5 Reasons Why Social Work is a Great Career


Social work is no picnic. Whichever way you look at it, working in child protection services can be a challenging career choice, but for those with the right skills, social work careers are rewarding. Not everyone is cut out to be a social worker, but if you are looking at careers in social work and are considering enrolling on a masters in social work at Case Western Reserve University, here are some great reasons to give it a shot.

Helping Troubled Families

Social workers may get involved with troubled families. This is a great opportunity to help families deal with complex problems, teach them to develop better parenting skills and facilitate a positive outcome. There is not always a happy ending, but when you are able to help a family, it’s the best feeling in the world, and definitely something to be proud of.

Personal Development

You have to be strong to work in many areas of social work, but child protection services in particular require a high degree of personal resilience. You are likely to deal with many complex and harrowing cases during your career. Being a social worker requires a lot of emotional intelligence, empathy, and resilience. You need to be perceptive. Parents and other adults don’t always want help. Some can be manipulative, cunning, abusive and hostile. Developing the skill and experience required to deal with dysfunctional families will take everything you have, and then some.



Build Relationships

It takes time and effort to become a good social worker. In the beginning, you will have a mentor to teach you the necessary skills, but once you start working independently, you can expect to forge close working relationships with colleagues. There will be challenging times, so the friendships you make are likely to be long lasting.

Never a Dull Moment

No two days are the same when you are a social worker. Unlike a desk job where you have set tasks to complete, working with young adults, the elderly, adults with learning difficulties, families and children means you have to face all kinds of problems on a daily basis. However, this is a good thing, as you never have to be worried about being bored. There will be lots of paperwork to deal with, which is inevitable, but aside from the red tape, you are first and foremost dealing with people. This will involve attending case conferences, meeting with clients, and trying to come up with solutions to help people.

Career Development Opportunities

Social work is all about helping people, but there are lots of different areas of social work, so you can take your pick of career pathways. Working in child protection services is one option, but you are also free to move into a management role once you gain sufficient experience on the front line. People with the right experience are always in demand, so you won’t ever be out of work.

Social work is challenging, but if you think you have what it takes, this is a job where you can really make a difference.