Power
While you don't have the power to guarantee the kids you counsel automatic entrance into the school of their choice (sorry, kids), a career in college counseling does give you the opportunity to help high school students make a major decision that will shape their futures.
Granted, a lot of kids—especially the smart ones with super-involved parents—are going to figure this stuff out on their own. Where you can be really powerful is in helping the students who don't have stellar grades or tons of extracurricular activities or supportive families figure out if they should go to college, where they should go, and what steps they need to take to get there.