Social Worker: Job Description, Education & Career Prospects

The occupation of a social worker is both challenging and rewarding. If you aspire to help the less fortunate in the community and have a passion to make a positive difference in the life of those people, you can consider the social work career. While doing your job, you will need to deal with a wide range of sensitive issues in the community and provide workable and useful solutions to those problems. It definitely brings a lot of contentment and satisfaction when you help people improve their lives. The professional career will need you to work with people of all age groups including children as well as the elderly. The Occupation Outlook Handbook (2008-2009 edition), published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics says that social workers work for families, individuals, academic institutions, service agencies and state and local government agencies. Read on to know about the job responsibilities, education and training required and the awaiting career prospects in this occupation.

Job Description
Though social workers spend most of their time in an office or a residential facility, their job may also need them to travel locally for getting in touch with clients, contacting service providers and attending community meetings. The job of these professionals can be either full time or part time. Those who are employed full time work for the standard 40 hours a week. Social workers who are employed in voluntary non-profit organizations perform their work part time.

There are times when families and individuals face issues that are quite difficult to handle. If not taken care of properly, these problematic issues can have a fatal effect on the lives of people. Under these circumstances, social workers responsibility is to provide counseling and support to people who are facing a social difficulty or crisis. Problems and social issues may include poverty, unemployment, legal troubles, substance abuse, foster career, school problems, adult guidance, lack of housing etc. Social workers can also specialize in a particular field or area and can perform their responsibilities in a particular work setting.

People living in a community or society are faced with such serious issues. The job responsibility of social workers is to assist people, counsel them and make them learn help themselves. They help families and individuals so that they themselves can also deal with their problems effectively. Those who are employed in the field of social work come across with people of a variety of backgrounds, caste and creed. Social workers have the responsibility of helping people fight against the crisis and social issues, thereby improving people's lives for the better.

Educational Requirement & Training
For entry level jobs in the field of social work, candidates need to possess a bachelor's degree. To obtain senior level positions and make a successful career, candidates need to obtain a master's degree or a doctorate in social work (DSW or Ph.D.). Master degree programs train students to take up job positions in their area of specialization or chosen concentration. If you are aspiring to obtain supervisory, administrative level jobs and staff training positions or wish to take up teaching jobs, a doctoral degree in social work is required.

Whichever state you work in, there are some licensure and certification requirements to be met. The licensing regulations for becoming a social worker vary from one state to another. If you want to become a clinical social worker, you are required to go for 2 years of supervised clinical experience for acquiring the certification, aside from the 900 hours of supervised field instruction while attending college.

Job Skills
To become a social worker, candidates need to have some essential job skills as well. You need to possess a lot of positivity, good problem solving skills, commitment, organizational skills, time management skills, analytical skills, team playing capability, excellent leadership skills etc. In addition, the occupation requires you to be socially competent, have patience and a good knowledge of law and legal procedures.

Career Prospects
There are diverse career possibilities for professionals trained in social work field. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment growth rate for social worker jobs is expected to grow at a much faster rate than the average of all occupations, through to the year 2016. Though most of the professionals perform their work in cities and suburbs, good career opportunities also await in rural and remote areas. With growing skills and professional experience, social work can be promoted to upper level positions such as managers, researchers, administrators, counselors, supervisors and executives among others.

Annual Salary in the Field of Social Work
The median annual salary of school, family and child social workers is $37,480. Professionals earn a salary ranging between $29,590 and $49,060 per year. With a couple of working experience under the belt, professionals can earn a salary of around $62,530 annually or more when promoted to a senior level position.