Social Work Profession Analysis
Topic 1: The social work profession is constantly evolving, and with that, my understanding of it also continues evolving. When I was growing up I had the mindset that social work meant the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Because of that small-minded point of view, I knew at a very young age that I did not want to go into social work. I actually did want to work in the social work profession; I just did not know what that meant at the time. It is ironic because today my full-time job is in child welfare, which involves working in collaboration with DCFS every day. In other words, social work is not one idea or thing. It is a profession that offers many different paths, not just child welfare, for example. There are many misconceptions of social work and what a social work actually does. As an adult I can appreciate social work much more because it is the profession, more than others, that allows me to
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help people in a variety of ways. Throughout my personal life and in my professional life, I have tried to incorporate the values of service and social justice. More specifically, I knew that I was made to help people who were experiencing social and economic injustice on one level or another. This thought was not at all a religious path or calling, but rather, it was a feeling that I knew was right. Social work promotes diversity, openness, and solidarity while being committed to serving the poor and marginalized communities. And I fully intended to be a part of work. I have been volunteering with various social service agencies since I was 16 years old. I volunteered with anything from nursing homes to homeless shelters to human rights organizations. In many ways these experiences shaped me and fed my soul. The most meaningful of those experiences from the last ten years of volunteer work was volunteering with Exodus World Service. Exodus gave me the opportunity to volunteer with five women who were Burmese refugees. I did this for four years and we still keep in touch today. I taught English lessons, the GED, driving lessons, financial literacy, and much more over the years. It was a truly amazing experience. Today, I continue to volunteer with Vital Bridges, Chicago Cares, PADS, and for A Safer Lake County. Additionally, I work for Community Youth Network as an Intact Child Welfare Specialist. It is a program of intensive case management designed to keep at-risk families together. The families are referred by DCFS from cases of abuse or neglect. As intact workers we have to figure out a way to provide services and treatments plans for a wide range of problems. For instance, the problems could be mental health, sexual abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, truancy, substance abuse, and much more. The position requires that I go into the homes of the families. Being out in the community helps the clients to feel more empowered and as if they have an advocate. This is extremely important in order to develop a healthy relationship of trust. Meanwhile, outside of work and volunteering I am trying to promote a lifestyle of empathy, service, and social justice to those around me. Unfortunately, I find that in doing this I often have to explain to people what is happening in the world and why certain issues need addressing. It seems that there are some people who get encouraged to be active and to get involved. On the other hand, I get many more people who enjoy blissful ignorance and do not want to be bothered with anything but their own lives. It has become apparent that spreading awareness about social justice and helping disadvantaged groups in general, is very difficult.
Topic 2: In broad terms, my career interests and goals are poverty alleviation and community development. Ideally, I would like to do this work within disadvantaged communities. I want to have a career that allows me to be hands-on with the children and families being disproportionately affected. However, this is not how people would view traditional community development. Oddly enough, this career goal description is very similar to what I am already doing in child welfare. Still, I do not want to remain in child welfare. My preference has always been to work in the impoverished south and west side neighborhoods of Chicago, given the current needs of those communities versus others in the United States. Of course, I understand that there is poverty all over the world, but I would like to begin my journey in Chicago. After Chicago, the hope would be to move on to work in the Appalachia’s and then to international work. In general, I would like to be a well-rounded worker. The ultimate career goal would be to open a non-profit community organization of my own. It would be a place where people within the community and service providers, could work together on social justice and poverty alleviation. My organization would be easily accessible to community members and would hopefully, employ some of them. The organization’s mission would be to alleviate poverty within communities by having a variety of programs such as: Head Start, counseling, GED classes, a pantry, a meal program, 10-15 shelter beds, an on-site social worker, financial literacy, youth mentors, job assistance, and an after school program. Overall, I would like the organization to work on preventing the cycle of poverty. The goal is not only to make a difference in communities but to help people better understand what poverty is and how it affects all of us. Because poverty is a multifaceted issue, this hypothetical organization would address multiple social issues such as education, employment, hunger, mental health, homelessness, criminalization, and so on. With that said, an MSW from Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work (Carthage) will allow me to expand my role as a change agent and social worker.
