What career is this? (MQ career advice thread)

[Swivelinglight]

I'm at no means an expert, but I have read a little bit about the occupation. From what I seem to have gathered it doesn't appear like there's much one to one with just an undergrad in social work. I think maybe it's possible that you could work for just one wealthy individual and be their care taker; but other than that I think you usually work with a lot of different people. However, if you mean that you get to have one to one with more than just one person, then I think there's plenty of that. But even then, I don't think there's much counseling. Usually it seems more like taking care of them physically. I think the more mental counseling roles would go to those who have a masters in social work, at the least. Even then, I would think those who do have a masters in social work would still be trumped by those with masters in nursing and even more so people with doctors in clinical psychology. You may want to give those two options a look into, if you're really enthralled with the idea of one to one counseling. Like I said, I think those with doctors in clinical psychology would be at the top of the food chain (They cannot prescribe medication, except for in two states currently, so you would be limited to just counseling), however, be warned that psychology is highly competitive. Currently it's the most popular undergrad major, meaning that it has the highest number of people currently taking psychology as their undergrad major. Therefore, grad school for psychology is extremely competitive, from what I've read you pretty much need a 3.5+ and undergrad research experience. So if you're looking into schools, or if you're at a school, make sure that undergrad research is offered.

My .02

 

[ceecee]

I know [MENTION=10082]Starry[/MENTION] does this, and I am training to do fast track in this career. Is it all one-on-one counseling? I might be able to do well at that...better than dealing with the angry public.

I have a couple friends that are social workers and very little is one on one counseling. Lots of paperwork, lots of dealing with other agencies to facilitate a care plan, lots of dealing with compliance laid out by state and federal entities.

 

[Avocado]

I'm at no means an expert, but I have read a little bit about the occupation. From what I seem to have gathered it doesn't appear like there's much one to one with just an undergrad in social work. I think maybe it's possible that you could work for just one wealthy individual and be their care taker; but other than that I think you usually work with a lot of different people. However, if you mean that you get to have one to one with more than just one person, then I think there's plenty of that. But even then, I don't think there's much counseling. Usually it seems more like taking care of them physically. I think the more mental counseling roles would go to those who have a masters in social work, at the least. Even then, I would think those who do have a masters in social work would still be trumped by those with masters in nursing and even more so people with doctors in clinical psychology. You may want to give those two options a look into, if you're really enthralled with the idea of one to one counseling. Like I said, I think those with doctors in clinical psychology would be at the top of the food chain (They cannot prescribe medication, except for in two states currently, so you would be limited to just counseling), however, be warned that psychology is highly competitive. Currently it's the most popular undergrad major, meaning that it has the highest number of people currently taking psychology as their undergrad major. Therefore, grad school for psychology is extremely competitive, from what I've read you pretty much need a 3.5+ and undergrad research experience. So if you're looking into schools, or if you're at a school, make sure that undergrad research is offered.

My .02

I sampled nursing and found I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I think I want to go for emotional health specifically.

 

[Avocado]

I have a couple friends that are social workers and very little is one on one counseling. Lots of paperwork, lots of dealing with other agencies to facilitate a care plan, lots of dealing with compliance laid out by state and federal entities.

A friend of a friend of a friend of mine is a social worker, it turns out. I'm going to get his info and see if it fits, otherwise, I'm going to look at something else.

 

[gromit]

I have a friend whois a social worker, he works with at-risk male adolescents and their families. But you definitely have to be an advocate to government and community agencies, there is also paperwork/documentation/etc side of all healthcare settings unfortunately.

At my hospital, some of the social workers are involved in discharge planning, there is a LOT of organization involved there, negotiating with insurance agencies for services for the patient, getting in touch with family members, coordinating transportation, coordinating care for the person once they leave the hospital, etc, etc. It sounds AWFUL to me, like I definitely respect them and everything they do and am sort of in awe of it, but I'm pretty sure I'd last less than a week doing that.

I think it's very rewarding for the people who do it, but it's definitely not just talking to people about their problems.

