Like many other careers in social services, the career outlook for social work is positive, with many experts projecting a demand for these professionals. Students graduating with degrees in social work can expect to be eligible to apply for any one of the projected 74,700 openings per year. Many of these job vacancies will come from seasoned social workers retiring and agencies needing to fill these vacancies. For many who enter the field, social work gives purpose to people who love to help others.
What do social workers do?
Social work encompasses helping others to resolve their problems, whether these challenges are behavioral, mental or emotional. Typically, social workers help place children in difficult home circumstances in safe places, but social work also involves coordinating treatment plans for clients with substance abuse problems, and researching public programs and resources, among other activities.
What educational credentials/licenses are needed for social work?
Social workers coming into the field with a bachelor’s degree in social work are eligible to work in entry-level positions as behavior management and case worker aids, community outreach and eligibility workers, human services specialists, liaisons for juvenile courts, probation officers, and rehabilitation case workers. Having earned the degree and worked in the field, social workers can advance their careers by earning a master’s degree in social work (MSW).
The MSW allows you to work in child and family services, or as a social worker, licensed clinical social worker, child welfare worker, therapist/counselor, mental health and substance abuse counselor, school social worker, medical social worker, social work supervisor, healthcare social worker, or behavior analyst. Finally, mid-career professionals and graduate students who earn a doctorate in social work are eligible to work as psychologists, behavior supervisors, executive directors of social services organizations, child welfare researchers, or professors.
With that said, professionals in social work can find themselves working in many different fields. However, current trends in social work do not consign degree holders to the above vocations.
Other careers available to social workers
The above careers are traditional pathways into the profession. However, social work provides professionals with career opportunities outside of working in social services. In fact, corporate, government and educational organizations are increasingly seeking out the expertise of this population. Below are a few of the many options that social work degree holders have.
Marriage and family counselor
Social workers also counsel couples and families in crisis. They play a critical role in helping couples deal with their marital issues, and in helping families work through their interpersonal challenges. They also help families by fostering healthy bonds between parents and children.
Community outreach provider
Today, organizations are realizing the need to empower communities, and the community outreach provider plays an essential role in helping residents in underserved communities become encouraged to act on their own behalf. A degree in social work allows you to work for non-profit or government institutions in positions designed to improve the lives of communities. In this role, the professional promotes events and programs that aim to help underserved communities. They also create and manage outreach programs.
Human services specialist
This role takes the social worker into group homes, correctional institutions, halfway houses, family homes, and mental health centers to help people experiencing instability in their lives. The social worker goes in to assess their problems and creates actionable steps to move them to a place of stability. Once out of the precarious situation, the social worker helps the individual maintain their independence.
School social worker
This group of professionals works inside schools with students, educational staff and their families on mental and behavioral issues. These professionals can make a difference in the education of a child who is struggling in school. They do this by implementing programs and action plans that focus on positive academic, behavioral and classroom guidance.
Corporate social responsibility
Social work has found its place in private enterprise through environmental social governance. Today’s companies are recognizing the importance of sustainability and giving back to the communities they serve. In doing so, they are capitalizing on the expertise of professionals who work with communities, and social workers are now in demand in the private sector because of this trend.
Policy analyst
While policy analysts focus solely on government affairs, social workers play a role in driving policy in this area. Because they are involved with social issues at the ground level, social workers are in a place to see first-hand the effects of policy on people’s lives. As policy analysts, social workers can advocate for policies that address the present-day needs of the people they serve.
Human resources coordinator/specialist
Most organizations today recognize that a healthy work culture facilitates productivity in the workplace. To help maintain positive work environments, human resource coordinators perform some of the same duties that social workers do. As opposed to advocating for children and adults with social issues, they advocate for employees, ensuring that they are comfortable at work. Their jobs specifically entail employee disciplinary actions, sexual harassment complaints, hiring processes, and equal opportunity employment issues, among others.
College admission counseling
Those with a degree in social work can also work with high school students and career professionals in helping them to get into college. College admissions counselors assist those who intend on going to college with finding a major, informing them of the degree requirements, giving them options to access financial aid, and other duties. In terms of stress, this job lowers the stakes, and if working with an academic institution, the employee might find the job fun and one that presents opportunities to hold workshops, attend conferences, and meet other educators.
Diversity and inclusion specialist
Since civil rights legislation, the country has worked toward including previously marginalized populations in society, including the workplace. A diversity and inclusion specialist works with company executives, managers and other leaders to ensure that their hiring and employment practices are inclusive of people from different races, religious backgrounds, ages, nationalities and socio-economic statuses. Social workers have worked with traditionally marginalized communities, so these experiences transfer to the corporate workspace.
Consultants
While consultants work in business, social workers perform some of the research skills that are seen in business. For example, calculating risk analysis and carrying out extensive quantitative research are two business-related skills that social workers must do as part of their jobs. For this reason, social workers who want to transition into consulting can find themselves working as technical, scientific or management consultants.
High school teacher
High school teaching can be an ideal job for someone with a degree in social work primarily because of their experience in counseling. In high school, students deal with a myriad of issues while they transition into adulthood, which provides a lot of work for social workers in this setting. Furthermore, social workers who are looking to transition out of traditional work with clients and children might find the high school environment an energetic place to work that offers them a chance to experience the brighter side of social work.
College professor
Degree holders with a doctorate can potentially find themselves teaching in academic institutions. Not only does the social working professional teach courses in the subject area, but they also serve on committees and participate in advising. Depending on the mission of the institution, the professor might find themselves performing research and then publishing their findings in academic journals as part of becoming tenured a professor.
Final thoughts
When choosing a career path, you are always going to face issues related to income potential versus career satisfaction. Social work is not one of the most lucrative careers. At the same time, social work can deliver other benefits to professionals.
Career social workers benefit from devoting their professional lives to helping others. The degree is a versatile one that offers the degree holder many options, whether they are new graduates entering the field or seasoned professionals. The great thing about social work is that it is one of the few professions that establishes a foundation for other work in other fields.
Furthermore, while the profession requires the individual to earn at least a bachelor’s, once obtained, there are many possibilities. Attending a college program is costly, requiring some people to take on debt. However, in terms of earning potential, the degree pays for itself once the professional finds the right job. While the return on investment might not match the millions that can be made in other professions, the intrinsic rewards and satisfaction in helping others through social work are priceless.
