Social Services Career

There are several goals that I hope to achieve by pursuing a graduate degree in Social Work. Pursuing a MSW will provide me with the knowledge, tools, and skills-set that will be fundamental to the achievement my career goals outlined below.

Social work is a career that finds and chooses you, rather than you selecting it. Social work has always been an immense portion of my life even when I had no recollection of what social work entailed. My life revolved around so many situations that had a social worker stepped in, my life would be totally different than it is today. Many individuals and agencies lack the compassion and empathy for oppressed people. Having been in many circumstances, has given me the experience and background that influenced me to go into social work, as well as the understanding of my role and responsibilities that I will assume as a professional social worker, and my reasons for selecting the program at ASU School of Social Work and thoughts on how the Mission Statement addresses my career goals.

There are so many career path options. What is good for one, is not always good for all. I have been contemplating many different options and I have finally chosen one. The career path I have chosen is to take the summer off and work at home doing day care. Then return to Argosy University in September, to start my bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration on child adolescents. During which, I will volunteer with a local organization called the Family Promise of Green County. Finally I will graduate with my bachelor’s degree in 2018 and get a job in Green County Human Services as a social worker. I have chosen this path because it suits my educational needs and balances my family and work needs. My only concern is not having the face to face communication, which I believe is important in the preparation of a psychology degree. However, by taking a volunteer position with the Family Promise Organization of Green County, I hope to get this experience. This paper will identify my skills and experiences needed for this path along with the skills and experiences I already have. Additionally, I will identify my strengths and weaknesses. Lastly, I will create a plan for meeting these goals and gaining these skills and experiences.

As I continue with social work, I developed an interest working with children and youth in a school setting. Eventually, I switched my major and was probably the toughest decision I had to make. Studying social work as an undergrad at Humboldt State helped me find who I am and what I want to become. I found a sense of belonging by developing a perspective of my own struggles while growing up. I realize how common systemic oppression affects not only me, but everyone around me. Understanding systemic issues, knowing the barriers that people face first hand, encourages me to want to work hard to fight against inequality.

My interest in the social work profession became apparent during the fall semester of my junior year when I was enrolled in Social Work 205 and sociology. I had finally found subjects that I thoroughly enjoyed and academically excelled in. The events and experiences in my past and the current activities in which I am involved, have helped me narrow my studies to solely social work and has took part in shaping my hopes and plans for my first entry-level position in my chosen career after receiving my degree from WKU.

Throughout my life, I have always wanted to help individuals and families. I have always been fascinated and interested in meeting different people and hearing about their lives and stories. Having spent the last three years volunteering and working with children and adults of all ages, I have come to the realization that I have a vocation to pursue a degree in Social Work. The career choice I have chosen provides multiple opportunities for learning and growth.

For social work students, the outlook for career paths in the field looks very good right now, due to different factors including age, ethnicity, and family structures. Main focuses are now shifting to important topics like women, children, older individuals, and military veterans. Growth is present in almost every aspect of social work, with the most prominent present in fields related to communities, mental health, counselors and therapists, probation and correctional officers, and treatment facilities. Most of the jobs emerging will be located in cities, but there will be job opportunities for those with a BSW. I found it interesting that there are about 650,000 social workers currently, and by 2020, there will be about 811,700. The fields with the most growth include mental health and elderly

My future career interest is between “community service manager” and a “social worker”. I am interested in community service manager career because it provides services to the public and it primarily focuses on community-based environment. Its main functions consist of organizing, managing and coordinating. If I am able to improve the general public by starting at one community at the time and helping those in needs, that would be a great accomplishment. The good thing is, I would have a choice of either working in a non-profit or government based organization. I am also interested in the career field of a social worker. I would narrowed it down by focusing more on the geriatric and the disabled population. The basic duties of a social

There are many skills that a social worker needs for a positive practice but some are more crucial than others. First a social worker needs to be able to be a broker. This important because clients who face addiction usually have very few resources available to them or do not know of the ones that are. As a broker you help your client get connected with community services and resources they need (Morgaine, 2015, p. 160). By being a broker for your client you help them acquire resources that help them reach stability in their lives. Second, a social worker needs to be an enabler. By “conveying hope, reducing resistance & ambivalence, & identifying & supporting personal strengths & social assets” (Morgaine, 2015, p. 161) you are able to provide

Becoming a master’s level social worker would enable me the credentials and opportunity to do what I want as a macro social worker. In order to get a career in this field you really need to have a master’s in order to be taken seriously and to get the position you want. I really want to work with an agency on an administration level developing programs and grant fundraising. Creating a program to fill the needs of others is something that I am passionate about along with changing policies that hinder clients.

For me, social work is much more than helping people. It is more than being the middle person between the client and the agency; it is being a game changer in every aspect (community, families, oneself). When I think of social work, I think about being and impact into someone’s life in the most positive way possible. Growing up, I learned what it means to serve whole-heartedly at a young age; therefore, serving other is all I know how to do. For this reason, I have chosen to pursue a career that will give me the opportunity to serve and be a blessing into someone’s life.

When I made the decision to switch my major to social work I was not sure about what exactly I wanted to do. I originally thought that I was interested in working in a hospital with children and their families. However; after our class visit to Cobbs Hill Manor on February 27th I believe that I found my path in social work.

In America today, about 92,500 job openings in the department of child, family, and social work currently exist (Career/Technical, 2015). According to O*NET OnLine, the expected projected growth is 5 to 8% (2015). In 2014 this career had an average of 305,000 employees. Individuals in this field must have great comprehension, listening and perceptual skills. This Department of Labor site also states that the median wage for this career field is $42,120 annually. To become a social worker one does not need extensive education. The choice to become a social worker will positively impact many individuals.

My desire to pursue a career in Social Work has stemmed from the positive life experience I have obtained both in and outside of school. It has always been my aspiration in life to have a voice for others when they need it. I am currently studying Sociology, Religion, ICT and Business. I am very enthusiastic about my subjects as I have a keen desire to study and work within the field of Social Work.

An important question in the study of social work legacies in Canada is whether the historical policies and frameworks of the profession have been able to affect social change. Most certainly one would need to consider both the positive and negative aspects of social change. In this regard, we can further develop the question to inquire if the social work profession has been able to successfully develop social justice movements that help to invoke a critical consciousness for fundamental positive social change, or whether the results have further harmed the outcomes of individuals and groups through reactionary or short-sighted thinking (Carniol, 1991, pp. 114, 153). Success or failure in achieving this change can at least partially be attributed to the continued struggle that social work has faced since its beginnings in the 1800s. It has faced the polarity of servicing the