Whats it like to be a Social Worker?

Question

Whats it like to be a Social Worker?
What is a day in the life of a social worker like?
Are you happy with your career?
What advice would you give someone who is thinking about attending college for this career?
What are the advantages and disadvantages for Social Workers?

Answer 1

short and sweet

It is the most rewarding stressful job you can ever have. I am a social worker and would never want to change my profession because the rewards outnumber the challenges.

Answer 2

Around here most social workers work multiple part-time jobs because the employers don't want to have to pay benefits to full-time employees. Masters level social workers who work as therapists are paid only when a person is in front of them. This means that you are not paid for any paperwork or assessments done after the person leaves your office, and you are not paid for the hours that clients don't show up for their appointments. This also means that it is not unusual to work an 11 hour day and only get paid for 2 to 4 hours of that day, and that on most days your gross pay for that 10 or 11 hours is about 30 or 40 dollars.

While social work and therapist jobs are rewarding, sometimes the health care workers are only slightly less depressed than their clients due to poverty level pay and high stress.

Answer 3

My friend who was a social worker for years went into the business to help people. She had a heart of gold. She was always for the under dog. She spent years helping people. Some cases were satisfying for her. More than ever she states that she saw a darkside of humans. She saw many people misusing the system. Sometimes the more help she gave others...the less they tried to do for themselves. She said many nights she went home worried and distressed about children in bad homes. She found her job had changed her views on the poor and helpless and it hardened her towards people. She urged me to never do this kind of work. She was enthusiastic and caring and ended up hardened and distraught. She said the job is impossible to leave at the office...it follows you home each night.

Answer 4

You have to really want to be in that field of work because most people do not want to hear, let alone deal with other peoples problems. Social workers have a high suicide rate. I would probably want to kill myself if I had to listen or deal with other peoples problems all the time. You have to be very patient. I thought about getting a degree (BSW) in social work because I was slacking off in college and it seemed to be a fairly easy degree to get, but I'm glad I didn't. Like I said, you have to be cut out for it. If you like helping others out with social problems then go for it. The world seems to need them. Although in government I don't believe we should have them because it should not be the role of the government to be involved in peoples personal lives. But in private, they can be very helpful.

Answer 5

Social work offers a wide range of opportunities, while some are far more demanding than others. Not all areas are involved in child protection, the elderly, young teens young mums need support too, this can be very rewarding. You need to want to help and support people, and your main goal should be to want to make a positive difference in someones life.

Answer 6

I just graduated from an MSW program. So I haven't been a social worker for very long but I'll try to answer your questions because a few years ago I was asking the same questions. And just be warned that because you have so many questions my answer is going to be very long. :)

Okay, to learn about how the social work profession views things it would be easiest for you to just read the preable of the NASW code of ethics. Also just browse through the website and you'll get an idea of the flavor. I've put the website link below. It's important to look at that because a lot of people think that getting a social work degree is just like getting a psychology degree and it's not. There is an emphasis on social justice and on working with the "vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty." Translation: You will not get rich and your head will hurt. A lot. Because you will always be fighting an uphill battle when you throw social justice into the mix.

Specifics of what it's like to be a social worker varies soooo much depending on what environment and what population you choose to work with, and also on whether you're getting your BSW or MSW. I included a link to an article about BSWs finding jobs. Look up some of the classified adds to see what employers are looking for. It will give you a good idea of what jobs you'll be qualified for after graduation and it will also give you a realistic salary expectation.

Okay, day in the life of a BSW level employee: (I had a BA in psych but all they really care about is if you have a BA in the helping fields.) I worked at a group home. It was a residential program for teens who could not function in foster homes or at other residences. My shift would either be 7am-4pm or 2pm-11pm. Or it could be 9am to 9pm. Obviously my schedule was never the same, and I didn't have a standard weekend. The kids had problems of course and would act out and act up. I did have to break up fights and my job included putting kids in "therapeutic holds." Group home workers basically made the day keep flowing, like getting the kids up and making breakfast. Checking in with the teachers to make sure everything's okay, help with homework, etc etc. Also driving kids to court, monitoring family visits, writing up treatment plans, report back to the state social worker about a client's progress. And don't forget the paperwork! I loved the job because I got to work with the kids the whole time. I loved seeing them improve and then move on. And since you were with them all day you knew them better than anyone else so you could help a lot. I loved it but I hated the hours, and I hated being the lowest job description on the agency ladder. I'm a kind of take charge and get things moving kind of gal, and you can't do that too well when you're the lowest on the ladder. Also having a weird schedule made it difficult not to bring my job home with me. So I decided to go back to school to get my MSW.

Grad school? Intense and all-consuming but I learned a lot and it was well worth it.

Day in the life of an MSW: Like I said there are so many different jobs, but here's one: Work at an agency addressing rape and domestic violence. Spend half the day in the emergency room with victims, families, doctors, and police. Spend the other half of the day seeing clients for short-term psychotherapy, and calling various agencies to get the help and answers your client needs. Spending an hour or so at the end of each day writing up session notes. I liked this job a lot because I felt like I was making a difference and the day was split up with doing lots of different things. I was able to leave work at work and I'm proud of that fact.

I'm a newbie, but yes I'm happy with my career. Advantages are that the profession is so diverse you can do pretty much whatever job you want. I also like that it's a very hands-on profession. I also get satisfaction out of seeing positive changes in people and communities. I love it when a project gets taken out of my hands by the community itself and they run with it and make it something amazing. Or when a kid who has been struggling makes a teeny step toward demonstrating self-control.

Disadvantages are the emotional toll it can take on you if you're not careful. It's an intense field, and it takes your physical and emotional energy. And it's not always a pretty field. The kid who's struggling can just as easily run off and start prostituting again for drug money.

My advice would be to do a lot of reading before making your decision. Read the NASW stuff and the want ads. Also look up a few social work schools and browse their websites. This will give you insight to the practical side of things, like if you think you'd like the field, if you could survive off the income, if you can afford school.

On the less tangible side of the advice is to be aware of yourself physically and emotionally. The only one looking out for you is you, so make sure you do a good job of it. Make and keep boundaries. Work is work and home is home. Even if you're on call for the night unless the phone actually rings work should stay at work. Also, don't take anything personally. People will lash out at you for lack of a better target. If you take it to heart you're going to get really burnt out really quickly. Keep your outside interests and connections. Those are the things that make up you. They are the things that will recharge you emotionally and physically. It will keep you from burning out.

Okay, so I am very sorry for bombarding you with lots of words, but I hope it helps. I tried to answer all your questions. Good luck in making your decision!!! :)

Answer 7

very emotional,you have to be hard.you have to sit thru upsetting court hearings and get babies and young children put into foster care,