It has been almost two years since I graduated with a Master’s Degree in Social Work, and I am beginning to doubt whether or not I want to remain in the field. What are my reasons you ask? The pure and simple answer is money.
Now, I did not get into social work to accumulate massive amounts of wealth. Anyone in the profession knows that is not the reality of the situation. We join the social work profession to support others; to help clients find their self determination and empowerment. I became a social worker for these reasons and more. Simply put as cliché as it might be….I wanted to help others. I wanted to make a difference in the world, even if it was one person at a time. I still do. Social justice, supporting others, is in the very fiber of my being. That fiber of my being is challenged by the mountain of bills pilling up, and the struggle of trying to make ends meet.
I have worked seven days a week, barely seeing my family. I have worked 2 to 3 jobs to the point of burn out trying to stay above the ocean of bills eating me alive. Frankly, I am tired. I am tired of not seeing my family. I am tired of compromising my well being. I am tired of living check to check. Are these thoughts and feelings selfish? I would say not. We talk to clients about recognizing their limits and engaging in healthy coping mechanisms to keep a positive well being. It is ironic we say these things, but burn out is so high in our profession.
As role models, I say we are failing to illustrate healthy living to our clients by living the opposite. I have decided to take a stand and say I will not compromise my well being. I am taking a stand to remember that I am human too, with wants and needs just like our clients. I am taking a stand to say as social workers we deserve more compensation for the profession we breathe. I am taking a stand not to live in irony. What’s your stand?
Written by Audrey Haven, LMSW
Staff Writer
Help us ensure that future generations of social workers do not have to make this choice. Please sign the Social Work Reinvestment Act Petition below.
The Social Work Reinvestment Act would support Social Work in the following ways:
*Competitive and fair wages
*Tuition assistance/loan forgiveness
* Recruitment and retention
* Continuing education and research
* National licensing/ title protection
Next Goal : 40,000
| 23,604 | Carolyn Chang | NY | Oct 09, 2023 | |
| 23,603 | Zoe Spottiswood | HI | Social workers are important and they deserve more resources to make the workers and progrmas better. It is a big part of society. | Jun 06, 2023 |
| 23,602 | Ashlynn Wigen | ID | Mar 20, 2023 | |
| 23,601 | Sarah Murton | Ohio | Mar 04, 2023 | |
| 23,600 | Orie Bolin | Ohio | Nov 23, 2022 | |
| 23,599 | Angela Bolin | Ohio | Nov 21, 2022 | |
| 23,598 | christiane holden | Texas | Jul 12, 2022 | |
| 23,597 | Sierra Wetmore | New York | Mar 03, 2022 | |
| 23,596 | Lyeza Wicker | TX | Mar 03, 2022 | |
| 23,595 | La Shawn Paul | NY | Mar 03, 2022 | |
| < > | ||||
Our authors want to hear from you! Click to leave a comment
Related Posts
I get it. It took me about seven years of practice to get to the point where I’m making the kind of money that I need to make so that my husband and I can have a house and two kids and not feel like we’re robbing Peter to pay Paul. I do think social workers should get paid more because of the importance of the work that we do and because we need to keep good people in the field.
I’ve been in the field over 20 plus years and I totally agree. It’s going 30 years and I am so tired. You can get burned out several times or should I say many times. I have gotten to a point of realizing the system that we all work for is setup for failing not really for success of the people we serve. If you haven’t gotten to this point yet just keep on working and you will. We have many people doing social work that doesn’t even like people meaning they are not a people person. We many of those type of people in high positions that makes the laws we all are governed by daily. I will help you out by saying it’s like a bandaid you out over an infected. You are to fix wound that isn’t healing. The wound is still there putting a bandaid over it especially being infected. We are unable to keep good social worker due to the broken of our system and mostly because of the pay. It’s very hard or difficult maybe even stressful to be assisting a client is struggling with paying their bills monthly and you are also struggling as well. In you mind and thought you are the client because you need help yourself. Then you find yourself telling the client maybe it’s time to start looking for a better paying job or if the client has a career you tell them maybe you should consider a career change going back to school for another field or job trade. Watch this while those words are coming from your mouth there is a alarm ringing inside of you that voice saying you need to take your own advice yourself. I will be retiring in a few years or soon. I pray for all that’s still in the field
I agree that we are over worked and under paid. However, it is possible to make a decent wage with your MSW. Medical social work is one. It took me 2.5 years to work with the VA. I now have the chance to reach a very great wage. So it all depends on which route you take. I tried counseling and child welfare. It only left me broke and bitter.
Yes I know
I lived it and my daughter is living it now. I, too, often worked two and three jobs after grad school; I still work two jobs but wouldn’t give up the second….I teach at our local university in the undergrad social work program. It probably took me six or seven years, getting into an administrative position in a child welfare agency, to begin to feel as though I was making a living wage and able to provide for my family. My daughter graduated in 2006 with her MSW and has just moved into a position in a juvenile justice setting where she will have the opportunity to advance and soon make enough money to provide a “middle class” existence for her girls.
I truly wish that our NASW was a stronger advocate for the profession nationally and on the local level…until we learn to advocate for ourselves and have some strength in numbers and dollars behind us, our wages will languish.
I agree with the lack of advocacy for “us” social workers. We do much more when it comes down to being compared to psychologists; but for some reason, they get paid twice the amount a social worker can earn especially as a government service employee. I saw the separation and it is very disappointing, and the attitude some carry to go with that “wage” I am not saying all are like this, but most I have spoken to act as if we are beneath them.
I agree
Coincidentally, I had a very tough day as a care attendant for a man who is on the autism spectrum. I began to consider the possibility of my having been burnt out for longer than anyone would like and what that is doing to my own sense of being an individual. I have been feeling that since my work days (most often 2pm until 9pm) are already planned out by somebody else (my client’s mother) and the smaller, less significant, decisions (such as how to park at an event, where to eat dinner, or which dogs to walk at the SPCA) being made by my client. Previously I wrote these feelings off as selfish, but now I think they are bottlenecking.
I feel that “Kasey ******” is no longer an individual being outside of those ridge work time hours, as my time before work is mostly spent doing household chores and then after work times generally only allow for sleep so that I can be awake early enough to do errands in the morning.
Then when I saw the title of this article, I saw in it a ray of hope. But, after reading, I am not much more hopeful for my current situation (nor am I less hopeful, though).
“As role models, I say we are failing to illustrate healthy living to our clients by living the opposite.”
-This appears to me to be a more convincing argument regarding social work wages. Maybe more convincing because I had not considered it before. Good read!
Some advice as a seasoned social worker I say to you maybe look at what you need to do or acquire doing therapy becoming a therapist. I will say this to all social workers find a way to find something you love doing and then find a way to do it for yourself and get paid doing it. I love working for myself I decide what I want to make. I don’t like working for someone I did that many years with no pay. If you are licensed you can work independent or find agencies that will allow you to contract with thru them as a contractor
Seven years as a Social Worker and ten years in the field of social services. I am considering a new profession. I have worked with several populations and have been told by my peers as well as those whom I have been honored to serve that I have made a difference. However, I do not feel valued . Within the past year I have had to endure two pay cuts . Seeking employment else where would be a solution if Mastered Level Social Workers at other agencies in this area were paying a decent salary.
