5 Things that Make Social Work Highly Rewarding

Social work as a field aims to bring about social change in communities. Social workers empower people by identifying problems at an individual and structural level and finding solutions through their understanding of human behavior, societal rules, and cultural interactions.

One aspect of social work is advocacy for social change. Professionals work actively with policymakers to change or introduce new policies to support underprivileged communities. This can include allowing stipend for food or providing counseling and support to people with a history of substance abuse.

All of this is possible because of the practice-based nature of the field. Social workers recognize the impact of environmental, social, financial, and legal factors on the overall wellbeing of individuals.

A few examples of social work include:

Social workers protect vulnerable children from abusive homes. They help locate foster homes, arrange adoptions, and reunite broken families through appropriate legal channels.
Healthcare social workers collaborate with healthcare staff to ensure the quality of healthcare provided to patients belonging to disadvantaged communities. Some social workers specialize in palliative care or hospice and work in old homes.
Some schools hire social workers to work in collaboration with teachers and parents. They help build strategies to improve the academic and social lives of students.
Social workers also work with people with drug addictions, helping them find support groups or programs to battle their addictions.

Social work can be emotionally taxing and can take a lot from a person, but just like challenges and opportunities in any other field, it also offers definite rewards, and the pros easily outweigh the cons.

Students who currently have a bachelor’s in social work can opt for a master’s degree.

Most recognized universities now offer advanced degrees in the field of social work Master in Social Work MSW online, being one. With online classes and flexible studying hours, professionals can easily pursue higher education while keeping their day jobs.

Below is a list of just some of the things that make social work highly rewarding:

Social Work is High in Demand

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field of social work will experience a 16% increase in employment opportunities in the next five years.

Statistics also show that we’ll see a seven percent increase in the number of professional social workers working in family, education, and childcare settings in the next five years.

Additionally, post-pandemic statistics also show an increase in job openings for healthcare social workers. Hospitals also require social workers in various other capacities, from helping victims of trauma and assault to assisting the elderly transition from hospital to a nursing home or hospice.

Social Work Helps People Realize their Strengths

Social workers come in contact with people from different backgrounds all the time. They do not get to pick and choose the kind of people they work with or help.

This mix and match of people helps professionals in the field build on their communication skills. Additionally, they also learn to understand human behavior based on practical examples around them.

No two people are the same. Sometimes, social workers have to work with clients who have experienced an abusive past, while in other instances, they may work with people with physical disabilities or experiencing financial difficulties and homelessness. Working with diverse communities grooms social workers to be compassionate and kind.

All of these skills together also empower social workers to build up leadership and advocacy skills, and such skills can help them become mentors in the field of social work.

Applying Core Values to Social Work

Many people enter the field of social work because it allows them to apply their core values and experiences to their profession. In fact, most social workers claim that their own past of problems inspired them to help others going through the same issues.

Social workers also advocate for compassion and social justice.

They advocate for policies and create frameworks to bring change, speaking on behalf of the underrepresented groups. At a community level, social workers work towards changing laws and cultural barriers that may further harm or isolate already disadvantaged communities from society. At the state level, social workers can advocate for laws and policies regarding affordable housing, childcare, quality healthcare, and even student loans.

Social workers can only advocate for change when they speak to marginalized communities, which means they need to be active listeners and communicate concerns to lawmakers and non-governmental advocates.

Social Workers Get to See the Impact of Their Work

In most occupations, people only see the output of their work at the end of every month in the form of a paycheck.

For social workers, hours of their hard work are rewarded in the form of tangible changes observed in the lives of the people they help. Not every individual case has a happy ending; however, their positive influence and impact on people’s lives and communities can be felt long after a case is over.

The role of a social worker is not only limited to bringing change. Their work also revolves around ensuring that the solutions they implement are adaptable and sustainable—preventing recurring problems in the future.

Projects for the improvement of societal problems can often take years to take their final form. This is an added advantage of working as a social worker. They get to watch their projects bloom and grow, eventually leading to betterment on the scale of a community.

Diverse Experiences

When people hear the word social worker, their mind immediately drifts to child protective services. However, there is so much more to this field than one career path.

Social workers act as advocates in various capacities. These include:

Healthcare Social Workers

Healthcare social workers often liaison between the patient and their designated recovery team. They educate patients on the role of each individual, from nurses to physicians and physiotherapists.

Additionally, they also discuss the emotional, physical, and financial aspects of the treatment options available for the patient with family members.

Development Disability Social Workers

Disability social workers help individuals with physical or mental disabilities to make adjustments in their lifestyles and to promot them “be strong be healthy”. These adjustments aim to improve the quality of life as they communicate with the clients and design personalized solutions.

School Social Workers

In schools, social workers work closely with the administration to identify situations that may hinder learning for students. This can include implementing anti-bullying campaigns or aiding financially struggling students to find work opportunities and scholarship programs.

Final Thoughts

Social work is the ideal line of work for empathetic people with a genuine interest in changing lives through compassion and advocacy.

There is no better career to go for if your goal is to become the voice of the marginalized and disadvantaged communities.

Social work is not simply making a difference and advocating for a positive policy change. It is about observing and listening. Permanent social change is only possible when social workers listen to disadvantaged communities and establish a framework of solutions and policies that are sustainable and permanent.