Careers in Social Work

[spaceyourbass]

I'm going to use my BA in psychology to get into a Master's of Social Work program. I hope to eventually talk face-to-face with a professor who knows his stuff, but wanted to get some opinions here. The results from a Google search all say the same things. What are the fields with the most promise in the future? I wouldn't mind being the guy to take kids away from meth-head parents until they get their act together (losing your kids is the only thing that will sober some people up). But what else? Anyone a social worker? Any help is much appreciated. I know these jobs don't typically pay much, but that is not the point for me. But a higher-paying social work position wouldn't hurt, either.

I'm also really interested in prison social work and hospital counseling-type work.

 

[double ewe]

I studied/worked in public health, and thus came into contact with a lot of MSW's. Many of them started out in social work, but couldn't handle it and moved on to academia or non-profit work. The problem wasn't so much dealing with the squalor and violence that many children live in, but dealing with the fact that a social worker really can't do anything about it. It's a lot harder to take a kid away from their parents than you'd think (a father chopped off most of his child's ear and the parents still kept custody), and most of the job is just a reminder of that. However, there are a lot of other related fields that hire MSW's, so social work is certainly not the only option.

 

[trose]

I'm a social worker...I know this post is old. I am 8 months away from getting my masters degree in clinical social work...my bachelors is in social work as well (BSW). I like the field I work for a non-profit right now working with kids. There's a ton of jobs out there for social workers (schools, hospitals, non-profit agencies, etc).

 

[cj]

Im going into social work working on my bachelors right now. I wanna do something with needle exchanges or narcan distribution in urban areas. Like there is not a single needle exchange in the state of alabama not one bad shit!

 

[spork]

I'm also working towards a BSW presently. I'd like to eventually get a Master's in counseling to complement the BSW.

 

[Venrak]

I'm going to college next year in social work and plan on eventually becoming a street worker for one of the downtown HR organizations. I'm fucking stoked.

 

[mkcee]

Whether it's social work or any other career in the field for that matter, I noticed that the government-positions are a solid path to take. You would earn a secured salary, and the chances of getting laid off would be much less as opposed to working for a private firm/company, for example.

That's just my opinion though, and it does not always prove to be true, just a lot of the time.