I too feel undervalued is often a larger contributor to feeling burn out.
Often it is due to the very same agency that expect us to follow their philosophy yowards clients but fail to extend it to its most valuable resource. ..employees.
Well said
I agree with the article and comments but what are we going to do about it!!
I really appreciate your honesty. I have been working part-time at DSS and I can already see the strain on a new social worker. She looks exhausted. I have decided to not take the plunge at this time. I work as a lab technician at night and it is high volume and high stress but I am compensated and I don’t even think about my job once I leave the hospital. This has not been the case in child welfare. Although I love children I am considering a career with Hospice. A MSW at DSS pays $ 34,000 and they take 6% of your paycheck for your pension. I’m not sure it’s worth it:(
Wow not good at all
That is really low pay. You are probably already a member of a public employee union, right? That is one way to push for an increase in salary. Many years ago my colleagues and I organized in a private agency and pay did go up.
In south africa there is no organisation advocating for us . We are barely making it.
I hear you. After working in agencies for a number of years and struggling to support my family I was finally able to secure employment as a school social worker. The pay in education is reasonable–enough to live on at least.
I totally understand your plight. I graduated from Social Work School in 1987, and after years of assisting clients from all walks of life, now I am able to take on different jobs, as a consultant, lecturer, etc. to make ends meet. The social work profession needs much more advocacy by our leadership organizations for more and equal pay. What good is NASW, when you cannot afford the membership fees. We as a profession need to evaluate what is out there, in terms of employment, and strategize how we can make financial ends meet, and at the same time, give quality time to our loved ones. I applaud you for your honesty. Take care, VMA
That is a good point…I am not active with NASW although I am a member (too busy working!)
but maybe that is what is needed, to push for pay advocacy! Is there anyone reading this who is involved in NASW who can comment?
After working 55+ hrs a week for 3 1/2 years for a state child protective services but only getting paid 40 hrs, and in a work environment that was in constant upheaval, crisis and chronic chaos, after being unappreciated by my supervisors, by my clients, the court system, after going bankrupt, suffering from anxiety issues and being attacked by a client I finally said “enough”. My compassion fuel tank is empty. I gave a 8 day notice and walked away, never looked back. I was so hopeful in the begining, so energetic, so full of compassion, and wanted to make a difference in the lives of the neglected and abused children but I only found myself a victim of abuse and neglect by the very state agency that is entrusted to help people. Heartbroken.
I am glad ….Although saddened that it has or happened to others, as it is happening to me.
I was beginning to question my self , my core being as inadequate to be a compassionate social worker. I have cone to realize that it is because I am not being supported by supervisor as we are expected to support our very own clients.
I am about to go into my graduate program and feeling very anxious about it.
I feel guilty for feeling needy.
I hear you the same thing happened to me in cPS unit 5years and I walked!
Yes I know wow
As a graduate from Fordham in 2008,having passed the Masters Level exam, applying for a SCHOOL SW certification, and working only p/t fee-for-service under a psychiatrist for 3.5 years (closed his practice end of May), I find myself unemployed. I also always wanted to be a Social Worker as I like to help people; entering into this field later in life was a HUGE mistake.. I am now in debt, unemployed and have nothing but bitterness as I believe the requirements have caused such turmoil for this field. As an NASW member of NASW, I’m not so sure the organization is working for us; but perhaps with the Offices of Professions (State REG’s).(?) Are they trying to squeeze SWers out of the theraputic realm and back to its origins? Wasn’t it wealthy women who helped the less fortunate? So for those of us who just want to pay our bills, we probably need to opt out… Have I become a little
cynical? Yes,now its time to help myself crawl out of debt. How sad we
can’t do what we love.. Thanks for this article Ms. Haven, you have helped me to ‘normalize’ my feelings and not feel so alone in my thinking.
I have seen the squeezing in the military realm. The psychologists seem to be worth their weight in gold these days and I see several job offerings for double what we social workers are able to make and we do twice as much or more. I have noticed especially the “dirty jobs” and all you social workers know what I am talking about!
Hello can you scroll up and read what I wrote on finding a way to get paid for working for yourself I am also going to leave the field I have almost 30 years in. A suggestion if they have core agencies in your area or becoming a contractor with an agency working for yourself I became a foster parent I help the kids in my home to become productive members of society. But at the same time I help myself financially. Yes I help myself as well if anyone is interested I deal with kids that are returning back home thru Dyrs Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services I use my home for a transitioning for the kids going back into the community and I get paid doing it more than on my job
I totally agree with the article. I obtained my MSW in 2001 and the highest level of pay I have received has been $37,000. This is unacceptable for the sacrifice I have made for the field and the lack of time taken away from my family. I love being a social worker; however I feel that we deserve a higher pay and more respect in the field.
Like Scott I entered School Social Work after Graduating from Jane Addams @ the University of Illinois. The advantage of school social work is that you normally are paid on the same scale as the teachers plus the medical, vacation, and sick leave benefits and retirement plans are very good. There are also opportunities for extended contracts (summer work) and the chances to move into administrative positions. When I retired in 2007 after 34 years I was making just south of six figures. Today with my teacher retirement and social security benefits I actually take home more money than when I was working. I have never second guessed my decision to be a school social worker. In addition I got to practice every aspect of social work ever invented.
I have been fortunate like Bob to move into education after years of working for peanuts in non-profits. I am retiring as an Administrator with full medical and a decent pension with 26 years into the system. I loved my previous agency work, but often lament that if I only had those 12 years into the retirement system. Sadly, there aren’t enough jobs that pay.Finding grants to apply for is an option if you can find them. The reality is that we often get our status from our clientele and they are mostly invisible, discriminated against and lack the power to put leverage on the powers that be either by voting or by having their voices heard. That’s what we are here for!
Bob where did you work (city, state)?
Patty feel free to e-mail me. Sorry it took me so long to reply. I worked the majority of my career(32yrs) in Brunswick, Georgia. Small city with 12,000 kids and beautiful weather. I spent the first six years in Danville(central),Illinois.
As the author states; she graduated more recently, 2012. I believe more seasoned SWers were able to find a niche’ and f/t salaried positions. More recent graduates are feeling the cutbacks as many offices of mental health, hospitals, etc are using SWers on a p/t basis and as fee for service providers. Certainly different from earlier years. School district salaries seem to be the best bet, yet those jobs are few and far between. Private practice, takes years to be able to become eligible for. So sad for more recent grads.
The facts of our society make social work so important. These facts and their solutions are the only real ways to help the field. Parents and people have to work several jobs to pay their bills and also incur huge amounts of debt just to train to enter any field. These are problems and they create social ills of them self: such as stress and health issues, anger, drug and alcohol abuse, etc. I think we, as a society, should figure out a solution to these problems, then the need for social workers may be less important. Society demands more than is healthy for a human and needs to support each other better to make life worth living and not a life of just working.
Thank you all for your comments and feedback. I find it very inspiring.
