Why Social Work?

[Optismistic]

Does anyone else feel they get asked this question often?

 

If I was pursuing a business degree, I don't think people would think twice. But, for some reason when I say social work, people act as though its a dirty thing, or a waste of time. haha I don't get it. I just sort of assume that most people don't really understand what social workers do, and perhaps they're also very influenced by their pre-existing biases towards certain populations? I don't know.

 

Any thoughts?

[agentofchange]

Does anyone else feel they get asked this question often?

If I was pursuing a business degree, I don't think people would think twice. But, for some reason when I say social work, people act as though its a dirty thing, or a waste of time. haha I don't get it. I just sort of assume that most people don't really understand what social workers do, and perhaps they're also very influenced by their pre-existing biases towards certain populations? I don't know.

Any thoughts?

I get asked this on a weekly basis. When I tell them I'm pursuing social work, they tend to ask about what my specific plans are. I tell them about my future plans and they look at me with a confused look. A lot of people say, "Really? Why? Go into nursing or something that actually makes money." I don't think most people understand what social work is, so it's hard to explain it to them.

[michigan girl]

The social work profession has poor visibility to the general public. It doesn't help that social workers in critical areas are underpaid, overworked, and under-appreciated. I blame the social work leaders for not conveying clearly the mission and values of social work in the media. Television hosts will ask journalists, social scientists, politicians, and businessmen (which sounds disturbing) for their opinion(s) on social issues, but social workers are usually left out of the discussion. The voices and experiences of social workers, who are trained to work in clinical, community, and policy practice, are never fairly represented at the table. 

Edited May 31, 2013 by michigan girl

[susanbe]

If I was pursuing a business degree, I don't think people would think twice. But, for some reason when I say social work, people act as though its a dirty thing, or a waste of time. 

 

I get this all the time as well. Social work conjures up images of CPS and overworked case workers. It's this image that has scared me off to social work for most of my life. But as michigan girl says, social work is under represented in the media and people are under informed on the profession. If I had known during my undergrad that social work is so much more than CPS, I probably wouldn't have waited nearly 10 years to pursue a MSW. 

Edited June 2, 2013 by susanbe