 

[prplchknz]

why not get an LLC? i think that's what people do to be indivdual counselors. really you just need letters behind your name to be important.

 

[citizen cane]

Meh. It's what I'm beginning a career in. I do think perhaps being a school social worker might be the best fit out of social work careers, if any, for you. Ultimately, that is your call to make though.

 

[ceecee]

At my hospital, some of the social workers are involved in discharge planning, there is a LOT of organization involved there, negotiating with insurance agencies for services for the patient, getting in touch with family members, coordinating transportation, coordinating care for the person once they leave the hospital, etc, etc. It sounds AWFUL to me, like I definitely respect them and everything they do and am sort of in awe of it, but I'm pretty sure I'd last less than a week doing that.

Yep, this is exactly what one of my friends does. It sounds horrible to me too and I don't think she likes it much anymore, either.

 

[miss fortune]

one of my best friends growing up became a social worker right out of college... she was really excited about the job that she got with the city working with at risk kids

after a year on the job she quit and took a job in a completely different field... saw her at a get together and asked why and she said that it was a combination of the paperwork and the job itself that she'd decided were going to consume her. another friend said later that she'd seen SOMETHING on the job that made her put in her two weeks notice immediately, but she wouldn't tell any of us what it was

 

[Avocado]

Meh. It's what I'm beginning a career in. I do think perhaps being a school social worker might be the best fit out of social work careers, if any, for you. Ultimately, that is your call to make though.

I thought school social worker, though I try to say I'm not picky.

 

[Kensei]

Forget about your type and focus on your interests. If you want to do social work, follow that dream. When finding a job you need to focus on qualities that do appeal
E-You will find a lot of contact eith people in social work
N-unfortunately no N. Social work is a practical job where the state dictates your methods.
F- feeling does match social work. A job working with kids requires mercy and patience, and feelers are more likely to see the right thing to do and argue against the state than the thinkers, most of which would just focus on logic and agree with the politicians, who are also thinkers
P- I'd imagine social work is a job with scheduled cases and appointments, but there might be some P in there
ESFJs would do better according to my analysis, but since you have two letters in common with this job, you definitely can enjoy half of it, which is enough. I'd say two or more letters in common is just fine. I once worked a job where I contacted 2 or less people throughout the day, couldn't think creatively, and couldn't use my emotions. The only part I liked about it was that we traveled around town doing a variety of things, which apparently wasn't enough for me.

 

[citizen cane]

Maybe, but I prefer to do physical things alone, if possible. I work better alone, though I don't mind a little interaction here and there so long as it's not a conflict or uncomfortable interaction.

On second thought...depending on how averse you are to this, you may want to avoid counseling. What about consulting work of some sort?

 

[Avocado]

On second thought...depending on how averse you are to this, you may want to avoid counseling. What about consulting work of some sort?

Maybe. I like the general idea, but what would I consult with others on?

Someone I keep coming back to is Carl Sagan. I'd love to do what he did.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

This is a thankless, underpaid job (like teaching and police work), so I'd only pursue this as a career if you are very passionate about it.

 

[wolfy]

No, you seem to have more questions than answers. I think you would be suited to some sort of apprenticeship.

 

[Avocado]

No, you seem to have more questions than answers. I think you would be suited to some sort of apprenticeship.

Sounds like a UU joke I heard.

 

[Avocado]

Going to do cooking school next summer. I missed my chance to do it this year.

This is my second time to write this because my computer autorefreshed, and don't have the time or patience to say it all again.

The main point is this:

I feel like my Pharmacy Tech job is irrelevant to my life outside of work, so I'm going to learn how to cook so I can try that. I'll edit in something similar to what I wrote before later.

 

[Tellenbach]

Good luck. The Cook's Country/America's Test Kitchen team has a very good cookbook for beginners. I'd start with that.

 

[BadOctopus]

I enjoy cooking. It's like science, except you can eat it.

Good luck and have fun. Tell us if you learn anything cool.

 

[Avocado]

I enjoy cooking. It's like science, except you can eat it.

Good luck and have fun. Tell us if you learn anything cool.

I will! I learned how to fry an egg the other day, by the way.