The Career Counselor Badge is authorized for wear by enlisted personnel and officers whose assigned duty is to an authorized position that require primary MOS 79S. Completion of the Career Counselor Course is requisite for earning that MOS. The course, which spans eight weeks is taught at the Recruiting and Retention School, which relocated from Fort Jackson in South Carolina to Fort Knox, Kentucky in 2014. As the Army increases its emphasis on highly trained, effective non-commissioned officers as part of its NCO 2020 program, Career Counselors will play an invaluable role in guiding enlisted personnel toward careers that maximize their skill sets while filling the operational needs of the Army.
Established in 1971, the Career Counselor Badge features the musket and spear found on the seal of the Department of the Army; these are emblematic of the Army’s primary mission of national defense, while the olive branches denote the peace that is ensured by the ever-vigilant personnel who make up the Army.