By Pamela Keele Cress, MSW
Assistant Dean School of Social Work
Walla Walla College

What is the profession of social work?
If you are looking for an exciting and meaningful career working with people, social work could be the career for you. “Social workers are people who care about people--who want to make things better, who want to relieve suffering, who want their work to make a difference.” (National Association of Social Workers, 1999)

Social work as a profession is about helping people find solutions that enable them to function the best they can in the environment in which they live. “The phrase Œin their environment’ points to a distinguishing characteristic of social work--one that sets it apart from other helping professions.” (NASW, 1999)

Social workers are not only interested in helping people understand how they feel about a situation, they are also interested in helping people solve problems that change and better the immediate situation. For example, a woman suffering from depression because she is a homeless, single parent of two pre school children, may be referred by a social worker to a homeless shelter. The social worker will also explore child care and emergency assistance options with the mother as well as assist her in finding permanent housing and stable employment. In addition, the social worker is trained to provide individual therapy to this mother to help her handle the immediate stress of the situation. (NASW, 1999)

“The profession of social work is large and growing. Currently, there are some 600,000 people in the United States employed as Social Workers.” (Ginsberg, 2001) That number is expected to rise to over 1 million workers in the next five years. The U.S. Government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1998, 1999a, 1999b) “predicts that social work and fields to which it is related will be in the top ten occupation growth areas through 2006”. (Ginsberg, 2001)

What is contributing to this growth?
“The increased portion of the population that is elderly, the needs of people with disabilities such as physical and mental illness and mental retardation, as well as the larger number of people who are imprisoned for long terms, all contribute to the need for more social workers.” Ginsberg, 2001.

Where do social workers work?
“For sheer variety, few occupations can match social work, which offers the broadest range of opportunities and settings.” (NASW, 1999)

“Nearly half of all social workers who are members of the National Association of Social Workers are employed in health and mental health.” (Ginsberg, 2001). Health and mental health jobs include social work positions in hospitals, nursing homes, public health departments, community mental health centers, alcohol and drug abuse treatment programs, employee assistant programs, hospices, private practices, and health clinics.

Other intriguing careers in the social work profession include: child and family welfare, school social work, aging services, corrections and forensic work, domestic violence/sexual assault, international social work (United Nations, Peace Corps, etc.) social research, teaching, politics, community action programs and industrial social work. Social Workers work with individuals, families, and communities. Where you find people, you will find social workers.

Why is social work as a profession sometimes poorly understood?
“Despite its size, social work is not as well known to most people as some other professions are.”(Ginsberg, 2001) In addition, social workers are often portrayed in a negative connotation such as those people who “give out food stamps” or “take children away from their parents.” Social workers often find these stereotypes and the lack of recognition about the profession a constant source of frustration. ”Explaining the career choice to family or friends is often difficult because people have never heard of it before. New social work undergraduate students or graduate students may be asked “Is that a major? Is that a real job? What do you do? Do they pay people for that?” (Ginsberg, 2001).

What causes these misunderstandings about the profession?
Some reasons cited by Leon Ginsberg (2001) in his book “Careers in Social Work” include:
1) Social work sounds like other disciplines such as social science, social studies or sociology and may cause confusion. Most people think sociology or social studies when they hear about social work.
2) Most social workers are called something other than “social workers”. People outside of social work often know social workers by what they do or their job titles rather than the title of professional social worker. For example, social workers who work in mental health centers may be known as “counselors or therapists” and social workers in a senior center may be thought of as a “senior center employee.”
3) Social work is not a profession that is usually studied by students in elementary and secondary schools. Students will learn about physicians, lawyers, teachers, nurses, etc. but rarely do they hear about the profession of social work. Even at the college and university level, social work is not well known.
4) Most people do not come in contact with social workers in the normal course of their lives and if they do, they do not recognize them as social workers. Many of the services that social workers provide are for people with special characteristics or problems, such as mentally ill, being poor, being seriously ill, or being in trouble with the law. These problems represent a minority of the population.
5) The media does not cover social workers or social work programs as extensively as they do other fields of human service. Even when social workers are featured in the media they may not be identified as a social worker.
6) The social work profession has not spent much time and money educating the public about its work. Most social work is through government or non-profit agencies where time and money is limited. Some even feel it is wrong to spend this time and money on public relations when so many people are needing direct services. (Ginsberg, 2001)

“For such reasons as those above, social workers often find it necessary to explain themselves to others. They are engaged in a career that is neither well known or well understood. Despite their relative anonymity, most people in the profession like to call themselves social workers. They are proud of their profession and their work. (Ginsberg, 2001)

What kind of salaries do social workers earn?
It is often said that individuals do not go into the field of social work for the money. While it is true that people choosing social work as a career won’t get rich quick, they can expect salaries that provide for a reasonable quality of living. “In reality, social work provides a livable income for most professionals who carry out their responsibilities adequately”. (Ginsberg, 2001)

Individuals starting out with a bachelor’s in social work (BSW) degree can expect to receive annual incomes that range from $15,000 to $30,000 or more depending on type of work, experience and geographic location. Social workers with a master’s in social work (MSW) degree earn more and report annual incomes ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 or more, again depending on the type of work, experience and geographic location. (NASW,1999; Ginsberg, 2001)

“A doctorate in social work (DSW) can anticipate an annual income of more than $40,000. A few experienced private practitioners and senior administrators earn as much as $100,000”. (Careers in Social Worker, NASW, 2001)

What are the educational and licensing requirements for social workers?
To be a social worker, one must have a degree in social work (BSW undergraduate degree or MSW graduate degree) from a college or university program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Most states require practicing social workers to be licensed, certified, or registered, although standards vary. (NASW, 1999)

In the state of Washington, social workers must be registered to provide private or group counseling. Certification is available to social workers in the state, but is not a requirement to practice. Currently, there is an active group of social workers advocating for laws requiring licensing and certification of all social workers who practice in the State of Washington. If you are interested in a comparison of other state regulations, contact the American Association of State Social Work Boards, 703-829-6880 (web site: www.aasswb.org) for more information.

How does one enter the social work profession?
The first step toward a career in social work is to obtain a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in social work from a college or university program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Postgraduate degree programs are also available. To obtain more information about the social work program at Walla Walla College, call the School of Social Work at 1-800-854-8678 or visit the web site at http://social-work.wwc.edu.

References: Ginsberg, L. (2001) Careers in Social Work. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW). (1999) Choices: Careers in Social Work. NASW Press.

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