Have you always wanted to work with a challenging and rewarding career? Do you wish to contribute to the society by helping people in overcoming their difficulties; then social work will be the most exciting career for you. Most of the social workers start their career early, from graduate school itself, while other take a Master’s degree in social work. Learning how to be a social worker can be interesting.
Social workers are known for helping people who suffer from a wide range of problems. These problems can be anything from psychological, financial, health to substance health problems. They work for improving the quality of life and towards the development of potential in every individual. These social workers always work through social intervention and developing the community. Social workers put in a lot of hard work for changing the wrong things. Here are some simple steps on how to be a social worker.
Things Required:
- College catalogs
- Individual college requirements and applications
- License information
- Postage stamps
- Pens
- Stationery
Steps:
- Start volunteering in the social work activities when you are still studying in high school. You will need some firsthand experience for discovering what kind of work social service can entail. Always remember that the Bachelor’s Degree in Social work is needed for the entry-level positions for social work.
- Try to maintain good grades throughout your school and make sure that you have established good study habits. You will have to learn a foreign language in school and make sure that you learn it in college as well.
- Take help from your guidance counselor for a list of colleges in your suitable locations, which offer some programs on social work. Make sure that these colleges are accredited with the Council on social work of education. As of now, nearly 430 B.S.W programs are accredited and every course will want the student to have completed 400 hours, which are supervised in the field of experience.
- Start writing for admissions information and applications well in advance, you can start it from the senior year of high school. Start looking for paid internships during your college. These internships can give you some contacts for future reference and these can lead you to a better career.
- Plan on working for the master’s degree in social work itself if you want some more responsible job, like case management. There are more than 130 Masters College offering accredited programs and every course will want the student to complete 900 hours of field experience, which is supervised.
- Gather all the information on the licensing details of your state. After you are done with the master’s degree, you can take the licensing exam and get a license.
Tips and Warnings:
- Make sure that you choose a good college and always keep in mind that the accredited programs will differ as well. The national association for the social workers is the best source for information regarding careers in this field.
- Always remember that the insurance companies will never reimburse your service if you are not a licensed social worker. Try to choose a different career if you tend to get emotionally attached to someone’s problems. For helping your clients in social work, you will have to distance yourself from them emotionally.