Hey there!

I can't comment on your part time job much.

However, I understand the requirement for counselling programme at least. I think for the first year, while you are still studying the theoretical part of counselling, you should be okay to do your part time job. However, in the second year you'll have to do both practicum and internship, which will restrict your time honestly. For counselling students, practicum and internship is important as it determine whether or not you can actually go for your licensing interview in the future. To make sure you even qualified for the interview, you need to meet the minimum hours stated in the Lembaga Kaunselor Malaysia handbook so in this case, time is a challenge. I studied counselling full time during degree and the time to find clients, advertise your service, do reports, administer psychometrics, conducting other activities like mental health campaign will generally take the bulk of your time, so do take note of this.

Additionally, unless you have a background in counselling at degree level, it's pretty hard to apply for tutor roles as well.

Just a heads up in case you are not aware of the commitment that goes into Counselling degrees. Too many people are not privy to this and they are shocked and quickly burned out during practicum and internship.

No worries.

Unfortunately, I did not pursue a career in counselling after I graduated. I found my passion in Learning & Development and applied my skills there. Currently working as a consultant for a psychometric company while also pursuing Masters in IO psychology.

I don't want to discourage you but the field of counselling in Malaysia (and all over the world honestly), tend to be low paying. Coming from a financially disadvantaged family means that I don't have the luxury to stay in the field especially since you need a hefty time investment to improve your counselling skills and get better pay in the future. You will probably be aware of this when you pursue your Masters. Lecturers in this field love to say things like "If you want to be rich, you are in the wrong field".

However, that does not mean it's a bad career, far from it. I would say the jobs are meaningful and fulfilling. My peers are content with what they are doing, improving lives one client at a time. Our society's awareness towards mental health is increasing and expanding, meaning clients needing help will increase as well, so the demand for this field is there. Not to mention for niche counseling field like Drug Abuse and Marriage, both lacking specialists. Plus, there are quite a lot of good paying counselling positions in the private sectors, particularly those high end clinics, hospitals, rehab centres and corporate companies. So the job opportunity is there, but as always, temper your expectation.

Hopefully that answers your question. By all means, reach out to other counsellors in real life or social media to get a better glimpse into the field and its prospects. They can give you better view compare to me.

All the best!