Many freshmen students start out college undeclared; they aren’t sure what they want to major in and hope to use their first year to find something they want to study. Unfortunately, many students take up to 2 years to decide on a major, and they may even switch majors several times up into their junior year. This wastes a lot of time and money, and can significantly delay graduation.

If you have no idea what you want to major in, one option you might consider is taking time off from college. If taking a break isn’t an option for you, doing your research and finding a major you can be passionate about should be your number one priority. The sooner you declare a major that you want to stick with, the more you can focus on taking the classes you need to graduate, allowing you to stay on track to graduate on time. 

This social work feature is one in a continuing series of “Undeclared” posts. Other majors that have been explored include web development, cybersecurity, education, linguistics, data sciences, communications, health administration, and accounting.

A Degree In Social Work

People tend to dive into social work because they want to help others. Unlike degrees in counseling, the collegiate field of social work has a less specific career path. Social workers operate under many different titles and occupations, and the offshoots from the professional roads they take are many.

The educational experience of a social work major involves a lot of hands-on field work in comparison to other majors. Students who may have studied foreign languages and psychology in high school may find they have an upper hand. If they’re also outgoing and enjoy both connecting with people and deep diving into psychology, they may thrive in the field. The national average salary for social workers is around $44K.

If you’re curious and would like to know what the life of a social worker could look like for you, then you’re in luck! Here are just a few of the things you can do with a social work degree.

Health Educators

The work of a health educator is to teach individuals and communities about general wellness. Additionally, they work to implement health programs within schools, businesses, and other organizations. Whether the environment they’re working in is corporate, institutional, or non profit, they often focus on areas and populations that are at risk. 

The changes that health educators are trying to make often start with diagnosing structural problems within a community or organization — for instance, are children in the area being vaccinated, and if they aren’t, why not? After getting to know the environment they’re working in and what the most common threats to general health are, change can be implemented. This can be done by holding informational classes, sharing relevant media, and drafting new rules with policy makers and organizational leaders. Additionally, they may work with administrators to help keep track of individuals due for tests or medical procedures.

In the era of #metoo, health educators have an additional challenge. While sexual wellness is an important part of health education, sexual harassment is a related issue in culture at large. Educating communities on the importance of sexual health is vital, as is teaching about consent, harassment, and assault.

Employee Assistance Program Counselor

For individuals with mental roadblocks, there are employee assistance programs, or EAPs. What an EAP counselor does is ensure that other people can be efficient in their work by helping them and their families cope with emotional stress or mental illness. EAPs are increasingly being utilized by companies around the country, and sometimes in-house teams are built as well.

The need for employee assistants can be traced to a rising focus on mental health, which is a persistent problem for American adults. According to the World Health Organization, around 264 million people suffer from depression, with other forms of anxiety being closely related. These are often correlated with the loss of productivity, showing the importance of mental health within society.

Thus, EAP counselors use their social work expertise — regarding psychology and interpersonal communication — to help individuals combat these setbacks. They are crucial for companies to be able to hire highly qualified individuals that may be combating negative mental health. Ethically and organizationally, EAP counselors are a crucial part of an inclusive and equal work environment.

Veteran Health Affairs Social Worker

As explained by Regis College, a master’s in social work can specifically help our men and women in the military get back into post-service society. People with master’s degrees in social work are more likely to possess the skills to work with veterans that have mental and physical disabilities. Social workers’ access to resources for those who are living in poverty is also of unique importance, as a good portion of our homeless population is made up of veterans.

Notably, the Veterans Health Affairs, or VHA is the leading hirer of social workers. Many veterans are in need of help readjusting once returning from combat. The goal of these hires is often to help veterans come to treatment or rehabilitation post-service.

If you’re looking for a way to serve our country with your social worker degree, this is a practical way to do so. VHA social workers have a unique platform to help veterans on an individual level as well as a structural one. However, it may require more schooling, seeing as the VHA is specifically looking for those with master’s degrees.

Community Advocate/Organizer

Social workers have a unique opportunity to empower broken communities when they decide to become advocates and organizers. Advocates communicate to public and government agencies about community struggles and needs. Organizers put together programs to help with structural changes as well as violence, poverty, mental illness, and homelessness. 

Intercommunity problems can be discouraging. A lack of action often is the result of helplessness or being at a loss of what to do when there are overwhelming threats of danger, outbreaks of disease, or general division. Community advocates and organizers should be tasked with listening to the people affected and doing their best to offer resolutions to these problems they face. But their ultimate goal is to ensure the community itself is empowered to enact such changes and be leaders in their own solutions.

Community advocates and organizers are responsible for extending a helping hand to ensure a community is healthy and functioning. They’re not just messengers, but part of the solution as well. Hopefully when they’re done, the people they are helping will have the resources to be self sustained.

Parole Officers

One of the more institutional aspects of social work is helping those who have left lives of crime. Parole officers have the ability not only to regulate and check in with former criminals, but to form relationships with them that can be helpful. They have the opportunity to work with them as individuals, not just agents of the law.

This is due to a trained social worker’s ability to work well within a community and with struggling individuals. They have empathy that some within the justice system do not. They understand structural leadership as well as personal psychology. This makes them excellent proponents of rehabilitation and reassimilation for former criminals. 

These are just a handful of the careers you can look into when you study social work. With the dynamic amounts of occupations available, social workers can help people through a number of means, institutions, and in various communities. If you are looking for different ways to help people with your professional experience, consider studying the field of social work – you might just find your calling!