As a current student for my MSW, reading this has made me very nervous. I waited to go back to school after my children were grown. I began last year with high hopes of finding a well paid position, now I am thinking I have made a $40,000 mistake……………
I am currently pursuing my MSW degree as well and after reading this I am unsure if I have made a good decision :/ I am interested in school social work but I know there are few jobs out there for school social workers…
To Nancy.. I too re entered into education for SW after choosing to be at home f/t with two of my three children. I heard the negatives throughout the process as National & State changes were being made however felt I wanted this and maybe the negatives wouldn’t affect me because I’m choosing to do what I love–helping people. Well, over $40, in debt, (schooling +) due to costs of paying for supervision, added certifcates, national test & the study guides and being paid fee-for-service. I love what I learned in school, the personal growth also is a plus and as my mother used to say, ‘education is never a waste’ however its had a costly effect on my life. Choose the path of SW wisely and just maybe you’ll have more success than the majority of us have. (I wanted Clinical, however it needs to be supplimented in another area; working in a hospital, school and/or administration–however these jobs may be hard to come by dependent upon where you live) Good luck
To Kathleen…I am going to try to not panic. This was a huge step for me, I am going to hope that I will be able to find the niche several people have spoken about. I am feeling very guilty right now, having placed this debt over my family. ……I am keeping my fingers crossed. I hope you find something very soon. Please keep us updated, I am very interested in your job search. Good Luck and Thank You for your honesty and your encouragement.
Kathleen,
I also returned to school as an older student. I did an internship at the VA and ended up getting a job at another VA. But I was willing to move which helped. Good luck
I just received my MSW, but I had worked in a public sector career for 27 years prior to pursuing my life goal of a social work career. During my internships I observed many of the hardships and subsequent burnout experienced by many in the profession. I had asked “Why don’t you unionize?”, only to be condescendingly told, “We are professionals, we don’t unionize”. In my opinion, given that social work took root in the United States during the progressive movement and often served to initiate collaborative movements and the formation of unions to bring about change, it would seem that to achieve goals of self-care and self-preservation, along with a salary commensurate with our level of education, that we do unionize. In doing so a platform can be established to argue and persuade the powers, to bring about effective change. Only my opinion.
I totally agree . Burnout in the field is a reality and with it comes nothing other than self reliance. I was reading an article of a police officer that was allotted full benefits which totaled his salary plus full disability benefits due to PTSD brought on by his mental stress brought on by his job . Where do we go when our profession has taken a mental and physical toll on our lives and our families lives and can no longer perform our duties? PTSD is a reality in many high stressful social service positions but to acknowledge it is Taboo. Therefore, we hide our feelings and circumstances & continue to endure or altogether resign from our positions with no safety net That’s our only Reality,Sad !
Wow well said I am retiring I’m done with the mess
I can’t think of any other field where the education and licensing requirements are so high, but the pay so little. The profession itself, for a variety of reasons, seems have so little respect. We could help ourselves by becoming more scientific and data driven to determine the effectiveness of what we are doing. The NASW, in my opinion, is totally ineffective, doing little more than issuing more requirements for letters after one’s name and issuing ethics guidelines.
I so agree with you. I can think of many other professions that require licensing and continuing education but the problem is that social workers themselves often do not do the hard work it takes to be an evidence practice researcher or worker. I have very little to say about the NASW and will get involved to find out what the hell it is that they do with those huge fees. As for pursuing careers that do pay more, these are careers that demand more than the dedication that people speak of. They require intellectual capacity, good writing skills, research, etc. Unfortunately a heart and compassion are not enough for the profession. It is true that the non profits sometimes gouge their workers, but a good social worker should be making more than 50,000 after a few years. With the licenses, with the hours of study, with the additional investment. And many are not willing to do it. An MSW does not a Social Worker make. It is the license!
I work at a methadone clinic in Baltimore and make 60,000. Plus 50. An hour for the six LGSWorkers I supervise . Last job was 65,000. So there are jobs out there that pay more but it didn’t happen for me until I got my clinical lic.
I have mixed feelings about this article. For one, I think all social workers BSW or MSW know prior to getting into this field that the pay was very low. Yet we choose to be social workers anyway. So wasn’t that our choice? I work in the medical field with the elderley. I feel like I am paid ok. It is a very emotionally draining position, but then thats what I signed up for isn’t it!. I live within my means. My children had the basic’s, not many frills and extra’s. However, I don’t believe very many have extra’s these days. Its a new America. However, cash would be nice!
You said the Key Words “EMOTIONALLY DRAINING “
One of the reasons I ended my affiliation with the NASW was their lack of actual leadership. There was no advocacy for decent payment for services, no lobby for legislation for contracted social workers to be guaranteed payment, and no true guidance. I never once received a request as to what I would have like them to do on my behalf. We need a better lobbying body then what is available through NASW.
????? Exactly
I did two separate internships and had five different MSWs mentor me over the course of my internships and all gave the same advice, which was to join the local chapters of specialized social work organizations such as National Association of Black Social Workers or National Association of Social Workers in HIV/AIDS. These smaller organizations may be less known, but they have a stronger sense of advocacy, as well as opportunities to network with people in supervisor, management, and professor positions. They often have hiring power and the ability to advocate for higher salaries for social workers within the agencies that they work for. Of course we won’t see a rise in salaries on a more universal scale, but these are opportunities to see salary increases in niche fields.
I find that there is not enough lobbying on social workers behalf for better pay and less restrictions. The strict standards the profession requires does not uphold our titles or gain respect by others; it is usually met with question marks by employers. Requiring 20 CEU hours is great, however at about the minimum $80.00 an hour for the required physically present CEU’s on clinical topics is expensive. There are cheaper versions but they usually are only an hour long and you spend half your day trying to attend for that one hour credit; then its 19 more to go. Furthermore, joining NASW, obtaining insurance, license fee’s, plus some state fees to be a provider is taxing. What I think is the most disheartening is that anyone can call themselves a social worker (such as in nursing homes) or can obtain “certification” in certain topics and provide social work services without any degree. In the state of North Carolina you often have to compete with an RN to obtain a job; and most will go with an RN because they can somewhat understand what it is that they “do” . In mental health, it is the mental health provider’s intervention that is billable, yet, the therapist is still the lower paid in comparison to office staff and LPNs!? Another sad blow to the profession is all of the different therapeutic treatments that you must take trainings and be certified in; or jobs requiring years of experience. From my therapeutic encounters, what we learned in graduate school pretty much encompasses the basis of what we need to know. I have easily transitioned from school based settings, to inpatient hospital, to hospice, but have to prove my competence over and over.
Yes, I did go to school hearing that its not about the money; but no one stated that its not just that the pay is low, it is disrespectfully low. I do think the profession has done a great job in getting us into hospitals, schools, and in hospice but they need to hold stead fast because I see it easily slipping away. Meanwhile, I’ll keep up the standards of the profession and hope that the rulers of the masses will begin to see how we can help restore peaceful environments while saving them money.
Reading this has been an eye opening. I have been in the field for approximately 35 years. And, by the way, I still have trouble getting jobs. However, experience does help. I worked as a BA. Certified in SW in NY before they even had BSW programs. Then, I graduated with my MSW in 1981. I’ve always worked within the health field. I have worked in every aspect of the field. Slowly, very slowly, my salary rose. It’s still not a good salary, but it is at least a livable amount. There have been times when I, too, worked second jobs. I have always questioned my decision to become a social worker for the same reasons everyone here has already mentioned.If I could do it over again, I’d probably have done a dual major in MSW/JD or MSW/MPH. This would have afforded me the opportunity to make more money. I think we’d all be happy if we were respected for what we do and if we made more money. I believe that we are the lowest paid masters prepared profession.
