Why is Social Work Such a Popular Second Career?
More and more people these days are choosing to leave their careers after achieving professional success, or after having a child, in search of more personally fulfilling jobs. This search for fulfillment often leads to the same industry – social work. In practical terms, social work is a career that is easy to enter later in life. Attainable education, employment stability, professional diversity and career satisfaction are the key reasons people want to move into this rewarding industry as a second career.
Social Work Education for a Second Career
The numerous educational options for the field of social work give mature students the confidence and competence needed to move into a new work arena. Becoming a social worker normally requires a bachelor's degree in social work, or in a related field such as sociology or psychology. A bachelor's degree in social work along with the proper certification can lead to an entry-level position as a caseworker, mental health assistant, group home worker, or residential counselor.
If you have already attained a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in a different field, you can instead return to school for a master's degree in social work. This will generally lead to an administrative, executive, or clinical position in social work. Most accredited universities offering master's degrees in social work offer several options: a comprehensive two-year program, an accelerated program, an advanced standing program, or a three-to-four year part-time option. The majority of master's students choose part-time study so they can continue with current jobs or duties at home.
The Demand for Social Workers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , social workers can expect to see a 16-percent increase in employment opportunities by 2018. Furthermore, gerontology social workers can expect to see a 22-percent increase in the demand for work as the Baby Boom generation ages. According to the Geriatric Social Work Initiative , one out of five Americans will be 65 or older by 2030, and social workers will be much needed to provide human services and care to the aging population. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that there are also plenty of excellent prospects in social work fields including child, family, and school social workers (12-percent increase); mental and substance abuse social workers (20-percent increase); and medical and public health social workers (22-percent increase).
Diversity in Social Work Career Options
Social work is an attractive second career because it combines aspects of several different industries. Social work combines hands-on involvement, administrative duties, public speaking, problem solving, human behavioral analysis and social research. This means that experience gained from other positions – or from life in general – can be a passport to thriving in human services work.
There are also a number of fields a social worker can work in, from public agencies to private businesses. Social workers hold positions in child welfare agencies, community centers, detention centers, domestic violence agencies, medical and psychiatric hospitals, schools, nursing homes, mental health clinics, youth service agencies, substance abuse agencies and residential treatment facilities. Such diversity is seldom found in a traditional office job.
A Fulfilling Career
Social work is a career that offers hands-on opportunities to help people who are in difficulty. The economic downturn has meant that more people than ever are now in need of help, and their visibility is leading many people to turn to a career where people, not money, come first.
It should not come as a surprise that it takes time to figure out what is most important for you in your career, or indeed that different values weigh differently at different points in your life. Many professionals only decide that they want to do something about their dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in society after a significant amount of lived experience. Once they realize that social work is the perfect industry to make a difference, a career change seems the logical next step.
Helping people learn how to help themselves is a very rewarding professional experience, and is often the main reason people seek to work in this industry.
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Article Resources:
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Geriatric Social Work Initiative
National Association of Social Workers
Syracuse University School of Social Work