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This guide contains
only a partial list of occupational titles and career fields that
may be of interest to students considering a social work major.
In addition to the skills and knowledge gained through your
college course work in this major, you may also need to acquire
career related work experience, additional work related skills
and/or additional education. Some of the occupations require
an advanced degree to enter the field.
After you have
identified possible occupations of interest to you, it is important
to investigate the nature of work; education and training
requirements; skills and special talents needed; types of employers;
future trends and employment outlook related to each of these
careers.
We have set up
links to internet sites that provide detailed descriptions of these
occupations. You may want to research these occupations by
reading the books and literature available in the Philadelphia House
Career Resource Library, by talking with individuals working in the
field and by contacting related professional associations.
This guide also provides information about
obtaining related work experience including links to possible internships.
However for the best information on current, local internships contact Sally
Cardenas, Director of Internships and Community-Based Learning at 562-464-4533
or email her at scardenas@whittier.edu.
Career Options
| Social Work Related Occupations |
|
Activist |
Adoption
Caseworker |
AIDS
Counselor |
| Agency
Director |
Bilingual/bicultural
program specialist |
Caseworker |
|
Child Life Specialist |
Child welfare
caseworker |
Clinical Social Work |
|
Community Organization Administrator |
Community Outreach Worker |
Coordinator of minority programs |
|
Crisis Center Counselor |
Director of Social Services |
Eligibility
Worker |
| Employee Assistance
Program Specialist |
Employment
/Occupation Social Work |
Family
Caseworker |
|
Forensic Social
Work |
Genetic counselor |
Geriatrics
Caseworker |
| Gerontological
counselor/therapist |
Government
Relations |
Grief
Counselor |
| Group Worker |
Guidance counselor |
Health Care Administrator |
| Health Services
Manager |
High School Counselor |
Hospice Services
Coordinator |
| Hospital Social
Worker |
Intake
Counselor |
International Social
Work |
| Juvenile Hall
Counselor |
Marriage & Family Therapist |
Mental Health Clinical
Social Work |
|
Occupational/recreational therapist,
(2) |
Personnel
Specialist |
Policy and
Planning |
| Politics |
Probation Officer |
Public Welfare
Advocate |
| Researcher |
Senior Workers
Compensation Analyst |
School Community
Relations Coordinator |
| Social Service Program
Administrator |
Social
Worker |
Social Worker,
Aging/Geriatrics |
| Social Worker,
Delinquency Prevention |
Social Worker,
Developmental Disabilities |
Social Worker, Health
Care |
| Social Worker, Home
Health Care |
Social Worker,
Homeless |
Social Worker,
Psychiatric |
|
Substance Abuse Counselor |
Welfare
Director |
Counseling and Social Work, a
comparison |
| Social Worker, Public
Health |
|
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Note:
(2) refers to second information link for occupational title
Typical Employers
Hospitals and clinics, nonprofit organizations, social
service agencies, mental health clinics, nursing homes, group homes,
housing facilities, hospice programs, senior centers, courts and
correctional institutions, law enforcement agencies, international
aid and relief organizations, universities and colleges, public and
private schools, employee assistance programs within corporations,
advocacy and public interest groups.
Liberal
Arts Related Occupations
(click here for more career
options)
Marketable Skills related to Social Work Major
- Ability to read
and write articulately and analytically
- Ability to work
well under pressure
- Proficient in
interpersonal communication
- Researching;
conducting field studies; using statistical applications
- Thorough
knowledge of community resources
- Ability to
maintain composure in stressful situations
- Ability to
interact effectively with people of different backgrounds in
various situations
- Interviewing;
observing human interactions; understanding of group
dynamics
- Understanding of
human behavior
Sources of
Career and Employment Information
Career
Information Links
Employment
Information Links
Getting Career
Related Experience
To be competitive
in today's job market and to improve your qualifications for
graduate school, gaining career related work experience while you
are a college student is very important.
Career related work
experience can include various forms of paid and volunteer
experience (i.e. internships, some work study positions, summer or
part-time jobs in your career field of interest, possibly
fellowships, and some volunteer positions) The Career Services
Office maintains numerous local and national internship
listings. A few of these listings are described on the
following link:
Social Work Related
Internships
Graduate School
Resources
General Graduate School
Resource links
Social Work and related
fields-- program links
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