Students of every age group require formation and guidance during their education. For this purpose, certified professionals are vital to provide guidance and suggestions to students, to help them in reaching their total capability, mentally and communally. This is the job of a guidance counselor. A guidance counselor can do this job only if he/she is having an authenticated guidance counselor degree. A guidance counselor or a school guidance counselor performs with students in basic, middle and high schools. They guide them to achieve the social, educational and personal development and works as an advocate of the interests of children. They provide help to students for identifying their own abilities and talents, and direct them towards achieving the realistic academic and personal aims.

Those counselors, who have guidance counselor degree, work for the improvement of social, academic and personal targets of students, by helping them to understand and deal with personal, social and behavioral matters. They also suggest preventives and counseling for development of the skills of life, which they might need to handle before the problem arise. They also organize sessions for counseling, interviews, interest and aptitude appraisal tests, and use other methods to estimate children and discuss with their parents for further actions. The guidance counselors, basic and middle school monitors children in their classrooms and discuss with their parents to measure their strengths, weaknesses and other areas, where they require special attention.

The counselors of high schools and colleges provide help to students for developing their professional skills such an interview skills and resume writing. For having a guidance counselor degree, a person has to receive a formal education, normally a master's degree in education or physiology. However, a bachelor's degree is also accepted for few positions, if it is combined with adequate experience. In most of the states, a school counselor license is required, and these requirements vary according to the states. In many states, it is essential to attain a guidance counselor certificate and complete postgraduate courses to get guidance counselor job.

A specific number of continuing education credits are normally needed to regulate the licensure. In addition, voluntary certification from the national board for certified counselor can also be acquired. The main job after receiving a guidance counselor degree is to serve the students of elementary, middle and high school to provide them correct guidance about deciding their goals and to achieve success in life. The people, who want to provide help and support to the students, can become school guidance counselors. Those, who leave to seek the way to fulfill their desire, can become therapist in the schools.

These therapists handle the substance abuse programs, run educational programs and centers, they become teachers without any of counseling duties or can also become a tutor. Few of them have concluded that they will still help the people of different age groups so they choose the profession of career advisors, recruiters and human resources personnel. In this way, after having a guidance counselor degree, one can choose any profession associated with counseling.