Academic Advisor
Guide students through their educational journey to graduation and beyond
About the profession
Academic Advisors help students navigate their educational paths, from course selection and major declaration to career planning and graduation requirements. They work at colleges, universities, and educational institutions, providing guidance that helps students succeed academically and personally. In 2026, virtual advising, predictive analytics, and proactive outreach have transformed the role from reactive to data-driven student success coaching.
Why choose it
How to Get Started
Take a personality test to see if Academic Advisor fits your profile
Career Match Test →Explore the Career Path section to see progression from junior to senior
Jump to Career Path →Start learning — check the Learning Path for free courses
Jump to Learning Path →Personality Fit
Based on the Academic Advisor role, here are the RIASEC personality types that tend to thrive in this career. While these alignments are common, individual success depends on motivation, skill development, and finding the right work environment.
Social
Helping, teaching, working with people
Investigative
Research, analysis, problem-solving
Enterprising
Leading, persuading, business
Not sure if these types match you? Take the full RIASEC assessment (12-15 min) to discover your personality profile and see how it aligns with hundreds of careers.
Career Path
Your career progression roadmap with salary growth at each level
Career Ladder
Advising Assistant → Academic Advisor → Senior Advisor → Director of Advising → VP of Student Success
Where are you on this career path?
Click a level below to set your current position
Salary Growth
5
Levels
150K
Top Salary
11+ years+
Years
Learning Path
Skills you need to develop and courses to get there
🚀
Set your current level first
Go to the Career Path tab and select your current level to see your personalized learning plan.
Go to Career PathCareer levels
Timeline: 0-2 years | Entry Level Base: $40,000 - $50,000/year Top markets: $45,000 - $58,000 Assist with student appointments and follow-up communications Process registration,…
Skills used in this career
Click any skill to see how to learn it and what salary boost it gives
Market 2026–2030
Trends, AI impact, prospects
Open positions globally: 30,000+ Annual growth rate: 5-8% Average time to fill: 25-40 days Universities: State universities, private colleges, community colleges Online: Southern…
💰 Pay for Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
BLS OEWS, May 2023The federal survey does not count this job title on its own — it is counted under Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary (11-9032).
Half of U.S. workers in this occupation earn more than this, half earn less.
Create a free account to see how well this career fits you.
Create Free AccountPersonality types that fit this career
Based on career-match data from our Result Library:
The % is JobCannon’s editorial fit rating (0-100) for how well a result suits this career — not a statistical prediction. How we rate each test’s validity →
🎯 Is Academic Advisor right for you?
Take these tests to find out if this career matches your personality:
Related Reading
Related Holland / RIASEC Types