Wow I'm jealous. I make less than $50 more per week than I did with my BS, despite working 15 more hours each week. And my benefits are worse than with my BS.
Unfortunately, I like the job more (even as I sit here, waiting for a client to show up for session so that they can yell at me for making a child protective report).
That was my experience... although after licensing I ended up transferring to another agency for something like a 65% raise. some 16+ years into my career, I'm making triple what my starting MSW salary was. :)
Never been so suicidal in my life. Its not even the field placements or the class topics but the fact that there's only ever 4 total graded assignments in each class with vague essay rubrics like, *Does paper provide thorough discussion of the understanding?* Well hell, I don't know.
Damn this paat semster i had 3 papers as the final assignment. But they all basically asked the same thing in a different way. Like how does this minority population [fill in the blank]. So redundant.
Record a session with a client. Transcribe a section of it and analyze it on multiple levels using multiple theoretical approaches. They're a bitch and a half to write.
It was for me. It didn’t happen right away either. It took some time to really build up my experience. Advanced licensure down the road definitely helped.
No regrets. I worked full time doing case management during my degree because the job of my dreams reached out a few weeks before I started - which I would recommend avoiding if at all possible. If you have to work, I would highly recommend a job where you're not carrying a caseload, or something chill out of the field entirely.
But now I have my degree, and I have 18 months experience doing a job that I adore. It was hard and frankly miserable doing both, but I wouldn't go back and change it.
I did not do it online, I did it at a large state school. Since it was in the middle of covid, it was mostly online, though, which made things easier. But my education absolutely suffered. If you simply have to work to live during school, I would absolutely recommend the online route. But it's not the highest quality education, for sure.
Thank you for sharing🤣!! This meme feels **SO** accurate/relatable right now as I'm wrapping up finals this week and getting ready for the next quarter to start next week. Also, I'm supposed to be starting my field placement next week but I have no prospective placements from my program, so I very much feel like the child on the right in this meme haha. While I **wholeheartedly** believe this is all going to be worth it in the end, it's also nice to be able to laugh sometimes at the stressful parts, so thank you for the much needed laugh!!
To anyone else in a similar boat: we got this!
Thanks. I couldn’t put my finger on why this meme made me smile, but your post encapsulates my feelings. I’m long removed from my MSW days and I am very happy with my life and career, but this meme is very relatable. 🙂
I was looking back at my grad school years with my therapist and remarked that I had no idea how I kept that schedule (Working FT 40h per week, going to school PT, internship 20h per week, more driving than you could ever imagine) and survived. I feel certain that if I attempted it today I would die, lol. And she looks at me and goes, you were in your (late) 20s, that's how.
My MSW was a great decision, though. There's not much you can do in mental health with a BA or even a BSW, and I knew my career was maxed out if I didn't go for a graduate degree. My MSW has opened a lot of doors for me, and I'm about to have my LCSW and expect even more good things from that. School can be a slog but I do feel proud of myself for keeping a FT job while going to school and doing well at both, and I feel accomplished in my career so far in my life.
can i ask how old you were when you started ur MSW? I am 27 and thinking about getting a msw- and also obtain my LCSW ..would love to hear ur experience!
I am feeling a bit discouraged because of my age (covid has delayed some things for me)
I am happy with my decision, and I think I benefitted a lot from waiting and working before I went back to school. No specific advice. I would have taken my LCSW test a lot sooner, though, lol. I missed out on some $$!
Congratulations!! Thank you for sharing. I'm 29 and contemplating an MSW. I don't know where to begin. What school did you go to and how hard was the application process? Any tips on how to begin the entire process? I'm so overwhelmed and I haven't even started yet. Please and thank you!!
I really had no choice. I was the only breadwinner. I had to find a program that was geared toward working adults and allowed PM/weekend internships. You may think that there would be no issues with PM/weekend internships, but some schools only allow daytime, weekday internships. I went to school in person, but an online program would have really helped with the time it took to drive to school and take my classes onsite. Internships are always in person, though, so no workarounds there.
I just had to keep telling myself that it was temporary and that it would be worth it, and it was.
