How do I become a career counselor?

I agree, I became a Career Counselor by working my way up in an office where the focus was on Career path and not on the degree, and it has limited my options in terms of upward movement and where I can go.
There are a lot of great grad programs, and I would also check out some LinkedIn groups for career advising and NACE, the national association of colleges and employers, and you’ll start to see where those members got their degrees.