Survey: Social Work “Hot Sector” for College Grads Seeking Jobs
Phil Gardner
A Michigan State University survey says the job market for college grads is gloomy but social work is a “hot sector” to find work. Employers are also looking for job applicants who can think critically, said Phil Gardner, director of MSU’s Collegiate Employment Research Institute.
“They’re bringing in employees who can slide in multiple directions depending on what transpires over the next year,” he said. “And that opens the door for students from a variety of academic backgrounds.”
Other hot job sectors: e-commerce, entrepreneurship, agriculture production and food processing, environmental sciences, information systems, manufacturing, nonprofits, statistics, nursing, multimedia and Web design.
To search for social work job openings visit the National Association of Social Workers online career center.
Q: Do you agree with the survey that there is a potential for job growth in the social work sector? Would you recommend college students pursue a social work career?
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As a recent BSW graduate living in a major metropolitan area I have not really seen Social Work jobs as being “hot”. While there is a great need for us social workers, with our economy in it’s struggling state, there just isn’t the funding to hire us. The county I live in recently cut somewhere close to 32% of their social services budget. The other problem I have run into is that a lot of the jobs in social services I had applied for could be considered under-employment for my experience and education and do not pay well enough for me to pay off student loans, pay rent and other bills, and support myself the way I need to. After 6 months of not working full time and temping I have finally resigned to working as a bank teller and volunteering when I can to keep my social work skills fresh. It would probably help me if my state had social work as a protected title and while our NASW chapter is working toward that, it seems a long way off.
I’m going to have to agree with Sarah. I also live in a major metropolitan area and while there is a huge need for social workers and the services we provide, there is not enough funding out there to fund our salaries. Consequently even as a LMSW, I am having a difficult time finding a job in this field that will pay me enough for me to support myself and my family and pay my student loans.
Part of the problem I’ve seen is that people without a Social Work degree (BSW or MSW) are taking jobs that hold the title of Social Worker and are advertised as such. Not that people without Social Work degrees can’t do the job, it just limits those of us who have the degree.
In my experience, opportunities increase when you start to develop a specialized skill-set. It is very challenging to recruit and market generalist social worker skills, I think in part because our field is so wonderfully diverse. Just a BSW or MSW only goes so far. Find a niche, build your expertise, know your sources for why you have it, and FLAUNT it. Then you’ll have a hot job.
I agree with Kathy. I was able to gain employment right where I wanted to be despite high unemployment rates and living in a rural area with few social service providers because of my expressed interest within geriatric mental health. It seems that even though there were many applicants with more experience, none of those applying had my interest and training in the arena of aging.
I am living proof that Social Workers continue to struggle for this “hot” title. I work in a Social Service Agency where workers who don’t have social work degrees have been promoted over workers who do have MSW’s. This occurs frequently . Most social workers don’t have the necessary credentials but they are filling the positions. The work in foster care is more casemanager skills, and a lot of time is spent doing tons of paperwork. I attended school to become a clinical social worker not a paper machine. Take my advice go private and don’t get burned out with this glamorous overated title called “Social Worker” .
In my opinion, it is best to seek Post Graduate Training in some speciality area such as Geriatrics or even anger management. Finally, the VA as well as Prisons are hiring nationwide.
George
I have read the other peers comments about the pros and cons of the title/profession “Social Work” and I understand where each respective person is coming from, because a lot of jobs that should be for social workers are filled with persons with other degrees. Due to the prior, I knew that I had to obtain a graduate degree and state licensure. In the State of North Carolina, “Title Protection for Social Work” is now current, which is a good thing.
I agree with those whom mentioned to find your niche in Social Work and captialize the prior, because there is room for “Skilled Social Workers”!
Keep Up the Good Work Fellow Social Workers!!
PS – Continue to evaluate yourself to see if you may be burnt out, then you may need to re-evaluate your life (i.e: goals, attitude, enthusiam, etc…)