How to Become a Social Service Worker
A career in social services is one of the fastest growing careers in the United States according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's not hard to see why. Health threats in the United States increase due to obesity and those unemployed need more social services than ever. Work toward a career in this field if you're interested in helping people. But you need to get a college degree as well as state certification before taking many of the best paying opportunities.
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Things You'll Need
- Bachelor's of Social Work degree
- Master's of Social Work degree (optional)
- State license test
- Doctor of Social Work degree (optional)
Instructions
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Education
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Start your road to a social services career by volunteering as a social services aide. Go to your local social service agencies and ask them if they need volunteers or interns. Many of them may be willing to take you on, especially if you prove yourself well at working with people in need. You also may be considered if you're currently studying for a social services degree.
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Work toward getting a Bachelor's Degree in social service, also known as a BSW or Bachelor of Social Work. Study what getting a BSW could entail in getting you a social services job. A BSW helps you learn interviewing skills and working with groups of people that can help you communicate effectively with people needing social services.
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Look into getting degrees in Psychology or Sociology which are also accepted in many social service jobs. However, these are usually only accepted at smaller social agencies where you may work as an assistant to a mental health professional or as a case worker.
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Obtain a Master's Degree or MSW, known as a Master's of Social Work. Get this degree if you're willing to stay in college for an additional two years after obtaining the BSW. Or, you can get a MSW as a postgraduate degree after working in social services with your BSW. An MSW allows you to get more prestigious social service jobs such as supervisors or even in the high-end field of research.
Getting a Job and State License
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Spruce up your resume and find a social service job in a state where you want to live. You shouldn't have much trouble finding a job in this field due to the extreme growth as of 2010.
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Work in your job for at least two years and gain 3,000 hours of work experience in your field before obtaining an official social service license in your state. All states require that you do this, and the Association of Social Work Boards provides a list of license procedures for each state.
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Take the state license test which is a multiple choice test taken on a computer at local testing sites. Most state tests consist of about 170 questions and take about four hours to complete as of 2010. According to the ASWB, those with Bachelor's degrees have the highest pass rates for the state license test.
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Check with the National Association of Social Workers about programs they have available for additional training in specialized social service programs.
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Tips & Warnings
Obtain a Doctor of Social Work degree or a DSW if you want to take your education further and get social service jobs in teaching or heading major organizations. It may be challenging trying to obtain your Doctorate while already working in a social service job. But it's worth the effort if you want to get to the highest echelons of influence in social services that could make a huge difference in state policies.
References
Resources
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