SOCIAL WORK IS HARD, BUT WORTH IT
Mariah Christine
Kaplan University
SOCIAL WORK IS HARD, BUT WORTH IT
What is a social work? “Social work is a profession which promotes social change and problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance wellbeing. Utilizing theories of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes at the point where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work” (Thompson, 2005).
Human services programs make up the largest portion of cohesive services and improving community outcomes. Social work allows you to get involved and to make a difference, in the life of person you never met. Some people are completely defenseless and powerless to stand up for themselves and I see it as a way to help these individuals get a voice that they need. Social work will always be stressful specifically when you are learning different methods and policies. It’s not a straight forward job it requires going above and beyond, and having to be innovative with the lack of a budget. People who choose this field of work should consider being underpaid, overworked, sometimes unappreciated by others. You simply have to be selfless, whole-heartily, and understanding. It’s a rough field of study to join, but always rewarding in the end. I don’t consider anyone choose this career for money. “Social work is also a job, whether we are talking about child sexual abuse or adult abuse, where practitioners encounter and have to deal with far more than their fair share of horror and cruelty. They also face the frequent additional problems of a lack of managerial and political support” (Beresford, 2011).
Social Workers moderately have a reputation for being a burnout job, because of all the caseloads that you receive all at once. It’s a professional commitment that demands the best and gives as much as possible in the ethical ways that are the foundations of this profession. As you can see being a Social Worker is a hard job you have to put in a lot of experience to get this job. “Before, during and following social work education and practice, social workers continue to process their life experiences and integrate those into practice wisdom. Although they recognize significant stressors in their backgrounds and generally identify those as underpinning their choice of a social work career, they do not stay stuck. Instead, when they consider their personal family background, they narrate stories that involve developing resilience and a special empathy towards others who experience personal difficulties. They reflect on a quest for meaning that is resolved via a commitment to justice” (Buchbinder 2007).

References
1. Beresford, Peter. (2011). Joe Public Blog. What every social work student should know. Retrieved from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2011/oct/03/social-work-students-tips
2. Buchbinder, E. (2007) ‘Being a social worker as an existential commitment: From vulnerability to meaningful purpose.’ The Humanistic Psychologist 35, 2, 161–174.
3. Understanding Social work, Neil Thompson, 2005, page 13, 2nd Edition
Footnotes
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