Also called: 988 Crisis Counselor, Hotline Specialist
Answers calls, texts, and chats from people in emotional crisis, including those thinking about suicide.
Wears a headset at a crisis center, picks up a call from a teen who feels hopeless, listens, assesses safety, and works out a plan together. Sends a mobile crisis team if needed. Shifts run 24/7.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Often a bachelor's in psychology or social work, plus intensive crisis training.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Psychology, Social Work.
Growing faster than average. Expanded with the national 988 hotline launched in 2022.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI triages chats, suggests responses and flags risk words; the live conversation with someone in danger stays human, but teams may shrink.
Classes: AP Psychology, Speech and debate, Spanish.
Official data: O*NET occupation 21-1018.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.