There are many tough jobs out there, a social worker job often one that makes it onto the list, especially nqsw jobs. Yet, this job is one in which there are both pros and cons. In this article, we’ll look at some of these pros and cons of this role. The idea being, by giving you a balanced view of what you can expect from this career, you can see if it’s a path you wish to pursue.
The positive side:
The positive impact you have on people’s lives as a social worker can never be underestimated. On a daily basis, you’ll be helping people in their darkest hours. Seeing the change you can bring to these moments for the better, will be a strong motivator throughout your career.
If it’s variety that you crave, then you’ll definitely never be in short supply with a career in social work. Social workers work with a whole spectrum of different service users, each with their own unique problems. Meaning no day is ever the same.
While, if it’s a career ladder you want to see yourself going up, social work has plenty of opportunities to propel yourself forward. Such as managerial roles and the likes.
The negative side:
As mentioned already, you’ll be seeing a lot of people in their darkest moments. This might also extend to seeing/reacting to some of the worst things people can do to one another. It doesn’t matter what sort of training you go through, you can never truly be prepared for this.
Compassion fatigue is very common in social work. This is a state that occurs when you are constantly always helping out those in need or distress. It comes from having to care for people too much overloading your brain in such a way that it starts to feel numb toward what it is witnessing. Or can even send social care workers into having mental breakdowns if not properly diagnosed.
Your days might be varied, but there will certainly never be nothing to do. In other words, social workers have one of the highest caseloads of any profession currently. Under resourced and under staffed often leads to social workers bearing the brunt of a heavy load. This would be stressful enough in a normal situation, but when each case can be a person’s wellbeing or liberties at stake, the stress of having a high caseload can become too much, too quickly.