Trying out a career helps you discover if it's right for you. This week: social work
If you're looking for fame, recognition and a bit of glitz in your working life, you may as well stop reading now. Social work will provide none of these. It is, however, surprisingly varied and extremely rewarding, and, if you like people and get on well in a group situation, it could be an ideal career.
First of all, let's do a bit of myth-busting. There is a perception that social work is all about child protection. We have all seen programmes and heard about cases in which children have been taken into care, but that's a tiny aspect of the work.
In fact, social work is a much broader area than that image would have you believe. Social workers work in hospitals with patients undergoing treatment for cancer, for example. They are assigned to people who suffer serious injuries, such as paralysis, and make sure that they are coping with their new
situation.
They work with families and individuals, supporting them through any range of problems, from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to mental illness and depression. Declan Coogan, a social worker, sums it up when he says: "Social workers respond wherever there is a life crisis."
Given the delicate nature of the work, including the need to keep people's affairs confidential, it is difficult to get work experience in the area. That is not to say that you have to go into it blindly. Coogan recommends working in a voluntary capacity, such as coaching a team or working with a youth group.
"If you enjoy working with people and you get on well with your peers and any adults involved, it's a good indicator that you might be suited to social work," says Coogan. "No group work is easy. Where you have people you're bound to have conflict, so if you can manage that, it should be fine."
Coogan recommends looking at the full range of options available within social work. "You just have to remember that there's more to it than just the child-protection area. It's such a varied profession," he says. "Training in social work will make you into a competent social worker in any setting, and from there you build up experience in your chosen area."
The job promises a great level of personal fulfilment, although there isn't much in the way of public recognition. Coogan says: "Social work is about equality and empowerment. We empower the individual and make sure they get what they're entitled to. Confidentiality means that we can't make our work achievements known, but that's the way it is."
To find out more, have a look at the website of the Irish Association of Social Workers, www.iasw.ie. The SIGs tab will show you the different areas that social workers focus on. In terms of training and qualifications, look at the National Social Work Qualifications Board's website, www.nswqb.ie.
