Credit Counselors
Advise and educate individuals or organizations on acquiring and managing debt. May provide guidance in determining the best type of loan and explain loan requirements or restrictions. May help develop debt management plans or student financial aid packages. May advise on credit issues, or provide budget, mortgage, bankruptcy, or student financial aid counseling.
- Median pay
- $52,230
- Doing it now
- 31,200
- By 2035
- Up 3.3%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
2,000 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Advise clients or respond to inquiries about financial matters in person or via phone, email, Web site, or Internet chat.
- Assess clients' overall financial situations by reviewing income, assets, debts, expenses, credit reports, or other financial information.
- Calculate clients' available monthly income to meet debt obligations.
- Create debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets to assist clients to meet financial goals.
- Estimate time for debt repayment, given amount of debt, interest rates, and available funds.
- Explain services or policies to clients, such as debt management program rules, advantages and disadvantages of using services, or creditor concession policies.
- Interview clients by telephone or in person to gather financial information.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Finance and Financial Management ServicesSee 765 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Organised and precise
Helping and teaching
Leading and persuading
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $52,230 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.