Questions for social workers?

I'm graduating in May with a BA in social relations and policy, and as of right now the job outlook in Michigan is not so hot...





I've been strongly considering getting my MSW. I'm particularly interested in school social work, since most of my work experience for the past three years has been with children and teens who have disabilities (more specifically, autism). Both my parents are Deaf, so I also have experience with that and am a native speaker of ASL.





I absolutely love what I do, and I know I want to make a difference in my future career.





So my questions for practicing social workers...how satisfied are you with your work experience? Is there anything you regret about your decision to become a social worker?





And more specifically for anyone who happens to be a school social worker, I've heard that a lot of those positions hire from within the school district. How hard is it to get a position as a school social worker? (Particularly in MI if anyone has insights?)





Thanks!

Questions for social workers?
I have a BSW, MSW and PhD in social work. I've made a choice at each point to choose social work (looked at law, education and other areas). I have found social work to be the broadest and most versatile of the human service related degrees. My own career has been varied and diverse (including times in middle school and high school settings). Also the careers of my colleagues have been similarly varied. So I'm very satisfied with choosing social work.





As for school social work. These positions are relatively difficult to get, not because they hire from within (unlike school counselors who are generally former teachers, this is not the case for social workers). The challenge is that the posiitons are highly desirable (10 month contracts, summers off, etc.) Most people stay in these jobs for a long time. Also there are very few of them (unlike teachers - which there are many of). However, there are many ways to work with children in the schools that are not a "school social worker" many agencies place social workers in schools. With your Autism and Deaf experience you would also find jobs in other areas beyond public schools.





DA
Reply:I have an MSW and have experience in child welfare, mental illness and substance abuse settings. Each of these settings has provided their own challenges and rewards. However, after about 10 years as a direct provider and supervisor I'm looking to do something else. The work is great and the families I work with are great (most of them). However, social work positions are usually in the non-profit sector and operated by some level of government. Government is about laws and policies and not always doing the BEST thing for family. Many times my agency is simply trying to offer as much as we can within the operating procedures of my agency. It's very discouraging when you know what would benefit a family but have to fight the red tape and bad attitudes to get it. My agency recently made a decision to not help an 18 year old girl with no family connections simply because she refused help when it was offered before. This girl came to us asking for help that we could have provided - we (the agency - not me) chose not to.
Reply:wow!


i am not a social worker but i am a volunteer to many institutions and i work with social workers there. i have high respect with social workers here in the Philippines as they are doing it not for money, but for the chance of making an indelible mark in the hearts of the individuals that they help. and yes, they are not well paid here. however, they are very satisfied in their work. i am also planning to take up MSW.


i think social workers in your country are in demand. and a friend of mine told me that they earn 30 - 60k..^_^