Informational interview - Article Example

She had worked as an academic counsellor at the career centre before she was promoted to the post of associate director. Briana has a professional work experience of ten years. She majored in Psychology in her undergraduate level and later acquired Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Counselling. She had also worked in a bagel shop while in high school. I was motivated to request Briana Randall for an interview because of my interest in the field of academic counselling. Following the interview session, I was able to learn a number of issues that are quite crucial to individual who wants to venture into the field.

Although an undergraduate degree is an essential foundation for individuals who want to venture into the career of counselling, it is not adequate. The least educational qualification for an academic counsellor is a Master’s degree in any field. In addition to this, work experience in the field is vital for one to be able to effectively deliver in this field. Because of this reason one should explore available options such as volunteer opportunities and internships so as to gain experience before seeking full-time employment.

These opportunities may include counselling children, high school students or even working in a crisis clinic. This will also help one to determine if such a job gives him/her career satisfaction. Moreover, a number of skills are required to be able to succeed in the field including ability to multitask, supervision skills, management skills and delegation skills. Being a very involving career, one needs to be ambitious so as to be able to handle all the tasks. Duties of a counsellor that probably is the starting post for an upcoming academic counsellor include and are not limited to; appointments with students, answering students emails, preparing for workshops and reading extensively about career and job options.

The responsibilities of the high-ranking associate director include leading