Social work is one of those professions that are not always shiny and lucrative but can bring meaning to your life.

You may not notice it, but there’s always a social worker helping someone out in your community without making a big deal out of it.

Social workers are everywhere in our community settings, like hospitals, schools, senior centers, nursing homes, mental health clinics, community programs, the military, and many public or private agencies. They are like a bright light for anyone and everyone going through life challenges.

What Is Social Work?

Social work is a profession of supporting people and communities to improve basic living conditions. Some common problems like poverty, mental illnesses, addiction, homelessness, racism, disability rights, and child abuse fall under the purview of social workers.

Unlike other professions that help people by charging them, social work provides resources instead. Social workers are helping out in almost every aspect of life, including counseling, crisis management, and advocating for public policies to improve the standards of living.

Therefore, it’s a profession that needs you to be passionate about helping others without expecting something in return.

Why Do You Want To Be A Social Worker?

Social work is one of those careers that people don’t choose because of the paycheck but rather due to passion. Most people only acquire it if they have a calling for it.

For instance, you may have experienced challenges throughout your life and know first-hand how severely it affects the quality of life, and so you want to help others going through similar situations. Or you simply are wired for something that makes your life more meaningful. Social work offers you that sense of purpose.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a steady growth in the social work space, and the demand is particularly high in the healthcare, child welfare, and mental health areas. Many social workers claim that it’s that kind of profession where no two days look the same, but each one brings you a sense of satisfaction. It’s a field of wide variety, and you are able to learn and grow as a person by helping others and making meaningful changes to the community throughout your profession.

What Jobs Can You Get With A Degree In Social Work?

You can choose a number of paths after getting a bachelor’s degree in social work, including:

Clinical Social Worker

Becoming a clinical social worker is one of the most popular and rewarding social careers in the US. These people can help the community by offering therapy and mental support to people, couples, or families suffering from depression, anxiety, trauma conditions, or relationship issues.

If you want to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker or move into leadership positions, you’ll need a professional license. A number of flexible programs offered by Keuka College or other US-recognized institutions can help you meet those requirements.

Child and Family Social Worker

Child and family social workers are indispensable to improving an unfortunate child’s entire future. If you love kids and can’t stand injustice, this profession might just be for you. As a child social worker, you can help children who are abused, have no home/ family, or are neglected due to family conflicts. Moreover, you can find foster care for orphans and help parents to create more stable home environments where children feel safe.

Medical/Healthcare Social Worker

Medical social workers resolve almost all issues related to the healthcare of people in need. You can help patients understand what treatment options will be best for their condition, or arrange home care for them if possible. People suffering from chronic illnesses are often helped by medical social workers who help them out with long-term treatment and also provide medical equipment support if someone can’t afford it. Most medical social workers are associated with hospitals or cancer centers, but some also help out at rehab centers or hospice care as well.

School Social Worker

According to recent studies, there’s a whopping 20% of students (age 12-18) who report bullying, and around 22% are diagnosed with mental or behavioral health issues. Therefore, school social workers are more important than ever in school settings. They help students with their academic, emotional, as well as social challenges and make efforts along with teachers and parents to help create a safer and more productive learning environment for them.

Community Social Worker

This job role oversees more macro roles as compared to one-on-one support. These social workers change the systems that are negatively affecting entire communities. As a community social worker, you’ll be designing community programs, analyzing policies, managing non-profit acts, leading community research, or working on common society problems like housing rights, criminal justice reforms, healthcare access, or poverty control. If you have a knack for solving the root of problems, this path may be your calling.

Aged-care Social Worker

Aged people are growing rapidly across the world, and more cases of geriatric abuse are surfacing. Social workers help protect the seniors from abuse and arrange in-home support for them so families don’t see them as a burden. They also guide families with long-term care decisions, and help aged people maintain their independence for as long as possible.

Why Do We Need More Social Workers?

Any country can’t meet its growing human service needs without social workers, and even the United States is no exception. As America strives for equity, justice, and systemic change, social workers are the very people who help bring it to life. Social workers are addressing hundreds of concerns across almost all fields of life.

Most countries have a shortage of trained professionals who support vulnerable groups; therefore, there’s a growing demand for social workers who help people, communities, and non-profit organizations for overall social progress.