# Social Workers?



## BlissfulDreams (Dec 25, 2009)

Hello everyone. I was wondering if there are any social workers on PerC who can help me.

I am a 23 year old INFP and am just starting to get an idea about what I want to do for a career. The last several years have mostly been trials and failures and I'm feeling a bit beat up right now. I'm hoping that I can feel a bit more confident in myself if you help answer some of the questions that I have.

1. Why were you interested in becoming a social worker? (eg. personal experiences, inspiration, etc.)
2. What social issues do you care about?
3. Are you able to address these issues in your career? If so, how?
4. What type of social worker are you? What populations do you work with?
5. Do you enjoy your work? What do you find most satisfying? What do you find most difficult?

Thank you. I hope there are some social workers on this forum :s


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## BlissfulDreams (Dec 25, 2009)

Bump. It's almost been a week.

I hope someone replies :s


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## nádej (Feb 27, 2011)

I'm a social worker! I'm only 23 as well, so I don't have a ton of experience, but I do have a bit.  I don't know if I'll stay in social work forever, but perhaps. I'm considering getting my Masters in counseling, so we'll see.


*1. Why were you interested in becoming a social worker? (eg. personal experiences, inspiration, etc.)*
I went through a slew of majors during my first two years of college, and social work was the first thing that actually felt right. I also grew up around social workers, as my family's done foster care for years and years and years. I was somewhat aware that it was something I might like to do for a while. Furthermore, my aunt and one of my cousins are both social workers and I admire them a great deal.

*2. What social issues do you care about?*
Kids getting the opportunity to grow up well. I mean I care about a lot of things, but this is the big one. It's where my heart really lies.

*3. Are you able to address these issues in your career? If so, how?*
Currently yes. I mean, it's not changing the world, but it _is_ changing the world for some kids - hopefully for the better. I work in foster care.

*4. What type of social worker are you? What populations do you work with?*
I work in foster care currently. I have a caseload of fifteen kiddos who are currently in care, and mostly my job consists of working with them and their foster parents and their biological parents. And trying to figure out how to meet all the needs of the child and how to make sure that they are in a place where they can grow up well. This means a lot of home visits, a lot of coordinating therapy and things, a lot of court hearings, and a lot of phone calls and paperwork. I really like it.

I used to work with an adult homeless population in a big city. I was a case manager working with people on employment and housing and also helped run a day center with things like laundry facilities, a computer lab, etc. I hated it. While I loved some of my clients and sincerely hope for the best for them, my heart really is not so deeply passionate about that population as it is about the kiddos I currently work with.

And before that I worked with runaways and homeless youth as a case manager. I loved that work. It was mostly trying to make sure they got through school, learned how to live independently if necessary, and doing what could be done to keep them safe. A lot of the time it was visiting my kids at school and just being someone for them to talk to. It was difficult in that some of my kids were extremely obstinate, but sometimes it was unbelievably rewarding - like seeing one of my clients have a baby and really get her act together and finish school and start to live independently and be a really good mom.

*5. Do you enjoy your work? What do you find most satisfying? What do you find most difficult?*
I do now. The success stories are the most satisfying. Seeing things go right. The most difficult is how complex and deep-seated these social issues are and realizing you can't change the world, you can only do what you can to change one tiny aspect of it in a few people's lives. There are a ton of obstacles to even doing that.


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## Finaille (Aug 8, 2010)

@nádej - Wow!!

I'm assuming you must have gotten your Bachelors in Social Work? What you're doing is close to what I have an interest in (think about like Social Workers at St. Jude; setting up resources for families with children who have rare diseases, getting them into St. Jude, doing whatever it takes for them to be comfortable in a new setting), but I think I made a huge mistake by getting a degree in psychology. Most MSW programs say they want job experience, and most jobs say they want me to be licensed, preferably at the MSW level. Well, I went to school online... which is now posing another huge weakness because I no longer have any contact with my professors and with five week courses, you don't really develop strong relations with them.

Would you suggest I take a few graduate courses before applying for a program to get some professor connections? I'm also volunteering at a non-profit right now because I'm desperate for experience. I'm terrified I will never be a social worker because I got the wrong degree in a not-so-great way. Any ideas? I don't want to have to re-do my bachelors... I don't have the time nor the money to waste four years!!!

Sorry @BlissfulDreams hope I didn't jack your post at all. I'm also 23 as well, and looking for advice and what people love about the field.


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## InTheStream (Jul 27, 2012)

Greetings,

I'm a 26-year-old male INFP social worker with an MSW. Here are a few thoughts in response to what others have posted:

1. I became interested in becoming a social worker after being exposed to the field through volunteering and felt that it combined many things that I was looking for in a profession (lots of variety, working with people, etc.). Whether you are working with others at an individual or macro level, you really do have the ability to make meaningful, positive change in the world.

2. So many. For the sake of practicality, try to pick one issue or type of work (policy, direct practice, children & youth, etc.) that you can focus on for your job search. Become an expert on the basics of that line of work. Graduate schools will look for this sort of specificity too. It doesn't mean you need to stop caring about the others, but the reality is that many social work jobs only allow you to focus on one issue at a time, so it's a good idea to make sure it's one you're going to be able to stick with for awhile.

3. Similar to number two, it's often hard to realistically do everything you want to do with the resources you have available and the restrictions that are in place (by your employer, the clients you're working with, things that are beyond your control, etc). The key is realizing that you're going to make small steps of progress over longer periods of time. This is an area where I often find myself struggling to balance my idealism with reality. One day at a time.

4. Mental health. I work with low-income clients in a high-poverty, urban area.

5. Yes, I enjoy this work immensely. Much of this work is suited for an INFP's strengths of creativity, flexibility, adaptability, and sense of calm. You have the opportunity to help individuals and communities realize a more complete potential. The difficult parts are lots of scheduling, rules and restrictions, paperwork, and working/interfacing with ESTJ-type environments (lots of bureaucracy). Also, so much of what happens on a day-to-day basis is simply beyond your control. However, if you come to this field with a strong sense of purpose and are well-balanced, you have the ability to succeed in a truly fulfilling career.


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## nakkinaama (Jun 20, 2012)

Aww man


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