Career Switch to Social Work and Advice on Programs

[flevotime]

Hi everyone

I am a business/finance grad whose been out of college for 8 years and am totally done with this career. Without going in to the mushy details, I have found myself that my skills and goals more align with a Social Services type of position.  I desire a position that allows me to be creative, and also feel like i'm making an impact somewhere in society. I also value independence in my career and don't want to be working under constant supervision in a hospital for example. I would prefer to be involved at the community or society level more so than doing the 1 on 1 counseling type of work.

My first ideas were I would enjoy to one day work as a Program Coordinator at a good company (maybe non-profit) or a position where I can help drive positive change in education in some way. 

Do these type of jobs exist in the Social Work/Services field?

Right now I have a dream of getting accepted in to a Grad School with a focus on Sociology or Social Work to do this career switch the fastest. I have looked around and yes, most schools do require some type of sociology/humanities pre reqs, but some Social Work Programs could possibly admit me if I take maybe one or two classes before starting a masters degree program.

Anyway, i would love to hear your opinions or advice on if my goals and plans sound realistic? From my limited research, it looks like Macro Social work might suit me more? Are there a list of programs online for california/west coast schools that fit my profile?

Thank you for your help

[Sigaba]

Have you considered a degree like Penn's MS in non profit leadership?

[flevotime]

22 hours ago, Sigaba said:

Have you considered a degree like Penn's MS in non profit leadership?

That sounds interesting, I'll look into it. Thanks. At first thought it seems reasonable, but wouldn't a social work degree be more versatile?

[Sigaba]

7 minutes ago, flevotime said:

That sounds interesting, I'll look into it. Thanks. At first thought it seems reasonable, but wouldn't a social work degree be more versatile?

 I am not qualified to answer your question. My recommendation was based upon the experiences of a friend who supports non profits but does not have a degree directly to those organization's core services.

Have you considered the benefits of using a resource like Linkedin to study the educational background of people who currently have the kinds of jobs you would want down the line?

 

Edited September 26, 2020 by Sigaba
Posting before coffee.

[Sigaba]

Double post. Don't post while uncaffeinated.

Edited September 26, 2020 by Sigaba
Double post.

[optimisticSW]

Program Coordinator at a non-profit does sound like a social work job that is 100% attainable with an MSW, and even more so with licensure. While I am currently contemplating transitioning from Social Work to Education, I can tell you that the MSW degree has been incredibly versatile for my career. I've done macro social work (research, evaluation), clinical social work in many different settings and with many different populations, and I've done lots of advocacy work as a job and  at each job I've had since graduation. If your focus is in education then I think a Masters or PhD in Education might be more appropriate. Most social workers I know that are in school based settings focus on counseling, programming, and folks might occasionally work in administrative roles but my friends in those roles all have Education backgrounds -- purely anecdotal. 

Edited September 27, 2020 by optimisticSW

[flevotime]

On 9/27/2020 at 8:07 AM, optimisticSW said:

Program Coordinator at a non-profit does sound like a social work job that is 100% attainable with an MSW, and even more so with licensure. While I am currently contemplating transitioning from Social Work to Education, I can tell you that the MSW degree has been incredibly versatile for my career. I've done macro social work (research, evaluation), clinical social work in many different settings and with many different populations, and I've done lots of advocacy work as a job and  at each job I've had since graduation. If your focus is in education then I think a Masters or PhD in Education might be more appropriate. Most social workers I know that are in school based settings focus on counseling, programming, and folks might occasionally work in administrative roles but my friends in those roles all have Education backgrounds -- purely anecdotal. 

Thanks for the details. Some job titles and roles I find interesting so far are:

-Program development specialist evaluate effectiveness of human services support programs

-Program coordinator at a social service program

-Bias Response Director

-Education Administrator - Assist students connect them with school resources /advising, etc

Would you say thats more MSW or Education or MPA?

On 9/26/2020 at 6:19 PM, Sigaba said:

 I am not qualified to answer your question. My recommendation was based upon the experiences of a friend who supports non profits but does not have a degree directly to those organization's core services.

Have you considered the benefits of using a resource like Linkedin to study the educational background of people who currently have the kinds of jobs you would want down the line?

 

I have not done that yet, ill take a look.