Abstract
Purpose. This study was conducted to determine the following: (1) the overall level of job satisfaction of full-time tenured or tenure-track counselors in California community colleges; (2) the major job satisfiers and dissatisfiers among full-time counselors in California community colleges; (3) if significant differences existed between levels of job satisfaction among full-time counselors in California community colleges based on selected counselor demographics; and (4) if significant relationships existed between the level of job satisfaction among full-time counselors in California community colleges relative to their perceptions of selected job issues. Methodology. The research methodology was an ex post facto, descriptive and correlational design. Data were collected using the Short-Form Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and a researcher-developed questionnaire from a selected sample of California community college counselors. T-tests and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to determine if significant differences existed in the level of job satisfaction among counselors relative to their demographics. A Pearson r was used to determine if significant relationships existed between counselor job satisfaction and their perceptions concerning the job issues. Findings and conclusions. (1) Counselors were moderately satisfied with their jobs. (2) A statistical comparison revealed no significant differences between the overall levels of job satisfaction in relation to the demographic characteristics of counselors surveyed. (3) Counselors indicated that they perceived their workload to be heavy, that AB 3 matriculation mandates had affected their job greatly, that "counseling" at the community college level, and that current fiscal restraints in their own college districts had a significant effect on their counseling duties and responsibilities. (4) A comparison of the relationship between the level of counselor job satisfaction and their perceptions of job issues found a significant negative relationship between job satisfaction and their perceptions of four of the six job issues identified in the study. Recommendations. Counselors should (1) develop methods for improving working relationships between themselves and with their supervisors, (2) continue refining and agreeing to a definition of the discipline of "counseling" in California community colleges, (3) examine workload levels and seek more effective strategies to meet students' counseling needs, (4) seek to find new funding sources for counseling.