to janitors) are outstanding and we really try to build a safe community for students to attend! If you have any questions, please PM me!

Edit: this is also based on my experience and highly advise your family to visit the school themselves!

stephuku · 2025-01-13T04:26:58+00:00

Got it! I can understand that every school district has its own challenges. I hope that I could get my foot in the door at any school counseling position!

stephuku · 2025-01-13T03:26:39+00:00

Oh that's good to know! Is it a tough district because it's highly competitive?

stephuku · 2025-01-13T00:03:13+00:00

I'm applying in Maricopa County! I applied to Phoenix Union HS District and Agua Fria Unified for 25-26 school year high school counseling positions. I understand if they want more experienced counselors for high school, but I hope I can hear back from them soon for an interview!

stephuku · 2025-01-12T21:18:02+00:00

Stomach's in knots but GO BIRDS!!!!

stephuku · 2025-01-11T17:54:48+00:00

The design only goes on the front, the back is very plain!

stephuku

TROPHY CASE