I want to be a social worker?

Question

Im 14 and i want to be a childrens social worker when im older, but i have no idea how to be one. What do i need? what courses should i take in college, what degrees do i need? what should i major in? what college would be best? how will i be money wise? i know its a little early to think about but i want to be certain about everything i dont want to live paycheck to paycheck like my parents. Thanks :)

Answer 1

It really depends on where you live but in a lot of areas you will need an MSW or better. Any psychology or sociology courses will help. A few legal courses might come in handy if you ever decide to work as a child protective services worker. I am also thinking that Spanish or a second language could be useful as well. The money isn't bad but this is really a job that you will go into to help people. I wouldn't worry about going to an ivy league college just make sure to go to a good one that you can afford.





The other way to get into a job like this is by getting a BA in social sciences and then starting out as an eligibility or outreach worker. After getting a few years experience, you can then usually transfer into a social worker level job.



The absolutest hardest thing about being a social worker is having the ability to let people learn by their own mistakes. A lot of times you will see people destroying there own lives no matter how many resources you have hooked them up with. It is definitely a rewarding job though and the good outweighs the bad many times over.



Thanks for the additional info. Yes speaking Spanish will be a huge asset as a social worker living in California. My 2nd link will give you more information from EDD about working as a social worker in California.

Answer 2

I am sure people do care about this but this little girl does not have the money/media campaign behind her that the McCanns have . . . I have to agree with Mrthing As a trainee social worker I am always interested in reading cases 'that go wrong' as they are always very badly reported and all too often do not reflect the real facts of the case . . . Victoria climbie is a good example of this - her social worker was totally scapegoated despite several people being involved in that case. She was vilified in the media and struck off of the GSCC register yet it was never reported that she was later reinstated when it transpired that managers had failed in their duties at a higher level and she took the rap for things that were not her fault. I am not denying that mistakes are made but social work (in a child protection setting especially) is a very high pressured, stressful and under resourced job. I disagree that children are taken away from families who have done nothing wrong - the processes involved in removing children involve the courts and the police and this absolutely cannot be done without evidence. I wish people could take a step back from media reporting and try to have a more balanced view of what social workers do. Also don't tar all social workers with the same brush. It is a very hard job to understand if you have not experienced it. you will notice that social workers are damned if they do respond and damned if they don't. Its a very difficult balanace to strike. I work with people who often do not do what is expected of them, some are just plain useless and should not be in their jobs. Others have caseloads of 40 odd families, no resources and no support from management it is a VERY tough job, we do not get to hear anything about the millions of people social wokers do help or the amount of abuse that is prevented as it simply isn't newsworthy. And families are excellent at covering things up. often times it is dr's nurses, health visitors and teachers etc who have a better chance of spotting tell tale signs of abuse as due to the reputation social workers have (thanks largely to the media) we cannot get through people's doors to investigate and assess and so are powerless to help. The aim of social services is to keep families together except when it is not in the best interests of the child. social workers cannot win and all too often are judged by people who have no idea what the job entails. there are not enough social workers (I work in london) and often children deemed 'in need' have to wait in line whilst those 'at risk' are assessed but there is a fine line between need and risk and anything could happen, making those judgement calls to protect a child is not something that is done lightly. I think mrthing is absolutely right, look at the problems with social work on a politcal and wider societal problem rather than an individual social worker in an individual case.

Answer 3

Most Social Work majors major in Psychology, Social Work, Human Resources, or Sociology. You're better off getting your Master's for SW, you'll make the most money possible. Social workers don't make much money, especially considering how much work they do. Any college will do, most offer a SW program. Being fluent in Spanish and possibly a second language will make you more appealing to employers so that could get you a better paycheck.

Answer 4

I think it's fantastic that you are thinking about what you want to do to be ready for the future. Most people at your age are not.

I don't know where you are but perhaps start looking around your local colleges to see what type of program, and what is required to work towards your social worker degree. Start preparing for finances now, so you won't be in debt when you get out of school.

Apply to as many scholarships as you can, and get honors all throughout high school. I did this and got 2800 for getting honors all through high school, which paid for my first semester.

Answer 5

When you apply to college and you look into the field you want to go into the college will set you up with all the courses needed. You'll of course need to find a good college. You might need to obtain a bachelor's degree in social work or a BSW. Of course you'll need to let them know you want to work with children (ex: child protection worker) instead of adults since there are social workers for adults usually the elderly or ones that are vulnerable.