Is a Career in Social Work for You?

• Do you want to make a difference in people’s lives?
• Are you a good listener?
• Do your friends come to you with their problems?
• Are you a creative problem-solver?
• Are you interested in social justice?
• Do you relate well with others?
• Are you able to look at all points of view?
• Do you want a job upon graduation?

If you are looking for a career with meaning, action, diversity, satisfaction, and an abundance of options, consider social work. Social workers are people who care about people – who want to make things better, who want to relieve suffering, who want their work to make a difference. (Choices, Careers in Social Work, NASW, 1999).

If you would like to take a course to learn more about the social work profession and determine if this is the major for you, it is recommended that you register for SOWK 104 Introduction to Social Services or SOWK 214 Introduction to Social Work Practice I.

What is Social Work?

Social work is one of the major helping professions in human services today. It is a profession devoted to helping people function the best that they can in their environment. This can mean providing direct services or therapy directly to people (called "clients"). It can also mean working for change to improve social conditions. The phrase "in their environment" points to a distinguishing characteristic of social work – one that sets it apart from other helping professions. Social workers help clients deal not only with how they feel about a situation but also with what they can do about it. (Choices, Careers in Social Work, NASW, 1999).

The overriding goal of La Sierra University’s social work program is to prepare undergraduates for beginning level generalist social work practice. The following broad definition used by our program provides a framework from which to build.

A generalist social work practice social worker is a professionally trained person who can engage persons in their environment in a problem-solving process to affect personal and systemic change.

The knowledge, skills and values of a generalist social work practitioner allow the social worker to work with individuals, families, and groups as well as with the larger systems such as organizations and communities. BSW graduates are qualified to work in a variety of fields:

• criminal justice system
• mental health
• children and youth services
• schools
• aging/gerontology
• health care
• family service agencies
• substance abuse programs
• domestic violence programs
• developmental disabilities services
• public welfare (child and adult services)
• community organization
• social action

If you have difficulty picturing yourself doing one thing for the rest of your life, professional social work is the career for you.

10 Reasons to Choose Social Work as a Major

Social work majors graduate with a Bachelor's in Social Work (BSW).

1. The BSW is a professional degree.

• The BSW is a respected degree in the community and is the entry point into the profession.
• Social work is a well-established profession celebrating its 100th anniversary in 1998.
• The curriculum standards of an accredited BSW program are well known by the agencies who hire.
• The BSW degree is recognized nationally and internationally. Nationally there are approximately 400 accredited BSW programs and 150 accredited Master of Social Work (MSW) programs.
• A professional code of ethics and a set of professional standards guide social work.

2. Employers seek BSW graduates.

• Social workers are in demand in the job market.
• The U.S. Labor Department currently estimates a 33.5% increase in the number of social work positions needed by 2005.
• Social work was named in a recent US New & World Report Annual Career Guide as one of "the 20 best jobs for the future."
• NASW News (Sept. 2000) reports "Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of social work jobs are vacant in the public sector, and more than that may be available at private agencies."
• Recent La Sierra University BSW graduates are gainfully employed in lucrative positions.

3. BSW salaries are competitive.

• Salaries for BSWs are increasing.
• The social worker with a BSW can expect to earn between $32,000-$38,000 a year.
• Many of our recent graduates (1999 - 2001) obtained social work positions starting at $36,000 a year.
• A social worker with a MSW earns between $38,000-$60,000 a year.
• Salaries in the social work profession vary depending on the field of practice and whether the employment setting is public or private.
• The rewards in social work are not only financial but are also the result of seeing growth and change in others.

4. The BSW opens doors.

• Professional jobs are readily available for BSWs.
• The BSW establishes work experience through the field practicum (training senior year in an agency setting.)
• The BSW opens up the opportunity for advanced standing (one-year) in master’s programs.
• Perkins Loans can be forgiven up to 100% for social work employment in a child or family service agency upon graduation.
• Employers in all states recognize the BSW.
• The BSW is the only nationally accredited baccalaureate degree in the helping professions.
• None of the other human service degrees (psychology, sociology, human services, etc.) are accredited at the bachelor’s level.

5. BSW degree offers job flexibility.

• This professional degree qualifies graduates to work in a variety of fields such as health, education, criminal justice, children and youth services, mental health, substance abuse and family service agencies.
• Training as a generalist social worker provides a core of skills that can be applied to diverse settings.
• This generalist training allows professionals to change the focus of their work to work with different client populations during their career.
• Students with a BSW are prepared for immediate entry into the job market.

6. Hands-on-training provides BSW students with practical experience.

• Our BSW students complete 480 hours of training in an agency setting (2 days a week for 30 weeks).
• Students have the opportunity to apply the practice skills gained in the classroom.
• Students work directly with clients under the supervision of a professional social worker.

7. The BSW is the quickest route to becoming a psychotherapist or mental health clinician.

• Professional social workers provide half the nation’s mental health services.
• The BSW provides training in counseling with individuals, families and groups.
• Some students go on for additional training for a Master’s of Social Work (MSW) which is obtained after two years of graduate school.
• Some graduate schools provide advanced standing (one-year master’s program) for those students with a BSW from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

8. The BSW fulfills the social work profession’s mission to help others and to better society as a whole.

• Social workers are trained to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities to resolve problems.
• Social work focuses on the whole person including the person’s environment.
• Social work is action oriented.
• Social workers are trained to work with diverse client populations.

9. A national accrediting body accredits the BSW.

• Accreditation assures employers of the quality of education.
• The BSW is the only bachelor’s level human service degree that has its educational programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
• Accreditation insures that graduates of accredited BSW programs have met national standards for faculty, instruction, and course work.

10. La Sierra University (LSU) offers a respected, established BSW program.

• The BSW degree has been available at LSU for over 20 years.
• Classes are small (9-18 students) to facilitate much student/faculty interaction.
• Faculty are easily accessible and are involved and caring.
• Students receive individual attention from the faculty.
• Evening classes accommodate work schedules.
• Classes combine the strengths of traditional students and adult learners in the classroom (1/2 of our majors are adult learners.)
• Education is offered in a Christian environment.
• La Sierra University has earned the reputation for quality education.
• Approximately 50% of our graduates go on to graduate school.
• Several of our graduates have gone to graduate school with advanced standing (eliminates one year of graduate school).