The nature of social work is for people who love helping people. I say love because you have to have the heart for social work and the people you are trying to help. Social worker join this field to enlighten their clients lives. Social workers, depending on what part of the field one enters they can help people with mental illness, families with problems, school children, people with addictions and criminal problems, people who have problems in finding and keeping jobs, and they help senior citizens and families who are looking into nursing homes and caregivers. There are many different working condition social workers. They work a standard 40 hour week, some work weekend and go to community event to meet with clients.
Social work can be emotionally draining do to under staffing and heavy caseload and pressure from their agencies. In the year 2000 social workers held 468, 000 jobs. The majority of the jobs are located in state, county, or municipal government. Child, family, and school social workers held about 281, 000 jobs. Medical and public health social workers held 104, 000 of the jobs. Mental health and substance abuse social workers held 83, 000 of the jobs.
Employment is expected to grow faster then the average job. There are two degrees available to become a social worker. There are the bachelor and masters degrees. A bachelor degree is the minimum requirement to enter the field. Some agencies ask that you have a degree in psychology or sociology. The masters degree is needed to work in the mental and health areas.
Social workers also have to be licensed to enter field that related to the health field. The social work field is expected to grow until the year 2010. The number of jobs in hospital will become larger because of older people leave families to stay in long-term facilities. Home health care is growing because hospital are now releasing people to go home earlier then in the past. Private social serves agencies will grow also, but not as fast as other sections. Agencies will start to look for lower-paid human service workers instead of the normal social worker.
The substance abuse section will also grow faster than normal, because abusers are now being release into treatment centers instead of being put into jail. Social workers are not the highest paid workers. Going back to what was stated in the beginning you must have the heart of helping people. In child, family, and school the middle fifty percent earn about $24, 910 and $ 40, 170.
In the lowest percent tiles, social workers make $20, 120. The top fifty percent make $50, 280. In the Medical and public health social workers the middle fifty percent make $27, 800 to $43, 450. The lower ten percent make around $22, 490. The top fifty percent make $53, 160 a year. In the mental health and substance abuse the middle fifty percent make around $23, 840 to $43, 450.
The lower ten percent make around $19, 300 a year. The top fifty percent make $48, 750. Social workers are here for the people. They are here to help the people make the most of their lives. To help them find jobs, become a better person, to help them through the lose of a loved one or just to help them find their way..