Education of a social worker
While there is a Bachelor of Social Work degree, this is often not enough. In order to have a competitive edge, social workers should have a Master of Social Work degree from an accredited program. The Council on Social Work Education has a list and other resources to finding an accredited program. For those looking to reach high and senior positions in the field, a Doctorate of Social Work is worth pursuing.Types of social workers
Social work is a diverse field with many options to choose from. Social worker can work in schools, colleges and universities, government agencies, clinics, hospitals, private practices, mental health clinics, outpatient facilities, psychiatric hospital and social service agencies to name a few. You can find work in any of the following areas:- Schools
- Victim Advocate
- Trainer
- Private Practitioner
- Crisis Worker
- Medical Social Worker
- Substance Abuse Counselor
- Administrator/Executive Director
- Clinical Social Worker
- Program Manager/Coordinator
- Case Manager
- Prison Social Worker
- Parole Officer
- Play Therapist
- Group/Family Therapist
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Education
- Child Abuse & Neglect
- Crisis Intervention
- Medical
- Mental Health
- Gerontology
- Hospice
- Substance Abuse
- Sexual Assault
- Domestic Violence
- Employee Assistance Programs
- Disabilities
- Corrections
Do you still really want to be a social worker?
The overall work of a social worker is inspiring and rewarding. Yet, the pay and job tasks can be challenging. A major pitfall of the career path is that while it is work to improve the lives of troubled peoples, prospective and seasoned social workers must remember to not sacrifice their personal well-being for their clients. A good social worker that wants to do social good has to be good to themselves first. There's a lot of paperwork, spreading yourself too thin and dealing with people who are set in their ways in the field. Social workers cannot and do not change the world, but do they try.Becki Brawley is a full-time writer for higher ed blogs and journals nationwide with a focus on online education opportunities. Several schools offer online degrees in business, including Norwich University and University of New Haven.
