Social Work Career Progression

Working in the social services field was always my dream. Whether working with children, family, adults, elderly etc. this career path is so broad it instills the hope of a career opportunity. My first year working in this field was in 2010 when I interned as an intake specialist in an outpatient drug treatment facility, while completing my bachelor’s degree in human services. Thereafter, I was able to branch off in various areas such as a case manager at a domestic violence shelter, housing specialist, substance abuse counselor and now a family services specialist.

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.

I can see myself having social working as a career for the rest of my life because I like helping people face problems that they can’t face on their own. I love working with children, families, and being able to experience working with others and helping them face obstacles that their facing in their life. One of many reasons I would also enjoy social working as a career would be helping these people overcome obstacles they thought they’d never overcome. While growing up and facing tough situations in life, I always had family and friends there for me which is why I would love to help others and be there for them because it’s a great feeling knowing that you have people there wanting to listen to you and help you through problems.

During my field placement I had the opportunity to develop several social work skills however the two skills I think I mastered was elaborating skill which included exploration and focus listening. During my internship I had the opportunity to interview several client where I needed specific information to develop an appropriate service plan. One incident that stood out to me, was a 16 year old female who didn’t like attending school. Both parents came to the agency seeking assistance for their daughter. During my interview with the child I had to ask several questions to the youth to figure out the barrier she was having in attending school. After asking the child how she feels when she attends school, the child reported that she gets nervous and dizzy when she attends school. Upon speaking with both parent about the child’s feeling when she attends school both parents admitted

Choosing to pursue this education to become a Social Service Worker has been a life long passion; living a so called “roller coaster” of a life and being subjected to many things, enjoyable and regretful has helped me in many ways to comprehend what it is to truly have human empathy and compassion for others. A veteran at life in its lowest and highest forms, and feeling completely alone and hopeless at times; being subjected to sexual and physical abuse, seeing what alcohol and drugs do to families, how poverty effects children and loved ones. Fortunately there were a few individuals that reached out, bring me up out of the darkness. This is something that I feel in my heart that needs to be given back, for me to provide someone the empowerment that others have given me, to show that there is hope and give reason to keep going, individuals who feel desperate, help to raise their chances, dreams and the basic needs of life. Having the knowledge of education to give these resources for expert referrals to assist people in desperate times, so they can live the life that is deserving and fulfilling to them, therefore this is my ultimate goal!

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.

I currently work as an administrator with the Brad H – Social Work Department which is responsible for the appropriate discharge planning of all of the mentally ill men and women housed throughout all New York City Correctional facilities. I have over 20 years of experience working in the Human Services field and the majority of my employment has been working with the mentally ill population. I enjoy working with this population; however, I would be open to working in the medical/health field if the opportunity presented itself. Otherwise, my goals as a social worker are to obtain my LCSW-R and become more marketable and knowledgeable of the various diagnostic symptoms and disorders.

The career I’ve decided to research is a social worker, more specifically a child and family social worker. A social worker is responsible for helping clients overcome and adapt to situations that they may be facing in life. Child and family social workers often help children that are going through family issues and could be in an unsafe environment. People in this career field secure living situations and provide resources for families or individuals in need. This falls under the career category of human sciences and education. I chose this because I have always been passionate about helping others and I love being around children specifically. I want to be a part of this field to better the system for children and families that may be struggling with issues such as foster care, adoption, mental illness, or abusive situations.

Ever since I was a child, I loved helping others. Whether it was helping my mother take care of my little brother or helping my fellow classmates with an assignment, I was always there to lend a hand. This passion continued throughout my childhood and into early adulthood. When I began my undergraduate degree at Lewis University, I knew I wanted to help people in some type of capacity. I was guided to the path of Social Work because in this field I could combine both my passion for helping others and interest in social justice. After my first day in the Introduction to Social Work course at Lewis University, I knew that I had found my forever home. This career path would allow me to help others in a variety of different settings and capacities.

Throughout the Social Work course, I have learned information about what a social work does and the careers out there that are possible to do with a social work degree. There is approximately about 101 careers in social work according to Dr. Jessica A. Ritter and Ms. Mary Kiernan-Stern; authors of the book: “101 Careers in Social Work”. I’ve always loved to help others in their time of need specially children who in this case are the ones who can’t defend themselves and mostly don’t have a voice to speak up out in the world. My main focus is mainly to work with young ones who are in need of service from a social worker such as: children, juniors and so on. Some of the areas that I plan to work on are in school social work, child

Social work practice is helping vulnerable populations make positive changes in their lives. I have always felt the most fulfilled helping others. When I began college, I decided to major in psychology with the intention of becoming a psychologist or psychiatrist. I wanted to work with individuals with mental illnesses or children. Following my first year of college, a marriage and family therapist informed me about the social work profession. He said that a social work degree was the most versatile of the “helping” professions and informed me that I could earn a Master’s degree in one year and become a therapist. I decided to investigate social work and enrolled in an introductory course. I learned that social workers believe that every person

Hello Wendy, in response to your question, the area of social work I can envision myself pursing will be in area of child welfare. This is because of my love for children and I believe that all children have the right to stable homes where they can be well care for and their safety from abuse and neglect is guarantee. I believe children’s welfare should be a priority for both governments and communities in which they live.

other people. One with a degree in social work can find a job in almost any field. Social workers can work in hospitals, clinics, schools, child welfare and human services agencies, settlement houses, and community development corporations. By pursuing the social work career will open doors to many different job environments. I am mostly interested in how social workers work in schools, hospitals, or settlement houses. Serving people in need is the main goal of a social worker and this is exactly why I chose this career. I know that a social worker is required to identify people who need help in a specific type of service. A social worker has to work with someone and should be able to assess the person’s needs, the situation that the person

I have always felt the most fulfilled when I was helping others and entered college with plans to major in Psychology and become a therapist. After my first year of college, I learned about the social work profession, and that I could become a therapist with a Master’s in Social Work degree that could be completed in one year of graduate school. I decided to investigate social work and took an introductory course.

Starting from being a certified nursing assistant, to becoming a unit secretary for a hospital that specialize in wound care, I have always known that I wanted to help individuals in need. However, I noticed that I was not happy with helping individuals in medical need. It wasn’t until I decided to continue my education that I introduced to the world of social work. Going up with a single mother that suffered from drug abuse, my family depended on social services for a lot of assistance, from everything such as food stamps to family counseling. This life experience helped guide my thoughts on pursuing social work as a career. I know that I want to help individuals that are down on their luck, but I want to take it one step farther, by providing individual counseling to adults that may need more one on one time, than what is normally given from a social service agency. Counseling will also give me a chance to do what I love most and that is to talk and get to know the individuals that I am helping make like changing decisions. Working as a clinical social work has my interest because it does not put limits on what I can do or who I can help, and it will set me up for my future goal of becoming a licensed clinical social worker. Being my own boss and changing my community is my dream job, opportunity and goal. I am currently on my way with changing my community and living my dream, because I am currently working for a non-profit