When I was in school, I remember hearing that we are paid so low because we work with the disadvantaged and marginal of our society. As they have very little power and do not get respect, so we, as their representatives, are also subject to the same devaluation. I’m not sure how true that is. Other professionals working with the poor may not earn as much as their peers, but it is proportional. They certainly make more than social workers.
So, what is it about our profession that allows such devaluation monetarily. Sometimes, especially in the healthcare field, it may be because we are not seen as a necessity, unlike a doctor, nurse, X-Ray technician, etc. In schools and in private practice, we are treated more appropriately but those are very competitive jobs or take a lot of training and experience.. In social services, foster care, corrections and justice, family and children’s services, homeless,
addictions, case management, the salaries are low.
I agree with Edward Ayres, that our profession needs to be more scientific, data-driven, research based, and metrically accountable. If we can prove to employers that social workers are a productive, effective, efficient asset, then we can hold our heads high and demand better salaries. In the current state of the economy, if we can prove to employers that we can save them money or generate money, and/or produce improved results, then we have an argument to fight with. Just saying that we are worthwhile is never good enough, we must prove it. And, finally, I agree with everyone here that the NASW is a weak agent. We must consider an overhaul so that it acts truly in our interests and a first step would be for them to survey social workers to find out what they want from NASW. Then, NASW could ask for volunteers to assist with the new, more truly representational goals.
Yes I was told the same in school as a seasoned social worker I have worked in every area of the field I got 30 years in I am going to retire and do something else
Much of what Jessica writes about our low pay rings true. I also think that for many years Social Work along with nursing and teaching have been considered “female occupations” and that has had a huge impact on our salaries. It has just been the past few decades that nurses and teachers began making more money. I think this has had to do with their unions and their lobbying efforts. Social Workers and the NASW need to look at what those professions have done to professionalize and organize.
I identify with many of the sentiments expressed in responders’ comments and find this whole subject to be profoundly concerning. When supervising students over the years, I often found myself wanting to ask them if they might want to reconsider their career choices. They were so full of energy and hope and I wondered how many would still feel that way five or ten years later.
One of many women who returned to school and became a social worker later in life, after my children were grown, I was fortunate to finally find myself with a decent income in the early 2000’s, working in a mental health program at a hospital while maintaining a small private practice. After I was laid off in 2010, being of retirement age, Social Security and savings enabled me to stop working for others and become my own boss in a part-time private practice.
During my full-time career, I was appalled at the salaries being offered by agencies. Before I took the hospital job in the early 2000’s, even though I had an MSW and advanced training at a family therapy institute, along with 15 years of experience, I was offered jobs that paid in the mid 30K range. Both of these jobs were with challenging populations and I found the offers offensive, and said as much. This wasn’t a second job for my family – I was a single, self-supporting woman living in NJ, a state with a high cost of living. There was no way that I could even consider those jobs, but I am sure that those positions were eventually filled by workers who were willing to work for such low salaries. Why are some of us, well-educated and dedicated workers, willing to accept these salaries that do not reflect the value of our educations and the work that we do and diminish our sense of worth? I wondered what would have happened if other workers were unwilling to accept the very low wages being offered. Is that not part of the problem…. that we accept those low-paying jobs? Yes, I understand how difficult it would be to turn down an offer of employment when you need a job to support yourself. How sad it is that our work, which enables people to be more competent and effective in their lives and enhances their ability to be contributing members of society, is so poorly regarded.
As an unemployed SWer (stated in previous posts), I finally obtained a f/t salaried position at a OMH facility. During the interview I discussed salary and tried to negotiate; there was no negotiating. I stated what I expected as a graduate w/ 3.5 post graduate experience, yet I was told no this is it, no negotiating. (After the interview I thought, may be they won’t call me, secretly hoping b/c I didn’t want the low salary.) I tried one more time to negotiate on the phone when presented with the offer to no avail, yet I took it b/c its a better alternative to unemployment. I’m regretfull at moments that I chose to place myself in a position that is at the low end of the payscale. As Phyllis questioned, why are some of us willing to accept lower paying jobs? In my case, its the lesser of two evils. I do believe I deserve more and it won’t diminish my self-worth as SWer however if, another offer comes my way that pays more (like a School SWer position) you can bet I’ll take it!
I feel that in this field you need to take the bull by the horns and pave your own way if you dare to think about making more than 100k per year. There are many people in this thread who have multiple years of experience, there are other opportunities out there. You can teach, you can supervise other social workers.
I started teaching in 1993 (community college), then expanded on that in 1999. I worked for 12 (1999 to 2011) years for other organizations, from community colleges to Rutgers University, to free standing addictions organizations (teaching people to become certified or licensed addiction counselors). I still do teach for others (2011 to present), but not as much as I did in the past. This “private practice” (1999 – 2011) increased my salary by anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 per year, depending on the number of teaching gigs I had.
In 2011 I decided 2 things in regards to this “private practice”: 1) specialize and find a niche or niches, and 2) I need to start my own company (as many times I took a teaching gig for a lower price than I felt I was worth). In doing that, I started my own teaching company, a company built on a my “brand” (i.e., my reputation in teaching since 1993, but more so since 1999).
In that time I expanded out my reach, teaching at a national conference (for free), which then got me paying jobs elsewhere, and at statewide conferences (again landing paying jobs from this free exposure).
My salary has remained pretty constant in my main job, pays fairly well, but then again I’ve been working post master’s since 1999. However, in NJ the healthcare field is taking a bit of a financial beating lately, and my full-time job salary has seen a reduction in pay by 10%, but my teaching has increased from 2011 to the point where it looks like my teaching salary may come close or surpass my salaried position in 2013.
Why is that? Because with my own business my teaching salary was not limited to what an organization would pay for a 6 hour lecture, it was limited to what the market would bear for my services. At Rutgers I get paid $600 per 6 hour class (nothing to cough at, but non-negotiable). In my business since 2011, I have been averaging $1,500 to $3,000 per 6 hour lecture, depending on the project and what the market will bear.
This is a field where we have to carve out niche to rise above the low pay the field historically has. One has to take chances. This year I turned down a job with the State of NJ making 100k per year because the nature of that job was such that they would not let me continue to teach with my own company (I could for Rutgers, but had to retire my own company). While a risky decision, I decided to keep my current job and continue with my private practice as it would have been a significant pay cut to take the State of NJ job.
My message is, there is hope, not all is lost in this field we have chosen. There are ways to make money.
Not everyone has the personal ability to teach or run a business, which is why they got into social work.
As a current undergraduate BSW student this article makes me very nervous. Should I be switching to a different degree?
Michael I would seriously consider doing a dual degree if you really want to be in this field. We are one of the five poorest paid career choices according to a recent college survey. Research in your area the availability of positions there might be and what the salary is. It will definitely open your eyes!
YES… RUN to something else!
Wow, what an amazing number of reads! Audrey I wonder if the field is right but the job is wrong? I don’t know you at all so I’m not knowledgeable enough to comment, but if you’re working 7 days a week, something is wrong.
Your family should be of prime importance, and it can be with the right job. I for example used to be an Executive Director at one point, but now am entirely fulfilled working 8 to 4 Monday to Friday as a front-line Employment Counsellor. I leave as much at work as I can, and only do the things at home for work I choose to because I have the time.