I believe that this MSW program can help me better fulfill my goals of giving people the human rights they deserve, alleviating poverty, and changing broken communities into thriving communities. Although I am currently working in the field, child welfare is not my end goal. People who are living in vulnerable communities are constantly being made to feel insignificant. I believe that an MSW can further my desired work to alleviate this feeling of inferiority by alleviating poverty. I experienced first-hand the difference that community social work can make. I grew up in what was considered a vulnerable community. People are always surprised to learn how I grew up because they have this skewed idea of where vulnerable communities exist. My community was struggling with teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and gang violence, to name a few. In my home, there were even more social
issues.
Topic 3: Since I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in 2014, I have been pressuring myself to go back and get my master’s degree. I always had an excuse for why it was not the right time. The excuses were the cost of the program, flexibility of my job, my personal life, transportation, and necessity-did I need this degree? I have realized that the right time is now. Even though I do not need an MSW, in order to pursue my career goals and have a better chance at positively changing communities, an MSW would be beneficial. Working in the child welfare field has also helped me realize that it is not a permanent career choice. Child welfare work does not address everything that I would like my career to involve. Fortunately, I found the Loyola Carthage MSW program. It has the flexibility which would allow me to continue my full-time job while being able to take classes and complete an internship. Moreover, I have an amazing support system of friends, family, and co-workers who will help me complete the MSW program. Completing the internships and classes, while leading my professional and personal life will be arduous to say the least. Still, this does not deter me from achieving my goals. This can be accomplished by effective time management, discipline, and the proper coping and resiliency skills. I would also take advantage of any consultation available from school counselors, professors, and people in my life. If my life experiences are any indication, then I am more than capable of completing the demands of the MSW program. For example, at one point I worked three jobs (one full-time and two part-time), went to school full-time for my bachelors, and managed to volunteer. In order to pay for my education, I plan to apply for grant monies such as FAFSA and for scholarships, both through Loyola and externally. Any amount of tuition that is remaining will be paid for “out of pocket” and through student loans.
Topic 4: I was previously accepted into the MSW program at DePaul University. However, I did not proceed on to the stages of enrolling in classes. It became apparent to me that the DePaul MSW program was not structured to accommodate working adults. The program appeared to be flexible but it was not. I realized that this program was better suited to my needs, professionally, academically, and personally. This conclusion was made by searching through other programs and getting advice from a current Loyola Carthage MSW student.
help people in a variety of ways. Throughout my personal life and in my professional life, I have tried to incorporate the values of service and social justice. More specifically, I knew that I was made to help people who were experiencing social and economic injustice on one level or another. This thought was not at all a religious path or calling, but rather, it was a feeling that I knew was right. Social work promotes diversity, openness, and solidarity while being committed to serving the poor and marginalized communities. And I fully intended to be a part of work. I have been volunteering with various social service agencies since I was 16 years old. I volunteered with anything from nursing homes to homeless shelters to human rights organizations. In many ways these experiences shaped me and fed my soul. The most meaningful of those experiences from the last ten years of volunteer work was volunteering with Exodus World Service. Exodus gave me the opportunity to volunteer with five women who were Burmese refugees. I did this for four years and we still keep in touch today. I taught English lessons, the GED, driving lessons, financial literacy, and much more over the years. It was a truly amazing experience. Today, I continue to volunteer with Vital Bridges, Chicago Cares, PADS, and for A Safer Lake County. Additionally, I work for Community Youth Network as an Intact Child Welfare Specialist. It is a program of intensive case management designed to keep at-risk families together. The families are referred by DCFS from cases of abuse or neglect. As intact workers we have to figure out a way to provide services and treatments plans for a wide range of problems. For instance, the problems could be mental health, sexual abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, truancy, substance abuse, and much more. The position requires that I go into the homes of the families. Being out in the community helps the clients to feel more empowered and as if they have an advocate. This is extremely important in order to develop a healthy relationship of trust. Meanwhile, outside of work and volunteering I am trying to promote a lifestyle of empathy, service, and social justice to those around me. Unfortunately, I find that in doing this I often have to explain to people what is happening in the world and why certain issues need addressing. It seems that there are some people who get encouraged to be active and to get involved. On the other hand, I get many more people who enjoy blissful ignorance and do not want to be bothered with anything but their own lives. It has become apparent that spreading awareness about social justice and helping disadvantaged groups in general, is very difficult.
