Are you the kind of person who can never tolerate social injustice and has a powerful desire to help people in need? If you think you could do more and fight for disadvantaged people on a daily basis, then you should consider a career as a social worker.
Social workers perform one of the noblest professions in the world; they will not only get to listen and counsel people who have to deal with various social, financial, or health problems, but they will also be by these people's side every step of the way, helping them to find solutions and work out their own problems.
Basically, Bachelors in Social Work are the degrees for the mortal superhero, who gets to do more than Batman (while wearing less latex).
Where to study a Bachelor's in Social Work?
Because Social Work is such a popular area and because helping people is such a great and frontierless occupation, there’s no wonder there are so many Bachelor's degrees in this field around the world.
If you decide to go down this path, you should know that, based on our data, most Bachelor’s degrees can be found in:
- Social Work in the United Kingdom
- Social Work in Canada
- Social Work in the United States
- Social Work in Ireland
- Social Work in Australia
If you’re still unconvinced, we can warmly recommend specific universities, such as:
- University of Tasmania, Australia
- University of South Florida, the U.S.
- University of Nicosia, Cyprus
You can also check out online Bachelors in Social Work.
Jobs for Social Work Bachelor's graduates
Career options for social workers include specialisations in various areas, such as:
- Administration or Supervision
- Ageing
- Addiction to Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs
- Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults
- Child Welfare
- Health
- Mental Health
- Private Practice
- School Social Work
- Social and Economic Justice and Peace
- Social Work and the Courts
Now, let's take a closer look at some of the most popular Social Work jobs. As a bonus, we've also listed the average salaries in the US based on data from PayScale and Glassdoor:
Clinical Social Worker – 57,000 USD/year
- Evaluate, diagnose, and treat various mental health issues, emotional challenges, or behaviour disturbances
- Conduct individual, group, or family therapy sessions
- Inform patients and their family about treatment options, plans, and aftercare instructions
Geriatric Social Worker – 50,000 USD/year
- Assist senior citizens with various day-to-day activities, ensuring they are safe and able to enjoy a comfortable life
- Show compassion, understanding, and focus on the clients' overall well-being
- Make decisions regarding transportation, health services, food, etc.
Caseworker – 49,500 USD/year
- Visit people at home and examine their living conditions
- Investigate and create reports about abuse, neglect, violence, or other similar issues
- Offer advice on how to create a home environment that's safer, healthier, and supportive
Habilitation Specialist – 33,900 USD/year
- Provide support to people with different kinds of disabilities
- Design, apply, and evaluate rehabilitation programmes and activities
- Create personalised treatment plans
Family Service Worker – 30,500 USD/year
- Evaluate the needs and problems of individual families and find ways to solve these problems or prevent them from escalating
- Help people develop parenting skills and other abilities required to create a safe and supportive environment for children
- Maintain an up-to-date record of all your cases and interactions
What do social workers do?
In a nutshell, social workers have to give a hand in solving various social problems. Social workers will often have to combine an office job with field work — in people’s homes, schools, hospitals, community centres, and various local authorities and organisations — as they have to engage with the problems of the community.
The daily duties of a social worker include:
- Counsel clients and patients
- Monitor, evaluate, and record clients' progress
- Identify any impediments to client or patient progress
- Organise support groups and assist family members
- Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate clients’ medical, physical, and social condition
- Investigate child/family abuse or patients with addiction problems
- Help and advise clients on how to gain educational and job opportunities
- Help clients find the best health, financial, and social programmes that provide assistance
What are Bachelor’s degree courses in Social Work like?
Students enrolled in an undergraduate degree in Social Work will always combine theoretical classes and lectures with practical experience in various social organisations, institutions, care facilities, etc.
These practical experiences are similar to volunteering work and are a prerequisite in order to successfully graduate with a Social Work degree. If you make the most of these experiences, they can sometimes lead to an internship, in which case, you can add them to your resume and increase your future employment opportunities in the field.
During a Social Work study programme, you will attend lectures and seminars and learn more about:
- social welfare
- human behaviour
- social environment, policies and strategies for community intervention
- ethnicity and race
- methods used in social work
Courses will also advance your knowledge about:
- general psychology
- sociology
- social justice
- law
- economics
- statistics
- general medicine
Read to begin studying for a career in Social Work?
Overall, a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work is interesting and complex, as you will get to experience all the challenges of this field. Students may feel a little overwhelmed in the beginning, but in the end, the reward is totally worth it.
Looking at how things are right now, the world needs social workers. Immigrants, refugees, people with special needs, even jobless graduates need somebody to connect with, someone who will empower and help them make the first steps towards improving their life and overcoming personal challenges.