Before abandoning the field, source out the opportunities. Remember the impossible is really, “I’m possible”.
I to have been disillusioned with the field. Going to college at the age of 38 it took me 10 years to complete my education, AS in SW, BSW, MSW and taking the LSW exam. During the later part of my education I was working and still working as a Child Life Counselor on a Adolescent Mental Health Unit in a hospital. This position requires a BSW and pays extremely well. I have my LSW but cannot attain a Social Work position because there is a low turnover rate because the hospital does have a livable salary. If I were to attain a position in the hospital as a SW I would have to take a salary cut which I find extremely ridiculous considering I did my clinical on this unit and the only part that I do not get involved in is the case management aspect. Since I am not working as a SW I cannot accrue hours for my LCSW. Yes I could leave and go work at a agency as a LSW, however taking a $30,000 pay cut and have a client caseload, it is not worth it to me. I knew going into the field that I would not become a wealthy individual and being altruistic does not pay the bills and this student loan that never seems to go down. I am 52 and not at all interested in returning to school. So I am stuck where I am. Yes I do enjoy my work with the teens for the most part but it does get frustrating when I observe how much more could be done for them but I cannot help in that aspect because I am not the SW. I live in a rural area where there is a large lack of SW positions and if I wanted a different position I would have to relocate which is not an option. I have to say that when I encounter anyone that wants to get in the field, I tell them the difficulties and maybe research another field. I myself wish I had went into the judiciary field. Maybe in another lifetime. So glad to hear that others feel the same. Thank you for the article.
Add Your Comment
I am a rare breed of Medical Social Worker-I am a BSW/LSW. A new grad BSN, walking off of the podium with sheepskin in hand, earns more walking into their first job than I would at the end of my career, even with my MSW. I have been encouraged-for the sake of job security-to return to school and obtain my MSW (I actually had started on an MPH). However, I cannot rationalize accruing $40,000.00 of debt to earn roughly $2-$3/more. I am in my 40s and will have kids to attempt to put thru college in about 10 years time. Where I live, the nurses are unionized and I hear time and time again “Why don’t you social workers unionize?” I explain that as a profession, we have made the decision, time and time again, to not unionize as it ultimately would be taking away the ability to expand services and resources for the populations we serve.
You are not alone!!
Sounds like it’s time for a revolution! How do we do it when our very oath relegates us to do no harm, thus imprisoning us within the confines of uninterrupted service?
Sarah I believe that to allow one’s self to be harmed, is, to do harm.
Social Work is a profession. Jobs are available in an array of institutions, as well as private practice. I have been able to provide full time social work services, serve as a consultant, and teach at the university level with my MSW. I really believe that it strongly depends on where you live. I reside in the Tri-State area, and social service and behavioral positions for social workers are available. The profession is a noble one, however, jobs are available if you believe in the profession.
Looking back at the origins of SW provides some clues as to how we got here. At the Chicago School those professionals who worked with people, Jane Adams, etc., were separated out into SW by the male faculty and the men stayed in Sociology. The SWKRs were paid less bcs they were women and because they worked with the community insteady of theorizing & teaching other men. Theory was intellectual and therefore the work of men, direct service the work of women. Women have always been paid less because the work they do is ghettoize – women have historically been family physicans, men surgeons or neurologist, women taught children, men taught adults in universities, women sell residential real estate, men commercial. As a sociologist and swkr I know that when women began to enter sociology male faculty started worrying about salaries going down. The value society places on “women’s work” hurts us. Women take care of people who need help and that has always been considered not worth much. So yes we need leadership that pushes for direct service providers to make more money and that includes leaders in the organizations where we work. Our administrators/executive directors/boards of directors who are swkrs should advocate for us to be paid for the value we provide. And, collectively & individually, we can exert direct pressure on them to do so. At my agency salaries were increased when employees did a union drive (before my tenure.) They backed off when the agency met the demands but the agencey’s fear of unionization shows the power of collective action.
Nursing, teaching and social work have traditionally been looked upon as a “woman’s” profession. Nurse’s and teacher’s wages increased when they unionized. In my State many social workers who work within DHS or other State agencies make much more than private agency social workers. This is due to their unions. In fact, the private agencies are losing many workers to the State and County agencies. However, this holds true for many teachers and nurses too. Teaching in a private school will most likely pay less than in the public schools and practicing nursing in a doctor’s office or some other type of private practice will pay less than in a unionized hospital.
I live in a State with a conservative governor and legislature and they are trying to privatize many of the functions that DHS currently handles (foster care and adoptions).If this happens and the private agencies haven’t unionized, I’m afraid social workers will continue to be paid well below what they are worth.
We all need to support national legislation to pay us a living wage….sign the petitions on this web site. We have to work with NASW to lobby and support paying social workers a wage that is commensurate with our education. We have to advocate for ourselves; email, call, write, text, whatever it takes to let our legislatures and heads of agencies know we will not be quiet any longer. We deserve a living wage.
I love what i do, but do not know if I’d get an MSW again if I had it to do over. I got my MSW in 1980, and spent most of my career in non-profits. We did organize a union at one, and it helped somewhat. The agency pled poverty in negotiations, but managed to send the CEO all over the world for conferences. I’ve been in private practice, and finally making a decent living. I think if you are not a good administrator (I was not) and don’t have a government or hospital job, pay continues to be very bleak for social workers. I do admire people who can create their own niche business, but I am wary of those who run a group practice by charging unlicensed practitioners a large portion of their pay.
Sorry to add to the negativity…let’s hope the ACA helps our profession.
After 16 years in Child Welfare, I’m taking a break. I’m fortunate to be able to do so, but I really feel I needed it. I miss the satisfaction of the work we do but I’m allowing myself to exhale for awhile!
I am in my last term of my MSW program. I believe that knowing your limits includes the field of SW you are in. I knew that a micro focus was not for me; therefore, I am concentrating in macro practice. I also anticipate spending a lot of career employed by someone else. I have seen penalty of jobs that I qualify for that have decent salaries. For my personality type, financials are for life’s necessities; being able to live with myself and limit my negative impact on the world around me is the true payment of SW. In the article, the author sounds disillusioned and bitter. Since it has only been a couple of years, I would question her ability to maintain a whole SW career. Honestly, some of us are just not cut out for this type of work and maybe that is the discussion we should be having. I know being a full-time counselor would not be personality type and I am okay with that.
