Top 5 Reasons to Pursue a Social Work Degree

If you’re deciding what to go to school for, you’re probably feeling a little overwhelmed. This is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make, and the pressure from your family probably isn’t helping.

You might have several different voices in your life, encouraging you to go in many different directions. Some might say, “Go for a bigger salary!” Others might say, “You’re really good at this–do this!” While you may sometimes appreciate their advice, you know it isn’t exactly working. After all, if someone had pegged the right career for you, you wouldn’t still be trying to make this decision.

Social work degree

If you clicked this article, you’re probably somewhat interested in a social work degree. If you want to learn more about its advantages, you’ve come to the right place. Social work can be an incredibly rewarding field of work, and you might find that it’s the best choice for you. Here are our top five reasons to pursue a social work degree.

Engaging Work

A career in social work will probably not be boring. If you’re not interested in high-stakes, high-pressure jobs, you might want to stay away from child protective services and work with the elderly, but most social work jobs involve real problems that need real, challenging solutions. While some might shy from this work, it could be the kind of lasting-contribution work you’re looking for. Plus, you can get your doctorate in social work online to advance your career further in a convenient way.

Education Options

A degree in social work can be either a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate. You can get hired to certain jobs with each of these degree levels. However, your options increase with your degree.

You’d likely be working in group settings with just your bachelor’s, while a higher degree would allow you to work more complex jobs. That being said, you can pick how long you stay in school. It’s easier than ever to pursue a doctorate online.

Staff consulting with doctor

Field Options

Another great aspect of a social work degree is the time it gives you to decide. Your bachelor’s will be more on the general side, so there’s no pressure for your first few years to choose your exact field. As you learn more about social work, you can start heading toward a specific degree.

Do you want to work in hospitals with patients? Do you want to work with children and families? Do you want to work with recovering addicts? Indeed, a social work degree covers a wide range of career options.

Helping People

Many people are dissatisfied with their jobs. While their reasons can range from toxic managers to workload stress, others are unhappy because they’ve realized their work has no real value.

At the end of the day, what are they really doing for the world? With a degree in social work, you likely won’t struggle with that feeling. Your job is actively about making your community and society better, and that can turn into intense job satisfaction.