Important skills for a social worker to have, and why it’s a great career to retrain in

There are some careers that people feel a real calling for, such as being a teacher or working in medicine. Another field that people often find themselves naturally drawn towards is social work. This is perhaps more true now than ever thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting just how vital social workers and the services they advocate for are in today's society. Another effect the pandemic has had is to get people thinking about what's important in life and how they want to spend their time, both at home and at work. So, if you have been considering making a career change in 2021, perhaps to a sphere in which you can devote more time to helping others, social work might just be the answer you've been looking for.

Unlike medicine, training for a career as a social worker doesn't require returning to college for a very lengthy and expensive qualification. In fact, a Master's in Social Work (MSW) degree is generally open to anyone with an undergraduate degree in any subject. Plus the increasing availability of high-quality online MSW programs means that it's a course you can take alongside your existing work and family commitments – making the degree available to a much wider and more diverse group of people.

This article will look at the job of a social worker, the skills you need to excel in the role, why it's a great career to retrain in, and how to become one via online MSW programs. Read on to find out more!

What does a social worker do?

In essence, the role of a social worker is to help the most vulnerable people in our society. They do this by supporting others as they go through difficult life changes and face challenging obstacles, and also by fighting to raise awareness of the many tough issues that people have to deal with. This advocacy side of the position is less well known but extremely important, as it has been the driving force behind many significant welfare improvements over the last few hundred years (for example, workers' rights and the ongoing efforts to remove the stigma around mental illness).

The specific tasks that a social worker undertakes vary widely depending on the age and circumstances of the people that they work with and the area in which they specialize during their online MSW programs and subsequent careers. To give you a general idea of the diverse range of activities covered by social workers, here is just a small selection of functions that they fulfill:

• Help vulnerable families access benefits such as food stamps, housing, and childcare
• Intervene in instances of child abuse and neglect
• Place children in foster care or adoptive homes where necessary
• Help elderly citizens access support services to live more independently
• Watch out for and intervene in instances of elder abuse
• Support people who are going through difficult life events such as divorce, unemployment, and terminal illness
• Help school students who are being bullied and work with schools to develop anti-bullying policies
• Support school students who need individualized education programs due to learning difficulties or long-term absences
• Provide counseling and psychotherapy for people with mental health conditions
• Maintain case records and follow up with clients to see how they are progressing
• Support refugees to ensure their basic needs are being met, or to settle into their new communities
• Help those who are afflicted with alcohol addiction or are misusing prescription or illegal drugs
• Support military personnel who have returned from conflict to assimilate back into civilian life and deal with issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder
• Develop rehabilitation programs for incarcerated prisoners
• Help recently released inmates to reintegrate back into society as productive citizens and avoid reoffending
• Provide support for victims of traumatic events, from natural disasters to abuse
• Work with healthcare patients to understand their diagnoses and make any necessary adjustments to their lifestyle
• Advocate for their clients when they are unable to do so themselves
• Develop and evaluate social welfare policies at all levels

Hopefully, this gives you a better idea of just how multifaceted the role of a social worker can be, as well as whether some or any of the specialist fields they operate in are of interest to you. If they are, you can start to think about researching online MSW programs to find out more!

What are the most important skills that a social worker needs?

As you might expect from such a challenging career, there are a number of different skills and traits a social worker requires in order to be the best at their job. These are on top of the specific subject knowledge you'll gain through online MSW programs or on-campus college courses. While there is no definitive list out there, the following are some of the main characteristics that it would be useful to have. Don't worry if you don't perfectly fit the bill though, as many of them can be developed over time and will naturally be strengthened as you gain more experience in the role.

First and maybe most obviously, it's very important to be a compassionate and caring person when you work in this field. Social work is all about helping others, so empathy and understanding are key. You need to be able to put yourself in the position of others and see things from their point of view in order to figure out how to best assist and relate to them. Sometimes this can be more difficult than you might anticipate.

Another key aspect of the job is communication. You will be working with people of all ages and from all different backgrounds, so cultural awareness and sensitivity are also important for doing this effectively. It's not only verbal communication either – skills such as observation, the perceptiveness of factors such as tone of voice and body language, plus active listening will all help you to work out what people are not telling you as well as what they are actually saying. This is especially critical when working with those who are reluctant to open up to you or struggle to trust you – which is where patience will also be vital.

