How to Build Your Career as a Social Worker
Mentoria
Last Updated: December 2, 2022
Nothing can give more happiness to the mind than knowing that someone’s struggles have been alleviated to a certain degree because of you. Nothing can be more fulfilling than knowing that you helped make a difference in someone’s life.
If you love helping others and have always been bothered by the poverty-stricken lives of some sections of society, then being a social worker can be your career calling. Unlike having to spend countless hours behind a desk, social workers spend considerable time outdoors interacting with people from all walks of life.
Tips to be the Best Social Worker
Being a social worker is more than a career. You should have a passion to help others and overcome challenges with patience.
Create a Personal Mission
For a career in Social work, first, you should have a vision. Who do you want to help? Why are you choosing this career? Make sure your mission is not created due to the spur of movement but holds meaning to you through life. Unlike other jobs, being a social worker also requires you to have empathy, hence make sure that your mission is something that you will carry close to your heart all through your life
Develop Innovative Solutions
To be a good social worker, you must first be able to identify the core problem that the community faces. Ask yourself “Why is this happening?”. Next, try to understand the said problem’s impact on different sections of society. Then, think of ways to stop them from continuing.
Taking Action
The final step is, of course, to take adequate action at the right time. Planning for months or years without any positive outcomes is the worst scenario. Hence ensure that you do not just stick to theoretical solutions, but execute them actively and effectively
How Can You Build a Career in Social Work?
To build a career in social work, first, you have to take a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work (BSW). The bachelor’s degree includes a prime focus on various subjects like the methods of social work, basic concepts related to the same, and psychology, among others. These subjects will help you get a more comprehensive view of society and understand how a social worker is expected to eradicate the evils in society. After you do your bachelor’s degree, you can pursue Master’s in Social work (MSW)
Best Colleges to Study
Where Will You be Able to Work?
Medical and Healthcare sector
If you specialise in medical aid and psychiatry, you will be able to work in hospitals, counselling centres, old age homes, clinics, and other Healthcare related institutions. As a social worker in the healthcare sector, your main task will be ensuring that hospitals take adequate care of their patients, whether the entire place is hygienic, and helping those who cannot afford medical care.
Corporate Sector
If you specialise in Labour studies, you can work in the corporate or the private sector. As a social worker in the corporate department, your main task will be to look after the welfare or the social needs of the employees and ensure that their social needs are met.
Education Sector
If you love to teach others about the importance of social work, then a profession in teaching can help you instil a love for social work in your students. To be a teacher, you must take a graduate degree in BSW, a master’s degree in MSW, and then clear NET. Or you could pursue a Ph. D and write a thesis. Being in the education sector can help widen your career prospects.
NGOs
By working for Non-Profit Organisations, you can contribute to the development of society. You get to work with the urban and rural populations and support them in their need. You can help people with poverty, inadequate health facilities, proper education, or unemployment. You can even join prominent NGOs like Amnesty International to help those affected by these issues.
Government Sector
As a social worker, you can also work with the government. You can be a community welfare officer or a welfare officer in juvenile homes, HIV testing centres, and child and women development projects. As a government employee, your primary tasks include ensuring the proper execution of all long-term goals.
Still confused about your career? Do you think you are a socially committed person and want to be a social worker? But are you too scared to take that step because you are in doubt whether it is the best choice for you? Take the Mentoria Assessment to find the career that is best suited to you
