by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

I’m blogging today from the back row of a pre-conference workshop in Baltimore, part of the NACAC Conference.  No, I’m not ignoring the speaker, I’m one of the faculty for the all-day training.  This sold-out workshop is on transitioning from work as a school-based college counselor or a college admission official to working as an educational consultant.

The attendees are a terrific group of professionals who are intent to absorb as much as possible.  They quickly caught on to the four pillars of consulting: (1) knowledge (of students, of colleges, of the process); (2) counseling (advising students and managing families); (3) personal & ethics matters; and (4) small business skills. While most of those in the room know colleges, the process, or counseling skills, they had real questions about being an entrepreneur in an ethical and successful way. This is the focus of this afternoon’s sessions.

For MANY entering the field, they come with a passion for students and genuine belief in the importance of finding a good match between student and college.They fear that by charging families, or selling themselves and their services, it violates their commitment to serve students.

During the workshop we emphasize the simple truth that everyone who does college advising is paid: by tuition-paying parents at a private school, by school district salary or, in the case of educational consultants, directly by client families. Serving students well: through hard work, commitment to excellence and staying current while putting the needs of students first does not conflict with providing for oneself and one’s family.

It’s that balance that serves as a challenge to all consultants and an emphasis that drives IECA: how to be a GREAT counselor, a good businessperson, and ethical throughout.

Related posts:

1. School District Moves to Contract with Educational Consultants for College Advising; are we moving toward the tipping point?
2. Defining Educational Consulting
3. National Survey Suggests Students Gain Little Help from High School Counselors in College Search
4. Training Workshop for School/College Professionals Considering a Career Change
5. THE Fundamental Difference Among School and College Consultants: A Brief Primer for Parents

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 2:51 pm and is filed under Transitioning to Private Practice, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.