Career Advisor vs. Academic Advisor

For many reasons, people will consider changes to their career path. One of the best ways to begin a career change is to return to college, but that isn't always the right choice.

To make career exploration easier, people often turn to mentors such as career advisors or academic advisors to help decide if returning to school is right for their career development.

Both career and academic advisors can provide beneficial services to people trying to satisfy shifting career goals, but in some cases, one will be better than the other.

What Is a Career Advisor?

A career advisor's main goal is to meet with clients to evaluate where they are in their careers, figure out where they want to go, and help with career planning to achieve these goals.

One of the primary functions of a career advisor is to help a job seeker find out information about all their career options, both in their current industry or in the larger job market. Career advisors often have access to job openings and other information that can help people looking to change their career path.

Career advisors usually work at public (government-run) or privately run career centers as career coaches. Public career centers are usually free to job seekers, while private career coaches often have hourly rates associated with their services.

How Can a Career Advisor Help Me?

A career advisor can provide multiple different services for a job seeker, but some of the top ways that a career advisor can help you include:

• evaluating career assessment results
• career counseling
• information about career fields that might fit your skills
• access to career resources that can help you earn relevant skills to pursue new career opportunities
• provide career advice for job applications, like writing a resume or cover letter, setting up a LinkedIn account, and interview skills

What Is an Academic Advisor?

Sometimes the best course of action for career development is to return to college to finish or earn a new degree. If this is the path a job seeker is taking, the services of an academic advisor could be helpful.

Unlike a career advisor, an academic advisor focuses on using higher education to advance or change a career. Academic advisors also can help with career opportunities, such as internships and finding other entry-level positions once a degree program is completed.

Academic advisors are usually employed by colleges and help students enroll in the right classes for their degree program. For job seekers returning to school or going for the first time, an academic advisor can help you identify the best courses to take to position you for your new career path.

How Can an Academic Advisor Help Me?

Academic advisors provide multiple services for job seekers in college, including:

• enrolling in the right courses for their career goals
• access to alumni networks
• information about resources you might not know about, including job opportunities, internships, and work-study programs
• help with scholarships and other financial aid

Should I Get a Career Advisor or an Academic Counselor? Can I Use Both?

Both career advisors and academic counselors provide valuable resources and career services to job seekers looking to improve or change their careers. Throughout your life, you might need to use both, but most people will only need to use one at any given time.

Career advisors will be most beneficial for people who need career advising independent of academics. For people who aren't looking to attend college during their job search, a career advisor will be more beneficial.

However, the labor market is becoming increasingly educated, and switching career paths will often require at least a bachelor's degree. For these job seekers, an academic advisor will be better suited to give you the guidance you need.

Where Can I Find a Career Counselor?

Career counselors can be found at private or public career centers. If you're looking for more specialized assistance, hiring a career coach might be necessary. Career coaches often have hourly rates, so make sure you have budget room to hire their services.

Where Can I Find an Academic Advisor?

Academic advisors are employed by colleges or universities and can often be found through resources provided by your school during enrollment. If you don't have information about your school's academic advisors, they can often be found through links in a student portal.

How To Decide

Ultimately, deciding on which advisor is right for you comes down to whether your new career goals include a college education to achieve them. If you plan on going back or enrolling for the first time in college, an academic advisor will be a better choice due to their ability to provide both education and career mentorship.

On the other hand, if you are planning on switching careers but won't need a new degree, a career advisor will be able to provide the services you need to help with your new career choice.