What Degree Would You Need For...

most social work jobs require a 4 year degree...I know that Dallas County Community College has a degree plan for social work..so you might start there..but for sure, go see an advisor and see where to get started :) There are several state colleges that also have social work departments..so you might see what schools are within commuting distance and check out their websites...good luck :)

oh..and as far as an accountant..I would think a 4 year also...just depends on the job..again, I would start with the community colleges and see what they offer first as far as degree plans (much cheaper than state/private universities)...then if you have to transfer...

1 mom found this helpful

I had not gone to school since Beauty School and graduatated in 1967. I would find the job you would like and ask questions then ask the counselors how to get there. Also look at Career Builders at the qualifications of some of those jobs. What the employers want. I heard of a great job where the gal makes 60-80K a year working three days a week in X- Ray specialized work. Nurses can do it at night, while working. G. W

Definitely speak with a counselor at a local community college. You didn't mention where you live, but there's campuses all over Tarrant County (Tarrant County College) and Dallas County (Dallas County Community Colleges) One thing to think about are the programs which you can get certified that take 2 years or less. Physical Therapy assistant, Licensed Vocational Nurse, etc are just a few choices. Good for you for furthering your education; it will speak volumes to your children about the importance of education. Best of luck!

I have Masters in Professional Accounting but it is not necessary. Bachelor is enough too in my opinion . THere are a lot of accounting jobs and not enough candidates.
Market is great. I was laid off and got another job pretty fast .
I even had to chose among many offers I got.
Good luck.

S.,
I would talk to a counselor at a local junior/community college. My mom is a social worker and has a master's degree, although I think the minimum is a bachelor's degree. Don't let the length of time it takes to get a degree be discouraging to you! My husband has a GED. He is 40 now and just got accepted into an allied health program at Weatherford College. He's been going to school taking basics pre-requisites for 5 years (1-2 classes at a time). He will FINALLY be done with school in 2 more years. My advice- just start taking some of you basics now and talk to the school counselors about your options. Good luck!
S.

Susan,
I am a social worker and have a bachelors degree in social work . I have found that there really aren't many jobs as a social worker with out a masters degree. I also have found that many of the people I went to college with are moving to other occupations due to burn out. I am considering going to grad school to get a different degree so I can do something new. We get paid very minimal wages to do very stressful/consuming jobs. I would go for accounting. At least you would be properly paid to do a stressful job. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
R.

First off, great for you on cont. your education. I am a social worker, I have my bach. degree. Social workers do need to have at least a 4 yr degree. I agree with Renee S. who stated most jobs in social work require a masters now. I will advise that if you decide on sw please be ready for anything. a good website to go to is the nasw website for social workers they have good info re this program and also speak with counselors at some of the colleges.

Here is the up to date website for information regarding career specifics such as daily work life, location, pay, benefits, rate of job growth and advancment, and educastion needed.

It's fun to browse through interesting careers and get the lowdown on them.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm

Hi S.. I work at a mental health facility and we have many social workers employed here. I'd recommend going to our website and looking at the quatifications needed in the employment section. www.mhmrtc.org. Hope this helps!

Hi S.,
I'm sending Kudo's your way for furthering your education! I think that's awesome. An education is something that no one can ever take away from you.

I work in a sort of accounting role now. However, I have a four year degree in Social Work. And I have to say that they are as different as night and day regarding the type of work, satisfaction level, job market etc.

I studied social work because it was a personal passion. Not because it would bring home the bacon. And way back when I was in college I was determined to do what "I wanted" not what dad/mom wanted.

So, I'll try to make this a short story. When I graduated there were no jobs for social workers with just a 4-year degree. I could start somewhere for very little money and work my backside off. Yes, I'd probably get a "star in my crown" for the work I would have done but it would have been stressful, demanding and even in some cases, dangerous work. So I worked for 1 year out of college as a nursing home social worker.

After a year, I found a job where I could train specifically for my current position. So now, I've been in the finance field for over 14 years. I do many things in accounting and finance but I don't have any sort of degree in accounting. I'm making a very healthy salary and absolutely love the job. I wouldn't go back to social work even if I had to.

Think long and hard about what you want to get out of furthering your education. And about what you really want to do before you sink money into your next career. Then make your decision from there. Because looking back, I wish I had listened to my dad.....

Good Luck!
D.

As Susan said, your best bet would be to talk to a counselor at a community college. However, like just about any job, what degree you need depends on how far you want to go and what you expect to be paid. I have a friend with a Master's Degree for Social Work but she still needed to do more internship type training for a couple of years to get the job she had planned on and changed her mind. She's in the Mortgage industry now - go figure! As for accounting, you could make it as a staff accountant/bookkeeper with a two year degree, but wouldn't get much of a career until you get a Bachelor's. My husband has an MBA in Accounting and he says there is a lot of competition even with that for the management and decently paying jobs.

Good for you for planning on getting more education though. When my mother had me, she didn't even have her GED. We graduated form college the same year. She's now making close to 6 figures as a nurse and adores her job. It was tough for her, but very possible to do anything you want to! Best of luck!