I just want to thank all social workers I spent three years taking care of my grandmother in law with no help from her two daughters or grand daughter .they never called to ask how everything was going how she was or how we were.they never went to a doctors visit,and there was many.i don’t know what we would have done without Donna (nanas social worker) she told us everything we needed to do and helped do a lot for us . It’s been two 1/2 years that nana has been gone.please don’t stop it wasn’t easy taking care of nana but Donna made it a lot better for us with her knowledge.good luck
I’ve been a counselor for 13 years now. Due to bankruptcy my total loan payment went from 67 to 87 thousand dollars while it was put in forebearance. I opted for a Christian Law Firm so I paid around $600 a month for 5 years. The interest continued to accrue because school loans cannot be claimed on bankruptcy. I felt misled and angry at having tried to do the right thing. My payments have been over $500 a month and my total amount due has risen to $91,000. Was it worth it? Well, it is definitely disconcerting. However, I have managed to rebuild my financial standing and good credit rating. I financed my home for 15 years and paid it off a few months ago. I have a new car and I was able to get out of an abusive relationship due to the fact that I can support myself. I have made a positive difference in people’s lives. The hours spent in college obtaining my masters degree were grueling on me and my whole family suffered. I am so drained by the weekend I usually sleep most of the day on Saturday. Medicaid laws are constantly changing their requirements and they can decide not to pay for our work if we make a mistake in our documentations whether it is a new law they decided to incorporate or an honest mistake. We are only allowed to bill a certain amount of time with each client so the rest of our time spent with them is non-billable. We are required to have a specific number of CEUs in order to maintain our license and the forms we fill out to renew our licensure can be rejected as well. We are required to have malpractice insurance and if it lapses or if our licensure lapses even one day, we cannot see clients until this is reinstated. We pay for our own CEUs, liability insurance, licensure and because I am a contract worker health insurance is not provided and nothing is withheld from my check. I get no vacation or sick time. I travel to many of my clients’ homes yet no car is provided and I am not reimbursed for gas mileage. Neither can I bill for the time I have a client in the vehicle with me. Most of my clients will never change and there are terrible circumstances I see children living in every day. I do pay my bills but that’s about it. Due to the stress and time involved in my career my house work sometimes suffers and I have put all my bills on a bank draft in order to keep from forgetting to pay them. Now Obama wants me to buy health insurance. As good an idea as this is, it is cheaper for me to pay the fine not to have it right now. And taxes…………well, the IRS takes the rest of my money. Because I am now single, my income is more than what is considered to be in need of any type of assistance. I sometimes envy my Medicaid clients because they have insurance, food stamps, get their rent paid and most of them don’t and/or can’t work. My phone rings days, nights and weekends……and Holidays with clients in need of emotional support. My free time? I spend it in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous where I have an hour of serenity. So, again I ask myself: “is it worth it?” I’ve never gone without a meal. My bills are paid. I am my own boss. I choose my own clients. I set my own schedule….for the most part…..until their is a crisis. I am blessed to work with people who share my faith and who trust and believe in me. So, do I focus on the negative or the positive? What do I tell my clients to do? What does God tell me to do? What does my conscience tell me to do? If I weren’t doing this job what would I rather be doing? The answer is………..NOTHING. God bless you all.
I love this comment. Great balance of positive and negative aspects. As a newer social worker, I continue to strive for work/life balance.
Balance is more of an art than a science. It’s different for everyone and that’s why our profession is not spared from the experience of the human tragedy that our clients share with us. Many of us, after our day-job, we have to decide if we have enough left in our soul to keep on giving and get that second job.
I do have a second job that’s on-call and on the weekends. It can be disruptive to family life, but in order to watch my two kids (1 & 4 yrs) grow up a little and live in a purchased home, I need the extra income working on-call rather than retraining for an MSW.
After reading these articles, I still want to go for a MSW and do clinical work, but I need to see my kids both get enrolled in full-time primary school.
Balance is where you find happiness. Find out what you sacrifice before you take the plunge into social work jobs and find out if the trade off is worth it.
“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” – The Talmud
Add Your Comment
When entering any profession one must do research to determine the job market and pay for that profession. I would encourage anyone to stay with social work if their heart is in it. However, if one is feeling burned out and cynical it might be time to look in another direction. The great thing about social work is that the possibilities are endless! Someone who has worked in child welfare for 10 years could teach child welfare workers, work in a non-profit or a govt agency on child welfare policy, go into private practice working with children and families who have experienced abuse, or do any number of other things. I live in Maryland and there are always jobs in the social work field. However, I agree with the commenter who said that the best paying jobs in the Baltimore area are found after obtaining the LCSW-C. Good luck to all and hang in there!
I personally am not studying social work but come from a family of people who have. My mum has had a few career changes, starting off in case management and now she is in management in aged care (earning a good salary).
I wanted to share this to ease the anxiety of people currently studying social work. Judging from my family, there are possibilities for working in different fields and in vastly different roles. Most of them are on good wages and are happy with the work that they do.
I agree with your feelings completely. We are in this profession to assist others with self determination and fulfillment, however, we never seem to do the same for ourselves or our profession. We have all worked ith or know about other professions doing case work and calling themselves “social workers” , dare I say, NO other discipline would tolerate this. We are the highest stressed profession with exception to possibly law enforcement ,yet we get paid the least. If we do not begin to advocate for our profession as did the nursing, medical, and others (yes even plumbers), then we will never get the pay or respect we deserve.
Silly as it may seem, think about this. If I were a plumber called out to fix a leak under your sink, you would know that I will charge more than enough to cover my time. However, if you decide to do it yourself, can you then lay claim to the right to be called a plumber?
The moral of this story is, it is up to us and the NASW to be diligent with demanding respect & pay for our profession and, in our next life…we should all be plumbers.
i just wanted to say as an english social worker – mental health that we are under payed and undervalued but overworked too……….it says something about social work in a capitalist society …..probably that we are not valued neither are the people we work with….
I think a lot of social workers fall into the “I’m just grateful to have a job” trap and do not advocate for themselves. I think it’s also important for social workers to do something that makes them stand out if the crowd. Develop a specialty, work on your leadership skills, refine your public speaking skills. I graduated with my MSW in 2008 and my first salary was 34K, but I’ve worked on these areas and have been able to move upwards, and am now making just shy of 70K.
My stand is right along side of you. It is sad that this profession is so underpaid. It is more than sad, it is sick. I have been in the profession for 26+ years and I am still broke. I too am tired of caring for everyone, and trying to help them and I am still unable to pay my bills. Just today I was looking at my credit report and I just wanted to…well, needless to say, it is not pretty. The Social Workers contributions to society should be better rewarded. Sure we feel good when we have successfully helped someone. Unfortunately, the mortgage company doesn’t really care about that.
I I think it’s important to look not only at what your employer can do for you, but what you can do for the organization you work for. How can you find ways to work smarter that will increase the revenue to your organization? What are the financial realities of your boss? How can you think more globally about how everyone in your organization can thrive? Are there ideas you can share about how more clients can be brought in and therefor more revenue? Are there ideas you have that might develop more funding sources? I’ve been out of school for two years and I am making 40-50% more money than a new grad. How can you acknowledge the financial realities of the organizations you work for and help them find solutions to their challenges? If you aren’t doing that then you will never emerge ahead of anyone else who has the same degree as you. My first job I increased revenue by 80% for my team and saved on expenses at the same time. Then I talked about it. A lot. Then I was recruited by another organization. Now I’m doing the same thing here and helping the company establish processes that will increase their revenue by millions. And in 5 months I’m making 40% more than I was at my first job. And I was making 50% more there than most of my fellow grads.
Be part of the solution… Not just part of the problem. Talk the language of your bosses. Their jobs are not easy either…juggling the financial realities with good care. Help them do it and you will be rewarded.
