Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
In short: today's best AI models could do about 29% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about 32% by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 68% of the time, stays with people.
Advise and assist students and provide educational and vocational guidance services.
353,310 people do this job in the US. $64,330 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on1 h
- A person checks AI's work11 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet1 h
- Stays with people27 h
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 1 hours, 11 hours become checking its work, 1 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 27 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Run recruitment and enrollment (about 2 h, a person checks); Check transcripts and write recommendations (about 2 h, a person checks); Maintain student records (about 1 h, a person checks).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 28%
- 4%
- 10%
- 58%
- 1%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 29% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 17%. Today's estimate: 29%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, 0.21% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 98th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 5 of its 35 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.4% to 0.45% (released February and March 2025); 0.95% to 1.6% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.19% to 0.21% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.4% | 48 of 708 | 13 of 35 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.45% | 39 of 703 | 14 of 35 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.95% | 20 of 655 | 13 of 35 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 1.4% | 16 of 672 | 16 of 35 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 1.6% | 10 of 677 | 15 of 35 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.19% | 101 of 434 | 5 of 35 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.21% | 98 of 447 | 5 of 35 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 1% of this job's working time as physical work. For 1% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 1% in a structured facility. 0.03 of 3, the 628th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 99%
- In a structured facility 1%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
67% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Run recruitment and enrollment, the in-person work, 13%
- Counsel on personal problems, the in-person work, 9%
- Counsel students on school and careers, the in-person work, 5%
- Enforce student behavior rules, the in-person work, 3%
- Handle crises at school, the in-person work, 3%
- Teach career planning sessions, the in-person work, 3%
What becomes checking the machine
28% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 3% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Run recruitment and enrollment, costly if wrong, 6%
- Check transcripts and write recommendations, costly if wrong, 4%
- Maintain student records, costly if wrong, 3%
- Prepare student reports, costly if wrong, 3%
- Evaluate students' abilities and interests, costly if wrong, 2%
- Run peer counseling programs, costly if wrong, 2%
What to learn
- The conversations. About 68% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
- Dealing with people outside the organization. Customers, patients, suppliers or the public: trust with them is built by a person.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
- Handling protected records. Much of the work touches protected personal records: knowing what may be shared with a model, and how, is part of the job.
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts. About 28% of the time is documents and data, the part models reach first: writing a clear brief, giving the right material, and checking what comes back.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 35 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan, direct, and participate in recruitment and enrollment activities.Events and interviews in person, with the planning and the applications.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 19% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | In person 50%, documents 30%, conversation 20% | 24%Desk part half by now |
| Counsel individuals or groups to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral problems affecting their educational or vocational situations.Counseling sessions in person.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 50 min25 min to 2.1 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Counsel students regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.One to one with the student.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Establish and enforce administration policies and rules governing student behavior.Dealing with students in person, with the policies written.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 4.2 h | In person 70%, documents 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Establish and supervise peer-counseling and peer-tutoring programs.Setting the program up on paper and supervising the students in it.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1.7 work days | In person 60%, documents 40% | 33%Desk part half by now |
| Review transcripts to ensure that students meet graduation or college entrance requirements, and write letters of recommendation.Reading transcripts against the requirements and writing letters.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min21 min to 1.7 h | Documents 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Teach classes and present self-help or information sessions on subjects related to education and career planning.Classes and sessions in person, with the preparation.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 4% | 2.1 h50 min to 5 h | In person 80%, documents 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Plan and promote career and employment-related programs and events, such as career planning presentations, work experience programs, job fairs, and career workshops.Planning on paper, calls to employers, and the event itself.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | Documents 50%, conversation 30%, in person 20% | 36%Desk part half by now |
| Plan and conduct orientation programs and group conferences to promote the adjustment of individuals to new life experiences, such as starting college.Leading the sessions, with the planning behind them.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.6 work days | In person 60%, documents 40% | 33%Desk part half by now |
| Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.Entries in the student record system.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 29 min13 min to 50 min | Systems 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Provide students with information on topics such as college degree programs and admission requirements, financial aid opportunities, trade and technical schools, and apprenticeship programs.Explaining the options to students in person, with materials.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 29 min13 min to 50 min | In person 80%, documents 20% | 20%Desk part half by now |
| Provide crisis intervention to students when difficult situations occur at schools.Being with the student in the moment.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Rehabilitation Counselors64% now, 64% by 2028
- School Psychologists56% now, 65% by 2028
- Instructional Coordinators39% now, 68% by 2028
- Education Teachers, Postsecondary27% now, 45% by 2028
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers32% now, 44% by 2028
- Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten34% now, 34% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 29% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 32% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Run recruitment and enrollment (24% of the task's time now, 30% by the end of 2028); Check transcripts and write recommendations (100% of the task's time now); and Maintain student records (100% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Counsel on personal problems; Counsel students on school and careers; and Handle crises at school. Together such tasks are about 31% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the conversations; dealing with people outside the organization; and reviewing work you did not do yourself. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 67% of the working time stays with people, 28% becomes checking a model's work and 3% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.21% went to this job's tasks, the 98th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 5 of its 35 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 12%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 1% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 1% of the working time, 1% in a structured facility. Its index is 0.03 of 3. One example: LaptopsAnytime automated device dispensing kiosks for "assist students with disabilities". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 35 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on September 30, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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