7 reasons to study social work degree

Social work is an interesting career, with individuals in this industry helping people with trauma, mental anguish, physical disability, and other mental and physical issues. People from various backgrounds call on social workers for many problems and look for solutions.

The purview of social work is also broad—certainly beyond advocacy. So, you are not limited to taking out rallies and doing protests to demand policy changes. Instead, you will often find social workers working as counselors providing one-on-one sessions to victims of child abuse, marital abuse, domestic violence, addicts, etc.

Social work professionals also resolve matters about child custody and adoption, child welfare, bullying in school, and career and educational counseling.

The suitable academic qualification that opens up all these opportunities is a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in social work.

The good part is that having promising career prospects opening up for you is not the only benefit of a social work degree. Read on to know why you need a degree in social work.

• Getting higher education in social work is not complicated

Often you fail to study the courses of your choice because of a long list of educational requirements that must be fulfilled. Requirements like GRE and other entrance tests often discourage people from advancing academically. However, in the case of social work, enrolling in higher education degree programs is hassle-free.

You have the option of online programs without GRE requirements. If you are unsure how to find one, search “online MSW no GRE program,” and voila. You will get many different options to choose from.

Online education is a much better choice if you want to continue your job with your studies. On the contrary, an on-campus program can become your preference if you have not started working in the field yet.

• Top universities offer social work degrees

When selecting a university for a degree, many factors merit consideration. They include the fee structure, length of the program, living costs in the institution’s city, reputation, and most importantly, accreditation status.

The good news about social work degree is that you don’t have to depend on substandard institutions to get a degree just for its sake. Top accredited universities offer social work degrees. The quality of education in their social work programs is par excellence. Therefore, you will not lose anything by enrolling in an advanced social work degree.

• Increasing demand for social workers

Getting into social work to help people with mental and physical issues is noble. But there might be many other reasons to do so for many of you. Many people choose social work for its reliability and positive job outlook. And, there is nothing wrong with it. In the end, you need a career that gives you financial freedom and stability.

For whatever reason you choose this field; fortunately, there is a massive demand for social workers. BLS predicts that the overall employment of social workers will increase by 12% through 2030. This growth is faster than the average of all occupations.

Therefore, if you plan to choose this career, this is the right time to enroll in a social worker program.

• Various options for specialization

With a social work degree, you can specialize in the area of your choice. You can start your care as a general social worker or as an apprentice of someone working in a specialized area of social work. After gaining experience and suitable qualifications, you can focus on one area to become an expert.

Various social work specializations available to you include the role of a school counselor, family social worker, substance abuse counselor, etc. Those who like administrative positions can choose social work administration.

• You can have multiple skills

Social workers are not limited to working in non-profit organizations and rehab only. They can successfully find a job in various other settings too.

With a master’s in social work, you can be employed in hospitals, medical centers, schools, healthcare clinics, gerontology, mental health, child welfare, etc.

A social work degree prepares you with many soft skills to make you well-suited for various work settings. Group assignments and projects train you to work in groups and manage group conflict and pressure.

Presentations, seminars, and class discussions improve your communication skills, giving you a replica of how you will present your ideas in a formal setting.

Apart from teamwork and effective communication, you learn to develop critical thinking and decision-making prowess and work under pressure with limited resources.

At the end of your social work degree, you also complete field education, similar to an internship in business courses, and put your theoretical knowledge into practice.

• You can earn a higher salary

Owing to the importance of their work, social workers can command higher salaries.

According to Glassdoor—a popular career website, the average salary of a qualified social worker is $96,934 per year. As you gain more practice, your salary also increases.

Furthermore, a study conducted by NASW Workforce Center states that professionals with a master’s degree in social work can earn relatively higher salaries. For comparison, the study mentioned that the take-home salary of an MSW professional is approximately $20,000 higher than an individual with a bachelor’s degree.

• Social workers train people and create better living conditions

Studying social work is a good choice because you can go beyond caring for people mentally and emotionally as part of your job. Social workers train people with valuable skills to change their living conditions.

Moreover, developing productive thinking and changing the mindset of people is also part of a social worker’s job. Hence, the work of a social worker has a much more profound effect on the lives of people and the community as a whole.

Conclusion

A social work degree opens many career options. It gives you job security because of the higher demand, and you also earn a better salary and command respect among professionals. Therefore, by getting a social work degree, you are not only serving humanity but ensuring that you have a lucrative and sustainable career with high prestige.