I have my BSW and was on my way to an MSW but at the last minute was told I couldn’t do to an electronic application I did not send and the dean refusing to allow me to resubmit it. It’s along story, but any way I looked for over six months before I found my job. I was contracted out by the state to take calls for child protective services. I took the job because it was the best offer I could find (12.00 an hour) Its not a hard job but a very stressful job because of the calls we receive we have to decide if they are an emergency or not. We have not had a raise in over 3 years and the state grandfathered people in who were not licensed and the have gotten 3 raises in the past 3 years. They make less doing the same job but now its about the same. We have about 3 people for 3 shifts a day and take calls for the whole state. We are always told we are wrong due to the way each individual county responds to calls. The company that I have the job with recently merged and were unsure how long are contract will last and if its really worth it to stay. On the other hand though I get emails on a daily basis about new jobs of the requiring a MSW only making 3-5,000 more than I do. A lot of the BSW jobs make only 8-10 an hour. It just goes to show you may as well work at the mall.
I agree with so much that has been posted… clearly this has touched a nerve in us.
Working with homeless families for the past seven years has left me drained and broke as well. It has also left me outraged and inspired.
However, as someone mentioned in the comments, where is the solution?
My personal opinion is that this type of work is not designed to be sustained over a life-time (with the exception of perhaps the school social workers…)
Someday, when my kids are a little older, my Plan B is to take the stories, the voices no one hears, into the legislature to impact system change. Part of our collective frustration is that no one seems to understand poverty, domestic violence, homelessness – and the resources it would take to make a marked change – except those of us on the front lines. Wouldn’t it be amazing if being a legislator who once worked as a social worker was as common as a legislator who was trained as a lawyer?!
This is such a negative and uninspiring article. I appreciate your struggles in the field, but it sounds more to me like you are going through personal struggles, as opposed to working in a field that can’t provide the outcome you are seeking.
I know TONS of people in this field who are doing well for themselves and working jobs they love. There are always other options, more ways to make money. You just need to a find a niche that you can use your strengths in and prove your abilities. And in order to do this you need to be in touch with who you really are. If you are living your truth and being your best possible self on a daily basis, people will pick up on this and recognize this, and you will learn to get paid for what you are worth and take jobs that are worthy of your abilities.
If we learn to empower ourselves, from there we can move mountains.
If you are going for finest contents like myself, simply pay a visit this web site everyday as it presents feature contents, thanks
I agree wholeheartedly. The profession itself seems to not be respected. We often have to battle other professional opinions which frequently override ours. Psychosocial dynamics are often misunderstood and handled. We are often over-worked and not appreciated.
I am also contemplating leaving the field for another which could be more beneficial to myself and my family.
Deborah Adams-Budden, LMSW
I agree. I have been an LMSW in MS and TX since 1993. I’ve done medical, child welfare, home health, and currently a children’s therapist for a community mental health center . Current salary $31000. Help !!
The young social worker who wrote this can “stand” all she wants. We also teach consumers to set realistic goals and that needs to apply to ourselves as well. If you want a solidly upper middle class existence then social work is not for you. The issue is not our advocacy organizations, the issue is we work with people who aren’t valued by our country. When you work with people who aren’t valued your work us not valued. That is the reality. I have had an MSW for 12 years. Like most, I have made sacrifices to maintain my career in social work. I am 35 and still rent. I drive a used car. I have one child not the three that I would like to have. I shop at Target not Ann Taylor. I suggest the young lady who wrote this get out of social work .
U have only done this for 2 yo? Try 19. What I’ve learned in almost 2 decades is that no amount of $$ u make is going to keep u from burning out. We get burned out because of the jjob and the unrealistic expectations of our clts, employer, family and friends. It’s a take take take profession and money doesn’t change that. As long as ur a social worker u will never be able to take care of ur personal obligations because ur spent taking care of everyone else. Our field, NASW does a very poor job protecting social workers and doesn’t put enough emphasis on our own personal self care. I am done with this profession, I’m bitter and tired and am looking for a way out, not because of money but because enough is enough.
Sadly, I started with CPS in AZ – finally started to make sort of decent money working with Native Americans in home based counseling…then moved to NC. I have been trying to establish private practice for almost 3 years in NC and to date can never get more than 8 appts in a week. I should have become a lawyer or maybe moved to a bigger city. It is rewarding but not moneywise and I always fear issues as people can ruin you if they want.
I graduated in May and can’t find a job. I put in applications for jobs and never hear anything back. Moving elsewhere is not an option. I’m burned out and frustrated and I haven’t even had a chance to practice yet.
Very well stated. You are not alone!
Whilst I broadly agree with the points put forward in this article it is basically a negative ‘rant’. If you don’t want to be in the profession, get out, simple as, go and do something else, anything. For those of us who have worked in this sector for many years, seen the changes, progressive cuts in services, pay freezes, increased bureaucracy and managerialism and sweated blood to work for the children and families it’s demoralising to read this. Please do something constructive – join a union, start a campaign movement, keep asking probing questions of your seniors, challenge the government, media and public etc. Yes we aren’t paid our value and yes we will all probably have heart attacks before retirement, not know our families as well as we like, but this isn’t like any job, it’s a vocation and a privilege. (You in the USA are paid considerably more than us in the UK though.) It’s naive to think that our role modelling encompasses our personal and professional life, this is the real world…. Yes I don’t like it, I believe the system is not broken but wasn’t set up correctly in the first place. You either do the job or you don’t, it is very simple, the most important role modelling is to collaboratively find solutions – with the families you work with and with colleagues to improve your work situations – SOLIDARITY. No solutions are offered in the article so please, whilst I feel your frustration and hurt, do not write in a way that just feeds negativity…. It’s also a very self-indulgent article. My rant over.
It sounds like SW is the worst profession in the world when I read this article and the comments. As an medical administrative professional I earn about as much as some of you quoted in your comments. It isn’t a lot but it is livable. As social workers, I assume that a lot of your time is spent counselling clients on how to budget, get the most for their dollars, and to prioritize needs over wants. And yet you don’t seem to be doing this in your own lives. If that is the amount you earn, then that is the amount you work your budget around. Home ownership sounds wonderful, but if you can’t afford it, drop it from your “wants” list so that it isn’t driving you crazy all the time. Kids don’t need designer clothes, iPhones, TVs in their bedrooms, cars at 16, etc. etc. Live within your means and you’ll find your life is a lot less stressful even though it may not be as luxurious as you would like. I have never travelled – I can’t afford to. So I don’t sit and read endless travel brochures with their visions of 5-star resorts and aqua colored tropical seas. I can’t afford a cell phone so I don’t have one and I don’t need one. I work my butt off at work and often take work home in order to meet deadlines – this is unpaid time. I am also single. I suspect most of you have spouses who are also bringing home a salary, so the salary you listed in your comment is in fact not all that you have to live on. If the work truly is your passion, then it should be providing some satisfaction. If it isn’t, then yes maybe you are in the wrong field. I work in a psychiatric environment where social workers are a valued addition to the team. They are definitely hard workers and I’m sure many of them work overtime, unpaid, and have their evenings and weekends disturbed by phone calls from the hospital and doctors. No job is ideal, but you can improve the quality of your life 100% by adapting to the reality of what you earn. Someone complained that 6% of her pay is taken by her employer and put into a retirement plan for her. Be bloody grateful for that !! The reason employers started retirement savings for their employees is because so many people do not do that for themselves and end up in poverty at retirement time. By forcing employees to have a retirement savings plan, there will be fewer people in the bread lines after retirement. I respect social workers and I see first-hand the value-added benefit they are in a psychiatric team. You should all start seeing yourselves in a more positive light. Reduce your living standards and put some of that energy into political action to improve the situation for yourselves and those who will follow in the profession in years to come.