Topic 2: In broad terms, my career interests and goals are poverty alleviation and community development. Ideally, I would like to do this work within disadvantaged communities. I want to have a career that allows me to be hands-on with the children and families being disproportionately affected. However, this is not how people would view traditional community development. Oddly enough, this career goal description is very similar to what I am already doing in child welfare. Still, I do not want to remain in child welfare. My preference has always been to work in the impoverished south and west side neighborhoods of Chicago, given the current needs of those communities versus others in the United States. Of course, I understand that there is poverty all over the world, but I would like to begin my journey in Chicago. After Chicago, the hope would be to move on to work in the Appalachia’s and then to international work. In general, I would like to be a well-rounded worker. The ultimate career goal would be to open a non-profit community organization of my own. It would be a place where people within the community and service providers, could work together on social justice and poverty alleviation. My organization would be easily accessible to community members and would hopefully, employ some of them. The organization’s mission would be to alleviate poverty within communities by having a variety of programs such as: Head Start, counseling, GED classes, a pantry, a meal program, 10-15 shelter beds, an on-site social worker, financial literacy, youth mentors, job assistance, and an after school program. Overall, I would like the organization to work on preventing the cycle of poverty. The goal is not only to make a difference in communities but to help people better understand what poverty is and how it affects all of us. Because poverty is a multifaceted issue, this hypothetical organization would address multiple social issues such as education, employment, hunger, mental health, homelessness, criminalization, and so on. With that said, an MSW from Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work (Carthage) will allow me to expand my role as a change agent and social worker.
I believe that this MSW program can help me better fulfill my goals of giving people the human rights they deserve, alleviating poverty, and changing broken communities into thriving communities. Although I am currently working in the field, child welfare is not my end goal. People who are living in vulnerable communities are constantly being made to feel insignificant. I believe that an MSW can further my desired work to alleviate this feeling of inferiority by alleviating poverty. I experienced first-hand the difference that community social work can make. I grew up in what was considered a vulnerable community. People are always surprised to learn how I grew up because they have this skewed idea of where vulnerable communities exist. My community was struggling with teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and gang violence, to name a few. In my home, there were even more social
issues.
Topic 3: Since I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in 2014, I have been pressuring myself to go back and get my master’s degree. I always had an excuse for why it was not the right time. The excuses were the cost of the program, flexibility of my job, my personal life, transportation, and necessity-did I need this degree? I have realized that the right time is now. Even though I do not need an MSW, in order to pursue my career goals and have a better chance at positively changing communities, an MSW would be beneficial. Working in the child welfare field has also helped me realize that it is not a permanent career choice. Child welfare work does not address everything that I would like my career to involve. Fortunately, I found the Loyola Carthage MSW program. It has the flexibility which would allow me to continue my full-time job while being able to take classes and complete an internship. Moreover, I have an amazing support system of friends, family, and co-workers who will help me complete the MSW program. Completing the internships and classes, while leading my professional and personal life will be arduous to say the least. Still, this does not deter me from achieving my goals. This can be accomplished by effective time management, discipline, and the proper coping and resiliency skills. I would also take advantage of any consultation available from school counselors, professors, and people in my life. If my life experiences are any indication, then I am more than capable of completing the demands of the MSW program. For example, at one point I worked three jobs (one full-time and two part-time), went to school full-time for my bachelors, and managed to volunteer. In order to pay for my education, I plan to apply for grant monies such as FAFSA and for scholarships, both through Loyola and externally. Any amount of tuition that is remaining will be paid for “out of pocket” and through student loans.
Topic 4: I was previously accepted into the MSW program at DePaul University. However, I did not proceed on to the stages of enrolling in classes. It became apparent to me that the DePaul MSW program was not structured to accommodate working adults. The program appeared to be flexible but it was not. I realized that this program was better suited to my needs, professionally, academically, and personally. This conclusion was made by searching through other programs and getting advice from a current Loyola Carthage MSW student.