The role of a social worker sometimes involves having to deal with high pressure or upsetting situations, so having the ability to remain calm and collected in stressful circumstances will be highly beneficial. You will also need the confidence to make tough decisions at times. This all goes hand-in-hand with the capability to set strict boundaries with both your clients and yourself, and not allow your work to affect your home life or your own mental wellbeing.

(Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)

In terms of more concrete skills, both organization and time management will be important for enabling you to handle a heavy and varied caseload (as well as the coursework during online MSW programs!), and keep all your records accurate and up to date. Additionally, strong critical thinking abilities mixed with a dash of creativity will help ensure that you can come up with innovative potential solutions to the difficulties your clients are facing. Finally, you must be willing to stand up for others when nobody else will – because that, after all, is what social work truly means.

Why is social work a great career to retrain in?

There are lots of reasons why social work is a good area to retrain in. Firstly, the widespread availability of online MSW programs and part-time study courses makes it a convenient option even for people with existing life commitments. You don't have to relocate halfway across the country or quit your day job in order to get qualified.

Secondly, the job prospects for social workers are looking very strong at the moment. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that jobs in this industry are going to grow by 13% between 2019 and 2029, which is a much faster rate than average. Therefore, you can feel confident that online MSW programs will set you up to enjoy high levels of employability after graduating. Similarly, while social work is not necessarily the best-paid industry in the world, with a median annual salary of $50,470 in 2019, you can rest assured that you will have a good degree of financial stability, too.

Another reason many people enjoy social work is the varied nature of the role. Every day is different, so if you're looking for something that will get you out from behind a desk and engaging with the community in many ways, it's a fantastic choice. It also provides you with an opportunity to continuously learn throughout your career, as there are always new challenges to face and new approaches to try.

Perhaps the most significant reason that makes social work a great area to retrain in though is that it gives you the chance to make a real difference in people's lives. Not only that, but you get to stand up to social injustices every day and help transform your community into a better place for everyone to live. What more can you ask for?

How can I become a social worker?

If reading this post has inspired you to look into becoming a social worker, that's fantastic. In order to get qualified, you'll need to take either a Bachelor's in Social Work or a Master's in Social Work. The Master's course enables you to qualify for higher-level positions, so start researching online MSW programs to get a feel for where you might like to study and the particular subject area you might like to specialize in.

Online MSW programs generally take between one and three years to complete depending on the pace at which you study. Some might require you to visit the campus a couple of times during the course, so be sure to check this before you apply if that will be inconvenient. The program itself will consist of a series of modules on topics related to different aspects of social work, some of which will be compulsory and others that you will be able to choose as electives. These will include topics such as:

• Social Welfare History and Policy
• Human Behavior and the Social Environment
• Social Work Research
• Differential Diagnosis
• Diversity and Oppression
• Policy and Advocacy in Professional Social Work
• Science of Social Work
• Explanatory Theories of Health and Mental Health
• Social Work Practice with Children and Families
• Social Work and Business Settings
• Community Practice for Social Change
• Media in Social Work
• Social and Economic Justice
• Grant Writing and Program Development
• Clinical Interventions
• Loss, Grief, and Bereavement
• Crisis Intervention
• Group Psychotherapy
• Consultation, Coaching, and Social Entrepreneurship
• Violence Against Women
• Treating Trauma
• Global Dimensions in Social Policy and Social Work Practice
• Social Work in Prisons and Community Reintegration
• Divorce and Family Mediation
• Contemporary Issues in Military and Veteran Culture
• Treatment of Addictions

There will be coursework to complete for the modules you choose, and you may also have a longer dissertation to write or a research project to undertake. You'll be able to do those on a topic of your choosing, so you can tailor the course to fit your interests and career goals.

In addition to classroom work (or virtual classroom work in the case of online MSW programs), you will also be required to complete a certain number of hours on field placements. These are a type of internship, where you work in a real-world social work setting to get hands-on experience of what the job is like. For online MSW programs, these will be arranged at a location near to where you live. You can undertake them anywhere from a hospital or school to a substance abuse treatment facility or mental health center, and you'll be under the guidance of experienced professionals.

Once you've graduated you will need to complete a certain amount of supervised work experience and sit an examination in order to become a licensed social worker. The exact requirements vary by state, so make sure you check what's needed where you intend to work. Then you can start looking for jobs and embark upon what is sure to be an interesting and fulfilling career path.

(Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)