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I have been thinking about getting a degree in Social Work, ultimately a MSW. I did a lot of research on the degree and job requirements but it seems like everyone has their own opinion, and not real facts about the field. I would appreciate advice from anyone, but MOSTLY from someone who IS in the field or who WAS in the field,or from someone who KNOWS someone who is/has been in the field.
A little bit about me: I don't mind,in fact, I excel at working under pressure. I have a way of getting people to open up to me easily (I think that would be important in Social Work). I like the feeling of knowing that I made a positive impact/difference in someone's life. As for the salary/pay, I understand that this is a field you go into because you care, and not for the money. But realistically, money and job prospects are important in today's world.
Is 50K annually a reasonable/realistic expectation, with a MSW?
Is Social Work a good field to go into? If not, why?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Average pay is $45-60,000 so yes, $50k is right in the ballpark with experience. Typically the social worker has more work than they can handle, and it takes a lot of patience and a stomach for constantly dealing with the problems of other people. I haven't worked in the field, but am qualified, and have been interviewed a few times. Most recently in 2008 when fairly desperate, but with the low pay ($45k then) and long commute I decided to pass, and ended up doing better in another field. Sometimes, as a manager, I feel like part of my daily work is much like a social worker.
Social workers do good for others. To be a good one, you have to learn to keep the stress at bay and keep a positive outlook on life. I have worked with several in my career and admired them greatly.
I'm not a social worker, but I am a substance abuse counselor and have looked into getting a social work degree in the past. The pay is kind of low for the amount of education and training required, in my opinion. The difficulty of the job depends on where you work. Dealing with children and families is probably one of the more difficult social work jobs. If you get to the point of being an LCSW (licensed clinical social worker), you may be able to open up an independent, psychotherapy practice depending on the state. You can also work for someone else doing more therapy than casework if that's your desire.
My dad is a social worker and it took him 10+ years to finally make a salary of over $30K, but for most of his career it's been $25-27K. Though, the only reason he even got up to $30K is because he's a supervisor of the place he works at. I have no idea about MSW's, because he has a BSW.
Now, considering all of the education it takes, plus training (with internships and training sessions you have to do), only to make a salary of $27Kish... Personally, I don't think it's a good field to go into considering how many jobs you can get that make more than that, that require associate degrees or no degree at all. If you want to help people, better to just volunteer in free time and have you actual job/career something for making money.
If you are super completely dead-set on being a social worker after my comments and the other posters ----My advice is, don't have kids as a social worker with that salary and those work conditions for you.
I know BSL or Salary.com will give numbers like $45Kish... But don't expect that. I don't know if the state matters much considering human service is notorious for having low paychecks for everything the workers have to go through, but I'm in Michigan.
Salaries for social workers is VERY state specific. So do the research in the area you live to find out about salary possibilities. It's always going to be on the low end, and it is a stressful, sometimes depressing line of work. It's also amazingly rewarding. I don't have the degree, but the line of work I'm in, the services I provide to families I work with, is very much the same type of work. I can't put into words how amazing it is when I KNOW that I've made a significant positive contribution to someone's life. But it's sad when that is the result for 1 out of 10 families I connect with, and the other nine are still floundering.
Take a tour at the college you are interested in attending. Talk to the students, talk to the teachers, talk to the administration. Talk to social workers in your area. Do the research, this has to be work you are really called to do.
yes, its good. i agree with L210. there are nice discussion about social.
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