Social workers are experts who endeavor for the betterment of communities, the public, and individuals through better living conditions, career opportunities, harmonious family relationships, and advocacy for rights, inclusivity, and empowerment.
They have a diverse and broad spectrum to do so. They lead and mentor public welfare, highlight acts of injustice, address and alleviate poverty, foster public awareness, and condemn oppression. They also negotiate, endorse, communicate, influence, and participate in policies for the welfare and well-being of the population.
Social workers deliver these services from varied platforms and professional settings, including NGOs, government agencies, healthcare setups, schools, charity centers, nursing homes, mental health clinics, palliative care centers, correctional facilities, courthouses, and the list continues.
Generally, they need a degree and relevant experience to serve these varied platforms. But some career positions require more backup to raise their candidacy profile, such as a work permit from local authorities augments their candidate profile for a location-specific job.
Continue reading the following sections to explore some profitable and fulfilling career options in social work.
- Child psychologist
Child psychologists are certified mental health experts who help youngsters, teens, adolescents, and toddlers cope with mental health, developmental, behavioral, and emotional challenges, lack of social association, bullying, eating disorders, and traumas.
They examine and scrutinize factors, conditions, risk factors, and triggers that harm children and youngsters’ psychological and emotional health and then proceed with intervention approaches and cognitive therapies. Therapeutic approaches may include behavior management, talk therapy, mindfulness, games, cognitive therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, family therapy, and others.
Child psychology is a popular career direction with innumerable high-paying job opportunities. But you have to earn a license if you intend to practice as a child psychologist. Licensing further unleashes countless job opportunities across the globe. For instance, an Ohio social worker license gives a work permit to practice in the United States. Why Ohio, in particular? As stats reveal, the average salary of a social worker in this state falls between $68,000 and $82,000/year.
These convincing numbers prove that pursuing a career in social work in Ohio is an excellent decision as it guarantees lucrative outcomes.
- Marriage and family therapist
Ups and downs in relationships are becoming commonplace everywhere. People fall behind in their marriage and other family-related responsibilities trying to accommodate in a fast-paced world. Professional responsibility and unsustainable and occupied lifestyles impact their married life and other family relationships.
Hence, they end up seeking the consultation services of marriage and family therapists. Marriage and family therapists help individuals mend fissures and manage problems in family relationships. Most marriage and family therapists work in private settings and marriage bureaus or offer independent counseling services after acquiring a practice license.
Either way, they have a brighter career scope. Some job outlook estimates show a growth potential of 14% in the current decade, with median annual salary packages of around $50,000.
- Drug abuse counselors
Drug abuse is a persistent social challenge that continues to damage lives and haunts more youngsters to lose consciousness and jeopardize their health. Since social workers cater to social issues, rehabilitation from drug abuse is also one of the high-paying specialization areas of social work studies.
They work in rehabilitation centers, mental health clinics, hospitals, welfare centers, and nursing homes to help people overcome and withdraw from addiction and drug abuse. They delve into the background of drug abuse and examine how addicted individuals acquire and develop such tendencies.
Addicts undergo medical detox and other withdrawal treatments in a healthcare facility. A thorough background search helps them identify risk factors, causes, and triggers and suggest coping strategies and behavioral changes that help the patient manage temptations. Drug abuse counselors also involve family members and friends in the rehabilitation process. If collective efforts of family and friends and non-medicinal therapeutic approaches fail, counselors advise treatment in a rehabilitation center or hospital.
- A Health educator
Health education is another lucrative career path for social work degree holders. Health educator experts educate and guide people about health and healthcare risks through awareness programs. These programs cater to diverse subjects, such as hygiene, menstruation, pregnancy, birth control, malnutrition, obesity, physical inactivity, non-nutritious diet, diabetes, developmental challenges, and many others.
Health educators also deliver training services for healthcare workers, social workers, and other newbies on the same path. In addition, health educators also participate in public health and welfare-related research initiatives as investigators, analysts, evaluators, and data correspondents. Since health educators can talk on various subjects and possess diverse experience, they can serve in varied formal and informal settings.
But many work in academic institutes, basic health units, hospitals, charities, outpatient centers, nursing homes, and non-profit organizations.
- Career counselor
Lack of job prospects, joblessness, and mismatched and incompatible career problems have increased drastically over the years. Many qualified individuals are sitting without suitable career opportunities and relying on their families for financial support. Financial dependence has further triggered many issues, including a lack of self-esteem, confidence, decision-making potential, and more social criticism.
Many also take severe actions and threaten their lives with drug addiction and suicidal attempts to cope with these challenges. Career counselors try to prevent such severe consequences. They help individuals utilize their potential, academic achievements, and experience and explore finance-generating avenues.
Career counselors can have independent counseling setups or work with government and private agencies to facilitate the public in career-related decisions and pursuits. They also educate youngsters and professionals to explore entrepreneurial possibilities if they cannot find prospects in traditional commercial settings. And it is also a prosperous career direction.
- Rights advocate
Even though all human beings have an equal right to life, liberty, expression, health, comfortable living, education, the religion of choice, fair trial, and justice, not everyone can enjoy these rights. Marginalization, demarcation, subjugation, deprivation, poverty, oppression, and injustice deprive many of their fundamental rights. For instance, domestic violence pushes women under male dominance.
Disability deprives many of a fulfilling social and professional life. Minorities cannot enjoy social integration, get an education in mainstream institutes, work in the corporate sector, and practice other citizenry rights freely.
It is where the rights advocates utilize their skills, knowledge, qualifications, and professional affiliations to highlight, denounce, and prevent such acts of ill-treatment. They raise public awareness and protect their fundamental human and legal rights. Rights advocate work in varied professional settings, such as intergovernmental organizations, public agencies, law firms, not-for-profit organizations, consulting firms, community welfare centers, and healthcare facilities.
Advocacy services are also high-paying careers. Some estimates show median salary packages of rights advocates are up to $46,770 a year.
- Fundraiser
Fundraisers are experts who look for financial aid opportunities for a social cause, public well-being initiatives, and charity. They have a broad spectrum to look for potential funding agents, including independent investors, volunteers, government agencies, business enterprises, charities, celebrities, and other individuals interested in philanthropic work.
Fundraisers play a facilitative role in promoting public well-being and welfare. They examine a pressing social issue, develop agendas, formulate case studies, develop promotional strategies, and present proposals to potential investors.
Mostly, they find employment in government agencies, humanitarian organizations, hospitals, educational institutes, and religious organizations. Politicians and public representatives also seek their services during political campaigns and development endeavors.
Since funding is crucial for any developmental and welfare project, activity, and initiative, fundraising experts get abundant opportunities, and their services help them get bountiful salaries.
Conclusion
Undeniably, social work is a rewarding career direction. Many get desired service packages after acquiring higher qualifications and reaching a senior-level position. But it is among a few fulfilling careers where your work outcomes push and motivate you, even without hard cash and professional perks.
So if you are aspiring to land a career where you will help others, social work would be ideal. You will get your rewards wherever you serve.