Social Work is not the worst profession in the world. Students studying to be a social worker should do their homework ahead of time and realize that social work is not a highly paid profession, but that is because other helping professions have come across as being ‘more valued.’ Social workers do so much and have such a varied profession which can be good, but also not so good. We are not so easily defined and unfortunately, many in society view social workers as the ones who remove kids from their homes. CPS is only one role in social work. There are many more trained social workers doing case management, therapy, counseling, coaching, management, etc…. and lately you see more in politics. There is even a new MBA/MSW program being offered through a university in California.
Every professional needs to find their niche in the profession and yes you need to make enough money to live on, but money is not everything. We may counsel or do budgeting with clients, but many of us have learned to budget ourselves or take on 2nd jobs to assist with finances.
This can be said of other professions as well. We need to ‘toot our own horns’ and work together on issues, instead of being divided. We are not ‘an island to ourselves.’
I have heard this complaint for years but I guess I don’t understand the sudden surprise after graduation about the lack of adequate income in the social work field. The information about salaries is readily available and has been for many years on the internet, with social work ranking near the bottom in income. Why would social workers invest 4-6 years in their education in a field that pays so poorly if they are concerned about money?
During an orientation for SW masters program, the facilitator announced that salaries can reach over $100,000. My question was, ‘you mean after receiving a PHD.?’ Her response was “No, at the masters level”. I bought it. But still, I had always wanted to be in a helping field, if I were able to tolerate needles and blood, I would have been a nurse! In response to SueD… While you have made some valid points for us SWers to ponder, I have to ask you how much money did you pour into becoming licensed as a medical administrative assistant?
I have a few years on you age-wise. I am fortunate that my husband is on retirement and I get SS. However, our mortgagetakes more than half our monthly income and most months we run short, having to take some out of our savings to pay our bills. I, too, have an MSSW, but I work voluntarily; i.e., for free. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. We are very careful how we spend money, priortizing our needs against our wants. We give a tithe to our church every week. I guess my “secret” is that I’m doing exactly what–and where–God wants. Time and time again God shows me how He really does supply my needs when I trust Him and follow His leading. Not trying to convert anyone; just relating my own experience. But my calling is to volunteer at a mens’ rescue mission. It is the most rewarding and gratifying time of my career.
Hi this is Jesse Williams. It doesn’t matter about our opinion. Everyone knows we get paid crappy. The reason why is because the people we serve most of the time don’t have money. Our money is funded money. Yeah…. It’s never going to change. Hopeless…
I have my master’s and have worked in hospice as a SW for several years now and love it! Sometimes I admit I feel I need to move on and not into another social work job simply because of working with negative burned out other SWs daily who all they do is complain instead of making a change in their own lives. We all in control of our own fate and if you are not happy, you can’t truly help others and than our patients suffer too. I just don’t get why people stay in their job if they a miserable and they hate it, MOVE ON PLEASE. MAKE A CHANGE AND STOP COMPLAINING OR DEAL WITH IT : ) Just because you got your degree in SW doesn’t make you obligated to do it forever, find something else. Working in hospice I know even more now that life is too short to be miserable and unhappy. If you are going to stay in the profession, find an outlet, try to find ways to reduce your stress and worry, go see a counselor, etc…Focus on the positive aspects of our job, which to me personally out weight the negative. I leave you all with a JOKE: How many social workers does it take to change a light bulb? One, but the light bulb has to want to change. : )
I plan on graduating with my MSW this upcoming May. I have been extremely fortunate enough to have never had to take out one single student loan during my undergraduate or graduate career. I realize that I am incredibly blessed to not be weighed down by any debt once I graduate. But I have not even graduated yet and I already feel the pressure of finding a well paying job, which may or may not be in an area of social work that I actually enjoy working in.
One of my professors gave my class some advice that really resonated with me and I think that every social work student should hear before going out and trying to find a job. My professor told us, “Find an area of social work that you enjoy and that you know you are good at. Don’t try to find the highest paying job you can and hope that you will eventually like the population you are working with. Because it won’t happen. No amount of money in the world will stop you from waking up every morning resenting your job, the people you’re working with, and most of all, yourself.”
When my professor told us this it made me extremely sad knowing that we feel pressured to pursue areas of social work that we do not even enjoy, just so that we can make a decent living.
I actually am attending graduate school out-of-state, and the initial plan was to finish school and then go back to my home state and find a job. I had no intentions of staying here, but I happened to get an amazing job offer with the agency that I am completing my graduate internship with. But to be honest, I don’t want to take it. I do love the people at my internship agency and I somewhat enjoy what I do here, but what I really want is to go home. I have no friends here, a small amount of distant family members, and I have a very serious, long-term relationship back at home. But I have no job offer at home and I have been job searching in my home-state, while out-of-state, and it is blatantly apparent that this out-of-state job is much better than anything I could possibly find in my home-state.
I have not even graduated yet, but I already am beginning to resent the work conditions. They are making me take a job that I don’t want, in a state that I don’t know anybody in, and put my future plans for a family on hold, JUST to make more money.
I was disappointed as I read your article that you are feeling the way you do. Honestly I’d have to know so much more about your circumstances, your desired lifestyle, what you do with the money you do make, where you live, where you work etc. to comment intelligently. So I defer to you in accepting that for you personally the situation is one of needing more income in the field you are in.
Me, I’m 55, doing social work, improving the lives of others, well paid, have a wonderful employer who makes each day a supportive place to work, ongoing training is offered throughout the year to develop and grow, and I go to work with passion, enthusiasm and joy every single day.
I’m in beautiful Canada; the province of Ontario, have an income which is higher than those paid at any other employer I’ve been able to find, with benefits, flexibility to give and take a few hours here and there etc.
My spouse works for a different employer but is also in the social services field. Same experience for her as with me.
Maybe it’s not the job that’s the issue. Maybe it’s the location, the country, the state, the employer etc.
I too am a LCSW. I graduated with my MSW in 2003. I made more delivering pizzas than in my first job as a social worker. I was absolutely miserable. In those years, I have fallen on my butt more times than I wish to admit. As social workers, we must have an entrepreneurial spirit if we are to thrive. I live just outside of Charlotte, NC. I maintain a full-time private practice where I cater to middle and upper class individuals(I refuse to take medicaid). In the spirit of social work, I see a few people either at low cost or free. In 2014, I made over 90k. In 2015, I will end the year around 115k. My financial goal for 2016 is 150k. I did by the grace of God. I also learned as much as I could about website SEO, and I have a niche. I am trained in EMDR and hypnosis. I only market hypnosis, anxiety, trauma work.
I empathized with the writer. It is often discouraging when you think of outstanding student loans in comparison to the low salary earned by many social workers. Yes, the field is very demanding and we often forget to take care of ourselves. Very few of us ever experience a healthy “work-life balance”. Most, if not all of us entered this demanding field, to help others. Contrary to that belief, most of us are either burnt out or on the verge. I am hopeful that in the near future there will be changes implemented to recognize and compensate all social workers, for what we do.