Are you passionate about helping people? 

Do you feel strongly about human rights and advocating for others?

Do you want to make a difference in the world?

If you answered "Yes", then consider doing a degree in social work!

Social work is a profession where trained professionals called social workers work with people, families, groups, and communities to improve everyone's health and well-being.

What do social workers do?

• Empower people who experience discrimination, oppression, abuse, poverty, inadequate housing, unemployment, etc.

• Provide people with the tools, resources, and strategies to achieve mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

What are some roles and responsibilities of social workers?

• Planning and running social service programs

• Providing mental health support (clinical social worker)

• Working with diverse people, including families, community groups, etc.

• Advocating for people's rights

• Education and policy development

• Recording and keeping client information private

• Making referrals to other professionals who might be better suited to meet the clients’ needs — for example, referring clients to another mental health professional (psychiatrist, occupational therapist, psychotherapist, crisis intervention specialist, etc.)

Leilah Claire offers some examples of careers in the video below:

Career options after graduation include:

• Group therapist

• Child protective services worker

• Newcomer support counsellor

• Disability counsellor

• School social worker

• Family mediator

• Addictions and recovery counsellor

• Hospital or hospice social worker

• Probation officer for released prisoners

• Case manager (helping clients access support services)

Is it worth doing in a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, after completing a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree?

Michelle Bruxer, the founder of MSW Helper, says that it's definitely worth it in the video below:

Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash

• You can make a positive and profound impact on others.

• You'll gain more understanding of social issues and the people who experience them.

• You'll hopefully learn more about yourself, while learning about others.

• There are many job openings and career pathways.

• You'll gain many skills that you can use in different professions, such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving, and many others.

• With a social work degree, you can apply for a license to practice social work.

• Knowledge, skills, and techniques that social workers use every day, such as: active listening, research, critical thinking, problem-solving, reflective thinking, etc.

• How to be successful in your roles as a social worker, such as: writing good case notes, organizing your files properly, understanding privacy laws.

• How to practice and apply what you learned from your courses in a practicum or work placement.

• How to support and advocate for vulnerable and diverse people within their communities.

• How to build your network of support, and find the resources you need as a social worker, such as community services, health care services, and social programs.

Social work is a very broad field. Social workers (licensed and unlicensed) work in many different places depending on the type of work that they do, either in clinical or non-clinical settings. 

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Before selecting a social work program, ask yourself the following questions:

1. What are my future career goals in the field of social work?

2. Which specific work settings (either clinical or non-clinical) do I wish to work in? 

3. What types of program delivery options work best for me, and my current situation?

Program delivery options

Many post-secondary schools offer social work programs as full-time and part-time studies. 

Some programs may also allow you the option of switching from full-time to part-time, or vice-versa, as needed.

You can take courses on campus (in-person) or online (distance education), or a combination of both (hybrid or blended learning). 

Some post-secondary schools offer social work programs as distance education only (fully online), or in-person only (on-campus). 

Photo by Lisa Marie Theck on Unsplash

Meet Rehana.

She enjoys volunteering as an Emotional Chat (or Certified Listener) Volunteer, and she is interested in becoming a social worker.  

Rehana is concerned that she doesn’t have enough experience to apply for a social work degree program to support her career goal of doing social work in school settings.

• Volunteer in schools, non-profit organizations, community centers, or clinics to help you understand and to narrow down your interests for social work.

• Research various post-secondary institutions that offer social work programs in your area of interest.

• Review the pre-requisite courses and experiences required for your post-secondary application carefully.

How can you be successful in your degree program?

• Be curious: Learn about the people you interact with, as well as, the different workplaces or settings in which social workers work.

• Keep a journal: Reflect on your actions and your interactions with others, often, so that you can better understand who you are in relation to others. Also, write down self-care tips, resources, and strategies you can use to help others.

• Learn from your mistakes: Trial and error are important parts of learning.  If you make a mistake, take the time to figure out what went wrong, and correct it for next time.

• Be open-minded to feedback: Use the feedback that you receive from others to help yourself learn how to manage your emotions, build your confidence, and strengthen your support network.

• Practice self-care: Take breaks from social work activities by doing things that bring you joy or help you to relax from stress, such as: going for relaxing walks, reading, talking to a friend, having a hobby, doing sports, etc.