Are You a Social Worker or Do You Know One Personally

My sister just received her degree in Social Work in May 2008. Her name is Kimber. Her e-mail is ____@____.com She can help andswer the questions your brother might have. K.

Hi C.,
My cousin is a social worker and enjoys her work but hates the pay. I have a lot of respect for her and the work she does but she also has 2 special needs children and she is constantly stressed about making ends meet financially. It is an admiral career but I do think you have to look at the financial possibilities, what promotions are available.
Good luck,
SarahMM

I have a degree in Social Work and a minor in psychology. You have to REALLY love helping people. It is a thankless job and pays worse than McDonald's. You also absolutely need a masters degree to go anywhere. Hope that helps.

HI C. ,

I am a social worker and i love it - ok and hate it at times but it is a wonderful career choice .

C.,
I am a social worker and would love to talk to him about the profession, as it is very broad and there are more options that it seems on the surface. I have a master's in SW from CSU and have loved working in the field both as a clinician and administrator. I know most think of "social worker" as someone who works for the departmetn of social services, but in actuality, social workers can work in many areas including administration, therapy, policy work, etc. and DO NOT have to be a "case worker". I guess i am just trying to give you an idea that the responses of "low pay" are not always accurate. I know many people i graduated with in the master's program who are running programs, have high level jobs in programs and state departments, are clinicians, etc. and make a very good living. If he wants to talk to me, please have him email at ____@____.com
Good luck to you both

I am a social worker for child protection, let me know if you are still looking for some info!

I have a good friend is a social worker. You should know you can't really work unless you have a Master's degree. Also, the pay is not great, so he should be prepared for that.

I have a degree in Social work and was never able to find something that I enjoyed without having to go for my masters. He should be prepared to receive a masters degree after his bachelors.

I have a masters in social work and have been in the field about 10 years. I actually love what I do, have done a variety of things and found my nitch. I would be happy to talk with him. My number is ###-###-#### and my email is ____@____.com

I got my Masters in Social Work in 2004 from University of Denver. I currently am a school social worker. I'd be happy to talk to your brother via email! There are both positives and negatives to the profession, and it is important to know about both before jumping in! My email is ____@____.com

I would suggest he take a few of the courses offered in Psychology and sociology. Maybe it would be better to go for the early courses of the major instead of the generals. He might get a better feel of what is involved in the education for social work, and he can ask professors and such about the occupation.

I am not a socail worker, but I did major in it at CSU also. I am not persuing as a career because it really wasn't a good fit for me personally. But I did want to say that unless it's changed, (I did graduate 21 years ago!) that CSU is a great place for that particular degree! When I was going there, many of the courses for undergrad work were actually grad school level. It was considered one of the better places to receive a B.S. in social work. I hope all goes well for him!

I totally disagree with the advice that you need your Master's degree to go anywhere in this field. I received my BSW four years ago and love the work I do. I've found that without experience in the field, a Master's degree gives great education, but not nearly enough real experience. You end up being overqualified for entry level jobs, but without the hands-on knowledge to take on a higher-level position. Don't spend your time on a Master's until you know more about what you want to do within this line of work. Your education will be worth so much more if you've spent time working in social systems already.
All the best,
~T.

I'm not, but I bet if he called Larimer County, someone there would be more than willing to talk to him about what they do. I worked in a county office, and it's our duty to help all citizens of our county! Actually, I think I do know someone who is (she works at Harmony House, where kids go to meet with parents who don't have custody of them), but I don't want to give her name over a list. Email me directly.