We are having a conversation across several platforms in response to yesterday’s blog post “Why Did You Choose Social Work?” The challenge was to share a reason for entering the social work profession avoiding the standard answer “I want to help people.”
A broad range of professionals have shared their thoughts and are highlighted below.
A professional with a BSW shared that her life experiences led her to enter the profession. Life experience provides a particular skillset that enables the social worker to excel in certain areas that are specific to the client and setting.
Another professional with both an MSW and CADC stated that an undergraduate course introduced her to the addiction recovery process. This piqued her interest and she found her niche. Being open to formal and informal educational experiences is a strength of social work professionals.
A professional with an MSW and JD chose the profession because of the ability to build relationships, collaborate, and strategize with others as he helps them to help themselves. Connecting analytical processes with soft skills such as communication enable social workers to excel in any field.
As stated in the previous post, the social work profession is complex and extensive in nature. As more professionals share, we acknowledge the various skills that provide commanding influence in our communities.
I would love to hear from you. You may join the conversation by commenting on this post on our Facebook fan page REAL Social Workers Online Magazine or joining the “Social” Social Workers Project. You may also contact me directly on Twitter @Marcyline #LCSW15
The reason that I am a social worker could be for my ability to help solve and resolve problems, be a voice for the underdog, to make a difference or any of the many other professional and analytical reasons that abound in the field. But the real truth of why I am a social worker is simple, I didn’t choose to be a social worker, social work chose me.
I choose to be a social worker because strange enough, I discovered that I was drawn to fix what was broken not just with things but with people. I could get through to them and it made them happy again.
REAL Social Workers Online Magazine invites and welcomes opinions or comments regarding the content of weekly posts. While we do not vet those who leave comments, we read all comments. With this in mind, we urge anyone who has concerns regarding the professional status of a social worker to contact the licensing board in the state in which the social worker works or lives, to report any and all concerns they may have.
For me becoming a social worker is not about fixing anyone, but giving them the skills to empower themselves. I enjoy the challenge of unlocking stereotypes in mental illness field and bringing an awareness to the African American community that mental illness/disorders are a real issue for some.