AHHH HANNY YOU LOOK SO FREAKING CUTE,,, YOUR EYE LOOK IS SO PRETTY WHAT THE HECCC I hope you're been taking care of yourself! If you don't mind me asking,I wanted to ask about social work as a uni program. I'm quite curious about the courses, what you like/dislike, the job prospects (or if that even really matters to you) and so forth. i'm trying to research and find a major i want to transfer in, so i would appreciate any insight! much love and appreciation - r
HELLO, R! AHHH you are so sweet to me; thank you!! :D I’d love to give you some insight on social work, at least from my perspective!
my program: it’s different for a lot of places but both my bsw and msw were online! for some people this is a downside and admittedly I was scared at first but after I got into a routine I learned that I thrive as an online student! my bsw took me two years (after my basic college requirements) of full course loads + two semesters of internship. my msw is a one year program bc I’m on an advanced track (thanks to my bsw!) and two semesters of internship. I love my professors for each program and found that there are wonderful people all over the social work field!
my courses: I’ll try to boil the majority of my classes down. lots of classes look at micro (small populations like individuals/couples/families), mezzo (medium populations like neighborhoods or schools), and macro (large populations like cultures or policies) social work so some classes focus on one-on-one work while others look at the bigger picture. some classes look at specific populations like senior citizens/children/etc. several courses discuss human diversity and cultural humility. and then some classes existed to submit internship documents or to prepare students for internship.
job prospects: one of my favorite attributes of this career choice is that there are sooooooo many options. right now my goal is to work as an elementary school counselor. but, let’s say after a few years I need a change of pace? I can work in a rehabilitation center! in child welfare! in a hospital! in a nursing home! I can write a grant! provide outpatient therapy! help military families cope with deployment! crisis response! assist in providing basic needs to specific populations! so much more that I could go on and on and on. and I love that there are so many options! wages are different for every position but according to the bureau of labor statistics, the medium annual wage for social workers in 2019 was $50K.
likes/dislikes: overall, I have a lot more likes than dislikes. it’s a job that is needed literally everywhere. I feel confident that I could move anywhere and find a job with my degree, which is a relief. also! the work feels...meaningful. even if I get burnt out, I never hate my job or my decision to choose this field. I’ve encountered SO MANY wonderful people; professors, classmates, staff members, etc. there are a lot of people in social work who are empathetic, loving, patient, kind...and then there are some bad apples. personally they’ve been few and far between but I have encountered some people who just shouldn’t be in mental health. but that will happen in every field, i guess. but I digress... here’s some aspects of my experience that may be negative for some: all my classes were/are online. sometimes I would virtually meet once a week via zoom but 95% of my classes didn’t meet at all. this means that all the responsibility fell on me. I didn’t have my professor reminding me about upcoming assignments. if I had a question, I had to ask over email or schedule a time to meet. I have had to look at upcoming assignments at least a week in advance so I know if I need extra time to ask questions or research information. I’ve gotten used to this aspect and I love online classes but for those who do not, you’d be better suited in a different program than the one I was in. on the positive side, I came to enjoy making my own schedule. I was able to continue working bc I got to decide when I did homework. I can travel and still do work. in fact, this was v helpful on my honeymoon bc I was still able to enjoy traveling while working on assignments in my downtime! another point: sooo much of social work is a grey area. if you’re a person who thinks in black and white, this may be hard to adjust to. I have faced many decisions or discussion boards that did not have a clear answer. in these moments, I have to think about what is best for everyone involved and sometimes I have to call other mental health professionals to get their opinion of what to do. I even experienced this with my internship supervisors who would call their bosses for advice. speaking of which, another thing I liked is my internships! I learned sooo much through my practicum semesters and felt that they taught me more than a classroom ever could. I was able to work hands on with different populations and gain knowledge from so many incredible people who have been in the field for 20+ years. not only has social work taught me a lot about the career itself...it has also taught me a lot about myself!
I hope this helped you! I got a little rambly but I wanted to touch on so many points. if you have any additional questions, please feel free to ask!!
