Study Online for your Masters or Bachelors degree in Social WorkThe US Department of Labor reports that employment of Social Workers is expected to increase faster than all other professions through 2010 due to the increasing elderly population and the aging baby boomer generation. Thus there could hardly be a better time for you to pursue your online social work degree... Online Schools That Offer Degrees/ Certificates:
Social workers try to improve the lives of people. They work with individuals, families, small groups, and even organizations. Activities often involve counseling, teaching in a community center or school, and working with government agencies on behalf of the public. Social workers help people who are trying to cope with a disability, or who are victims of substance abuse, unemployment, domestic conflicts, lack of housing and more. They might help childless parents in the adoption process or arrange for transportation when an ailing family member must travel long distances for treatment. They can manage support groups for all types of chronic diseases and conditions. In many cases, people can even get help and counseling from a social worker through employee assistance programs. In the public school environment, social workers might work as guidance counselors or as advisors to teachers and parents on behalf of children with learning or behavioral disabilities. Social workers help teachers by making sure requirements of the law are obeyed in the process of teaching or disciplining disabled students. Gerontology social workers specialize in the elderly. They act as liaisons between family and patients in a nursing home, both monitoring the treatment of the patients and helping family members understand why certain procedures on behalf of the patient are necessary. If care in the home is a possibility, the health care social worker will help in locating the right care giver for the family member. If you are changing jobs or just beginning to pursue your career, you can start by earning an online bachelor’s degree in social work. The bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement for finding employment, but many people find that the master’s degree opens the door to many more opportunities. Even the bachelor’s degree, however, requires a minimum of 400 hours of supervised field experience. Master’s degrees extend the education an additional 2 years and require a total of 900 hours (counting the hours earned with the bachelor’s degree) of field experience. It is possible to enter a master’s degree program in social work without having a bachelor’s degree in the same field as long as your undergraduate work included the required courses. Salaries of social workers range from $25,000 to $45,000 a year while those who have advanced degrees or who specialize in a particular sub-field—such as child abuse detection and prevention—may earn even more. Employment of social workers is expected to increase at the rate of 22 percent during the 2006 to 2016 decade. Hiring of those who specialize in mental health and substance abuse is expected to increase even more—by 30%. No other occupation holds as much opportunity for new graduates. |
