Amy H
Professional School Counselor
Plainview ISD
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I changed colleges after my freshman year, and didn't declare a major until the end of my 2nd year in college.
I started out as a teacher and assistant basketball coach for the first 5 years of my career.
For the next 5 years, I was a head girls' basketball coach in 2 different schools.
Through my coaching experience, I found what I was best at was loving kids, and I began to realize I wanted to be a school counselor.
I came back to my original district where I taught economics and was the lead assistant basketball coach for 6 years.
During this time, I decided to pursue my Masters in School Counseling.
When I received my Masters, there were no counseling jobs in my district, so I actually commuted to a middle school in Lubbock for my first year as a school counselor.
After that year, my original district created a position focused on college / career counseling, and I am currently in my 4th year in that position.
Education
High School
Plainview High School
Plainview High School
Career
Professional School Counselor
I primarily work with students to plan for high school in 8th grade and to plan for after high school in 12th grade.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Entrepreneurship
Helping People
Day to Day
There is no "typical" day for a school counselor. Each day brings new adventures and experiences. There are days when it is a lot of administrative work, but there are other days when I get to help students with college / career advice, goal-setting, career exploration, problem-solving, social / emotional issues, etc......
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
First, you need to make a postsecondary plan - Where are you going to college. A teacher requires a Bachelors degree, and a school counselor requires a Masters degree with a minimum of 2 years teaching experience.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"I heard that I shouldn't become a teacher because the pay isn't great. Then I heard I shouldn't become a school counselor because they don't really do any counseling."
