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Social Work
PLEASE HELP!!! I went to school for ECE and didnt like the rigid schedule and lack of freedom Now i am thinking about doing social work. I want to be able to help people and feel like I did something Good at work. I want to know what the classes are like and what the work it self is like because I dont want to jump into it and quit a year in like I did with ECE please if you have any opinions at all PLEASe SHARE!
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Your question is a good one and yes, social work is a challenging career but not as hard as was answered to you.
I've been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for the past 20years and the need is continuing. The work is no harder than any other career that needs a college degree. Mine is a master's. The psychology isn't that demanding at all. I'm thinking that someone who gave the advice isn't that experienced in the field.
It is a very rewarding field, and frankly, I didn't find myself working any longer hours than the nurses with which I worked. Too many folk are under the impression that social workers only do casework and/or take children away from parents......not true! I've worked as a social worker in nursing homes (with my bachelors in sw), and with my masters in home-health, at the VA on the medical floor, and mostly in the psych field, having my own practice at one time. Social Work is the only career in counseling that has a terminal degree at the master's level, which means that you are fully qualified to do counseling in a private practice area once you receive your post grad supervision for one year under a LCSW.
LCSW's in fact are the majority of counselors in the U.S. because we do the same work at 75% of the cost of psychologists and could do the testing part as well, but the psychologists have shut us out of being able to buy the materials. You can guess why. Since the Master's Degree in Social Work IS a terminal degree, we are better trained IMO than the other professionals that are merely using their masters as a stepping stone to get a PhD in counseling. I consider myself as a generalist(and that is what social workers are trained to be) in that I know enough in many areas (medical diagnoses, legal issues, Medicare/Medicaid, community resources, etc.) to know who to refer to especially when it comes to the last three that I just listed. Knowing who and what the qualifications are for a program that gives assistance is of great use as that keeps you from referring people that aren't qualified which just adds to their stress levels.
So, go for it! Social Work is a field in which people often gravitate to once they have found their first field not to their liking. I didn't go to college until I was 40 although I wanted to. And, through just the sheer thrill of learning I obtained scholarships (I didn't know existed) I was able to go to school almost with no cost the first 4 years. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to be a MSW and that's how I directed of my classes and energy. (I had been advised by a PhD psychologist to get my MSW if i wanted to do counseling as the master's in social is a terminal degree and that if he had it to do all over, he would have gone that direction.) And, since I was going to a college with social work as my major, and because that (bachelor's level) college had an agreement with the University that offered the master's level courses in social work (in another city), I was able to take master's level social work courses the fourth year of my bachelor's level and get that taken off my master's work. It took me 13 months to get my Master's Degree in social work as a result by going two summers and one winter.
Social Work needs good people and we are in short supply. You'll never want for a job. States, hospitals,hospitals, hospices, and the U.S. Government only hires MSW's....... not any of the other disciplines. BIG BENEFIT there. Of course, the other disciplines don't tell their students that, it's only after they graduate they find this out. And, frankly, this point in unknown to the average bear as well.
Other disciplines used to be able to be grandfathered into SW because of this fact, but that practice has stopped as many were not qualified to be a competent ones due to their lack of SW training in SW schools.........the training is superior. They received their training on-the-job which was not beneficial to the clients/patients at all. I wouldn't have traded the past 20 years for anything! You'll never have to look long for a job. This field's need is every increasing.
Go for it!!!
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Social takes alot of energy and time. You have to memorize cases, take and master psychology classes, and be able to be in the top of your class. The closer you get to a degree, the harder it is going to be in terms of flexibility. A good way to help people is teaching them. Ever thought of that? You would be teaching someone else the subject that you like and do the most effective in. Or there is the option of being a writer and doing your own advice column. There are many options when it comes to helping people.
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