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Are the hours put into social work worth the outcome?

After watching videos on the social work profession, it seems that the hours can be rough and there is not a lot of vacation time available and holidays are not always available to take off. Is this a demanding career? And most importantly, is the effect you're having on the lives of others worth it?

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Kim’s Answer

Caitlin,


I'm going to respond to both questions in one answer.

It would help if we knew what you had in mind when you use the term "social work." It encompasses many areas. Are you speaking strictly about an MSW, where you might be doing counseling? Or working for an adoption agency? Or state agencies working with protecting children, the elderly, and disabled? Making sure food stamp recipients comply with program requirements? Working with wounded warriors (veterans), providing supportive services to crime victims (battered spouses, etc)?


Government jobs will provide adequate leave time. Holidays are iffy. Somebody will have to work, or at least be on call. It might be decided by seniority, it might be rotated, it all depends. In that regard, it is like police or hospital work. It is a 24/7 operation.


Is it "Worth it?" That's also an ambiguous question. Making a difference in someone's life is always "worth it" emotionally. You will feel great and they will feel awesome! But, that won't pay the bills. Honestly, many social work jobs (speaking in general, not just about MSWs) do not pay well. I would expect they would pay more in the liberal states (Massachusetts, New York, etc), than the Southern/conservative states, but you can research this on careeronestop.org.


Having worked almost 9 years in a state workforce office, I will tell you one of the things that frustrated me:

  1. We were expected to have 60% of unemployment recipients back to work within 10 weeks. We could meet this number by not doing anything, except we had no way of knowing if they returned to work. So, we spent the overwhelming majority of our time calling them to see if they were working yet. For real.
  2. We did little or nothing to assist these 60%.
  3. We did little or nothing to assist the other 40%. As long as 60% got jobs, we were "successful." I had a real problem with that.

Sharing with a customer the enthusiasm of getting hired at one of the top-rated airlines, after having been fired from her last job, is something I will always remember. The "little people" need all the help and resources they can get. I am grateful to have been a part of their lives, and feel that the experience has helped me to grow as a person.


If you have additional questions, I will do my best to assist you!


Kim
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Robert’s Answer

I believe that if you take the job seriously then it is a demanding career. However, if you have a deep love for children and families then it is worth it. As a father that has adopted multiple times and has worked closely with social workers, it is important that you are in this career for the right reasons. This is not a career for fame or money. We have had some incredible social workers that have been available for us even after they were finished working a case for us. As a social worker, you will see a number of difficult cases that will make it tough to stay in the profession. It can be emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually draining. But we need social workers that are willing to step into the hard to do what is best for any child and families. As you can tell, I am mostly coming at this question with the role of a CPS or adoption social worker in mind. That is where my experience with social workers come from.
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Debbie Yoro’s Answer

Do you mean the outcome for the client or for the worker? The concept and evaluation of "worth" is a personal one. After working a few years as a social worker you'll get a feel for what you find meaningful in your work. It's so different for everyone. Helping people with their well being is worth it for them and for you if you value well being.


When you mention "hours" do you mean the hours it takes to become a social worker? If you're gonna become a full fledged SW, you really should consider getting at least a MSW degree and a SW license is your state. You will be have better opportunities for advancement and mobility.

Debbie Yoro recommends the following next steps:

Identify times in your life when you were living w/ a sense of meaning/purpose. Reflect on that experience and notice what you valued and what needs that meet for you.
Since everyone situation is different (time and resources), determine how long it would be for you to complete a masters degree and if/when it would be possible. It took me 6 years to get a BSW and then I took one year off, then went back for MSW. Completed the one year MSW program in 2 years. Worked the whole time while in college.
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