2 answers
Erica
Student
New Haven, Connecticut
1
Question
Asked
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Can social workers change their area of work with the major that they have?
I work like to know if I could use the major I pick for social worker in any in any area that I would like.
#social #social-worker
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2 answers
Avi Moskowitz
Lab Coordinator at DVTEL
3
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Avi’s Answer
Mostly yes. When you choose a concentration, there are specific classes you take that focus on that population, however many, if not most, of the skills are transferable to any concentration. Social work school teaches the skills you need to succeed, not hard facts.
Mozart Guerrier, MSW
Executive Director at 21 Progress
8
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Mozart’s Answer
Yes, some social workers stay in the same focus area for their entire career, but many social workers switch to drastically different paths. For example, as a social worker I have worked on these areas/industries:
-Public Health to try to prevent and manage chronic illness
-Community development supporting teenagers to engage in positive behaviors
-Educating community members on how to be advocates for the issues they care about
-College therapist to students who are anxious, have trouble concentrating, or sad/mad
-Helping families who are unemployed get jobs for the first time
-Helping immigrant students obtain paperwork to get a job and go to college
-Finding a specific group of people who don't know a specific law and telling them about it
I have been in the workforce for 5-10 years and all of the roles above were with a social work degree. It is very dynamic and flexible degree. The only part that can be difficult to be flexible is "individual" vs. "groups/community"... You usually need specific kind of training to be a therapist at a hospital and a specific kind of experience/trainings to run a youth program at a community center. Some people do both, but switching can take a bit of time and patience.
-Public Health to try to prevent and manage chronic illness
-Community development supporting teenagers to engage in positive behaviors
-Educating community members on how to be advocates for the issues they care about
-College therapist to students who are anxious, have trouble concentrating, or sad/mad
-Helping families who are unemployed get jobs for the first time
-Helping immigrant students obtain paperwork to get a job and go to college
-Finding a specific group of people who don't know a specific law and telling them about it
I have been in the workforce for 5-10 years and all of the roles above were with a social work degree. It is very dynamic and flexible degree. The only part that can be difficult to be flexible is "individual" vs. "groups/community"... You usually need specific kind of training to be a therapist at a hospital and a specific kind of experience/trainings to run a youth program at a community center. Some people do both, but switching can take a bit of time and patience.