Are you a social worker?

What level of education do you have? In what field of Social Work are you working? What are the pros/cons of Social Work?

Are you a social worker?
BSW, MSW, PhD


Education


Pro's - lots of flexibility


Con's - No human service profession is well respected..





DA





Several of the answers here are clearly NOT from social workers - holding a job title of social worker does not make you a social worker - you need a social work education.
Reply:My mother is a gerontological social worker. She worked in nursing homes and assisted living facilities before going into homecare and long-term care planning. She has a MSW and a number of additional certifications in specialties related to her field.
Reply:I was a dually certified school counselor. My main course of study was education beyond the Master's level in Psychology.





I worked as a social worker just out of college with a BS in Psychology. Some will tell you this cannot be done, however, I had a consultant who was a state certified social worker whom the nursing facility hired as my consultant. She came into the facility once a month to check over my work. She liked my work. I actually had more behavioral training and experience than the usual social worker. Since behavior plans were just starting in our state, I was hired to bring that behavioral component knowledge into the facility. It may be different now but I had the right training at the right time.





I would not want to be a social worker because they are expected to be more protocol oriented in therapy work. A psychologist can pull from different theorists to adjust the therapy to the individual. I am not downplaying the role of the social worker. I worked many years in education. When the district started cutting out social work positions, there was a gap in our human service delivery that the rest of us had to fill piecemeal. The social worker was good at working between the home and school and the whole social service delivery system of the county. Once that position was eliminated, the rest of us had to do what we could to get people hooked up to needed systems and services.





All human service and helping profession careers are valuable. Whether you work in a hospital, social service agency, child protective services or school, you will be an asset with a social work degree.


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Do something other than social work. It is obvious that the some people who teach social work are intolerant and narrow minded. Get a degree in Psychology, instead.





I did the work of a social worker BETTER than a social worker, because I was better equipped for the needs of the job.
Reply:I used to be. BS Psychology. Social workers are the most kind hearted people. Unfortunately they work so so so much and live very poor. Many new generation social workers don't have enough money to pay their student loands and live in the lower income neighborhoods.