Social work is a much broader and more robust field than many people realize. While the average person thinks about family reunification services or maybe parole scenarios, there is actually a lot more to it.
Social workers work in schools, hospitals, and clinics. They visit aging individuals at home to ensure that their needs are being met.
There are many ways that social workers can leverage their compassion toward solutions that make people鈥檚 lives better.
In this article, we take a look at what it takes to become a and how you can find a career in this compassion-fueled profession that empowers you to do work you care about.
Step 1. Get Your Undergraduate Degree in Social Work
To become a social worker, you generally need to start with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in social work, or a BSW.
This is a four-year degree offered at most mainstream universities. During this period, you鈥檒l spend most of your time in the classroom but may be required to participate in shadowing opportunities as well.
At the end, you鈥檒l be given a state assessment that qualifies you to work as a licensed social worker.
Step 2. Attain Your First Job as a Social Worker
Most people move from college into an entry-level social work position. Unfortunately, with only an undergraduate degree, your potential scope of opportunity and responsibility is relatively limited.
Social workers who only hold a bachelor鈥檚 degree are typically equipped to handle the most basic positions, for example, supervising parent-child visits as part of a family reunification project.
For supervisory or more niche social work roles, you鈥檒l need to get a graduate degree.
Step 3. Consider the Ideal Scope of Your Career
As referenced in the last heading, it is possible to work as a social worker with only an undergraduate degree. That said, there are a few things to consider:
- Competition can be significant. While there are plenty of open social work positions, entry-level jobs are generally snatched up relatively quickly because there is a high number of candidates who can fill them. The more niche or credential-locked the role, the fewer people you need to compete against.
- Entry-level positions typically don鈥檛 pay well. Social workers don鈥檛 get into their profession to become wealthy, but fair compensation is naturally an incentive. Unfortunately, entry-level pay is very non-competitive.
- Advancement potential is almost non-existent. Unless you want to stay in an entry-level position forever, you鈥檒l need an additional credential, whether that鈥檚 a specialized certification or a graduate degree.
With these things in mind, it鈥檚 important to consider the scope of what you hope to accomplish as a social worker.
If you do want entry-level work, there鈥檚 nothing wrong with that. And despite the challenges, you will find a job eventually.
That said, if you鈥檇 like a higher level of responsibility and a larger salary, the next step is graduate school.
Step 4. Weighing Graduate School Options
While graduate school may sound intimidating and expensive, there are a few positives to consider.
Though many master鈥檚 programs take two to three or more years to complete, social work is different.
If you already have a bachelor鈥檚 degree in social work, you can usually get your master鈥檚 in a year or less. The programs are streamlined because schools understand that many social workers will eventually go down this road.
It鈥檚 not an optional credential but a natural extension of social work training.
In terms of finances, the experience may be varied, but there are many resources available, including employer tuition assistance programs and grants.
High-need positions often have resources to support potential job candidates. The world needs more social workers, and programs exist to help funnel people into the profession.
If you鈥檙e interested in a graduate program, do your due diligence and find out what scholarships, grants, and tuition assistance options are available.
Note that though 12-month programs are an excellent opportunity, they aren鈥檛 the only option. Slower timelines are available, allowing you to complete one to two courses per semester.
How Worthwhile is Graduate School?
The most immediate difference between a BSW and an MSW is salary. On average, an MSW recipient will make up to $20,000 more per year than people who only have a BSW.
The other substantial difference is in the scope of responsibility. BSWs, in practice, ultimately wind up executing the intervention strategies developed by MSW holders.
Social workers who have a master鈥檚 degree are also able to specialize, focusing on areas of work that mean the most to them.
There are significantly more job openings available to people who hold an MSW. What鈥檚 more, these positions exist within a much wider range of settings.
Here鈥檚 the bottom line: If you want to do social work at the highest possible level, you鈥檒l need to get your MSW.
I Don鈥檛 Have a BSW: What Are My Options?
If you already have a bachelor鈥檚 degree in a related or unrelated field, there鈥檚 good news: you can still reasonably quickly through graduate school.
Graduate programs for non-BSW recipients require some preliminary coursework and are typically designed to take two years instead of one.
A graduate degree is, in many ways, an ideal method of entering the profession. It鈥檚 faster than going back for four years of undergraduate studies and allows you to enter the profession at a higher level than would otherwise be possible.
Conclusion
There are many ways to enter the wonderful and rewarding world of social work. Once you do get a job, there are plenty of opportunities to advance or pivot based on your passions.
You might start, as many people do, in a social services-oriented role, only to move on to a school, hospital, or clinical environment.
Some social workers even provide counseling services similar to those of a therapist. There are many ways to leverage these important and highly impactful skills.
Your job is simply to find the approach that鈥檚 most appealing to you.
