Career change from Social Work?

[dancingqueenzta]

Hi! I totally know where you are coming from...I am a social worker too. The first few years out of undergrad I worked for the courts, first as an advocate for domestic violence victims and then as a juvenile officer. It about burnt me out! So with my mom's encouragement, I went back to school to get my MSW. I had always thought I wanted to be a lawyer, but going to school for my MSW made me realize how awesome a job it is and how many different fields it is transferable to.

I plan on going into public policy or public administration. Other fields to look into are children and family studies, education, religious sector, non-profit management, fundraising and development, public affairs, student affairs (at a college or university), consulting, lobbying, community development, government (local, state, federal), health care management, etc.

I had an awesome professor in grad school who made us peruse the classifieds and look for non-social work advertised jobs. He then made us write a cover letter and resume for that position utilizing our experiences in social work. You would be suprised how well it went and how it expanded our minds.

Don't give up hope! You don't have to go back to school to change careers! I absolutely love being a social worker and would want nothing else, but I understand your frustration. Just think about your job functions and how they relate to other jobs you are interested in and 'sell yourself' as the talented professional you are! Social workers do awesome work in various sectors. I have done a lot of program evaluation work this past year as a freelance consultant and love it (plus the pay is awesome). Maybe consider that too, since you have awesome experience!