How the Social Work Major Prepares You for the Job Market
The social work major focuses on the relationships between social policy and the community, the intervention of social administration to combat the rising number of disadvantaged individuals, and other ways of bettering the lives of individuals within a community. Many social work majors are passionate about helping others who cannot help themselves, such as the homeless, victims of abuse or neglect, or the mentally handicapped. Social work majors take courses in human behavior, environmental influence, human services, and other topics related to better understanding the development and implementation of social policy. Degree programs typically have social work majors working in the field in research centers as well, according to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The combination of a formal education and hands-on training that a social work degree provides gives social work majors the skills they need to successfully join the work force.
Best Career Paths for Social Work Majors
Social work majors have the rewarding opportunity to work in a field that directly betters the lives of those less fortunate. The best career paths for social work majors are:
- Social Service Work. Social service workers have the opportunity to directly help those in need. They work with disadvantaged people, whether they specialize in working with the homeless, struggling parents, or neglected children. They conduct research in the effectiveness of social policy and administration, assist in policy development, and meet with those who need help to decide if certain individuals qualify for social aid. Social service workers make an average salary of $42,402 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, average salaries for social workers depend largely on the type of social work they do.
- Nursing Home Administrator. Nursing home administrators supervise other employees, working behind the scenes to make certain that the nursing home is run comfortably. They may work with admissions managers to handle the records for those seeking admittance into the home, as well as with the nursing staff to make adjustments to living situations and medical assistance to keep the occupants at ease. Working in a nursing home allows social work majors to make the experience of living independently as comfortable as possible for the elderly, particularly those with medical needs. Nursing home administrators make an average salary of $71,190 annually, according to the Bureau.
How to Market Your Social Work Degree
You worked hard to earn your social work degree. In this regard, you must make employers see how your sociology degree makes you a valuable and qualified candidate for any position to which you apply. Mention the skills you learned while pursuing your social work degree, such as your adeptness to identify and remedy social problems in communities, your compassion for the less fortunate, and your ability to work with others for a common cause. Emphasize the research you conducted while in school and how those projects helped you hone your analytical and problem-solving skills. Reassuring employers of the real-world skills you learned in college is the best way to market your social work degree.
