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The Rewards of Social Work: Making a Difference in People’s Lives

by Nadine Westwood

If you want to promote change in your community, support the people who need it, and empower everyone to take small actions to make a difference, social work is for you. Social work is designed to do all of these things through acts of service, all at one of three levels.

Image Credit: Maskot / Getty Images


Whether you want to provide one-on-one support to families or small groups, work with large groups of people in various settings, or get involved in the policy-making side of social work, one thing is for sure. You are going to need to make sure that you know all of the benefits.


Here are some of the rewards that will have you clamoring to serve your community.


YOU GET TO SEE REAL PEOPLE’S LIVES BECOME BETTER

One of the biggest benefits of social work is that you get to watch people’s lives change in real-time, and you get to be the person who helped them do it. Many families and small groups struggle with social problems, including problems related to poverty, race, and trouble with situations like payments and mental health.


As a social worker, you can help people with nowhere else to go. You help point them in the direction of resources and in the direction of power that they can claim and choose to take for themselves. They get to get out of the dark holes they are in with your help, and they get to ensure that their lives are better.


And you get to smile and know what role you played in that action! That right there is its own reward for sure!


THERE ARE LOTS OF JOBS TO WORK WITH

For starters, as a social worker, you can take on various fields. But if you want to focus on your education you can further enhance your study. There are plenty of jobs in licensed clinical social worker fields that you can take on. Each job and set of skills will let you help a specific group of people.


These can include jobs in healthcare, jobs in advocacy, jobs within the government, and jobs focused on helping people who are suffering from mental health or people who are focusing on various other problems. If you have a longing to work with and help a certain aspect of the population, then you can get the education needed to help those people out.


YOU GET TO HELP PEOPLE SOLVE PROBLEMS YOU WANT SOLVED

Many people see issues in the world like hunger, poverty, homelessness, and rampant mental health issues. They might not know how to help even if they want to, because these problems seem so big and they seem like they need big people to solve them. However, with some social work, these problems can be solved by normal people with the correct skills.


Being a social worker allows you to take a real stand against the problems of the world and help people solve them. If you don’t want to watch people suffer due to mental health issues, hunger, or injustice, you can be the one who helps to save them and make sure that their lives get better.


MAKING A DIFFERENCE FEELS GOOD

You will be able to make a real difference for people, and whenever you look at them living a life that you helped them build, or experiencing a benefit that you helped them get, that’s something that you will always smile about.


Don’t be afraid to become a social worker and focus on making the most out of helping other people. You will be glad you did!

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