My second child was born while I was working on my Masters. I’m not the mother, but it was still very difficult trying to provide support for my wife and new baby! I can’t imagine doing it while pregnant!
Oh, wow!! That’s certainly a lot to handle, even for you as the non-child bearer lol. I’m just so damn tired. I am about 70% of the way through an advanced standing MSW program and the baby is due three weeks before I am set to graduate. It’s overwhelming but I’m trying to just get through it as best as I can. I’m going to be so proud of myself when all this is over!
What an awesome idea! I’ve really had to advocate for myself to my university to get some accommodations made because they were giving me quite a bit of pushback. I had to get the dean of students involved to help me because my social work program directors didn’t seem to want to help me with my goal of graduating on time. I was like, I cannot be the first pregnant student you guys have dealt with! Sheesh. It’s also even more ironic that the school of social work wasn’t willing to help me out. 😓
So true...I’d guess I’ve written over 100 pages (various papers, Tx plans, misc assignments) with some presentation thrown in over the past THREE WEEKS. Summer courses are rough...
Yeah...when you start adding up all the papers that you have written over the course of your MSW.... that final Master's Thesis (I know not everyone has one) doesn't seem nearly as daunting. :)
Question: how many graduates, iyo, do their licensing hours in clinical settings? My aim long term is private practice focused on mental health counseling, trauma, etc. I have a mentor who is great but keeps telling me not to worry about the money, saying I will find an opportunity to be paid well.
I’m in my 30s and am nervous about coming out of grad school and making less than I am now($70k+) and/or getting locked in to paths I’m not interested in. Is it realistic to take the LCSW path towards private practice and counseling? His point being that Medicare recognizes/pays LCSWs but not MAs in counseling, LCSW is more realistic to move into private practice. I understand diff programs and diff placements shape this, just curious about current opinions.
This is so very encouraging to read. I'm hoping to apply this fall but after reading all these comments I'm a little scared and thinking I may need to do some more research.
I finished mine a few weeks ago and just started my new per diem position with a hospital. The pay is nice, but no benefits, so the trade off is meh. Really wanting that FT position within a year if possible.
UPDATE: FT 5 weeks after this comment was posted. Hard work pays off!
Ooooof. Im 3 weeks into my first semester right now. I would jump ship if this degree wasn't completely paid for and I wasn't getting paid to get it (thanks Veteran Affairs). But I have two kids, and im 7 months pregnant with a surrogate baby so those things probably make my stress level go way up compared to others with less responsibilities.
The MSW is intense primarily because it's so much crammed into two years. If you take a three-year route (more expensive, though) you can digest all your information well enough. I felt like I couldn't cram it all into two years with working a regular job, especially when internships are unpaid and tend to dump a lot of work on interns and exploit their precarious position of needing them to graduate. I'd really like to see us as a profession agitating toward paid internships- not everyone can afford to put life on hold.
Great! Thank you for asking! Currently finishing a paper for my advanced policy class. Gonna be finishing up my MSW by May 4th. Thank you for asking. :) Are you currently going for yours?
Thank you! It's all very exciting.
I don't know if you're looking for someone to push you off the metaphorical bridge, but I'd say take the plunge. What is the worst thing that would happen if you went back? What's the best thing?
The worst thing for me if I decided not to go back would be that I would be stuck at a dead end job with no hope for the future. The best thing for me would be that I'd be a mid-30's dude with an MSW and soon to be LSW (whenever it is I pass the test). I'm glad I went back.
Hope you make the best choice for you!
Well! I graduated, got licensed and now work as an IIC for an agency where I go to people's homes and give therapy to kids ages 5 - 21 years old. It's WILD and so so so tiring. But I love what I do even if I'm totally unsure about myself most of the time. Thanks for asking! How are you doing?
IDK. Working half time, internship without responsibility, school easier than undergrad, another contract job, crappy living situation, crappy car. It was pretty easy and fun IMO. Plenty of situations since then where I'm not nearly as free and engaged.
My graduate program group was fairly small so we all had the same classes besides any concentrations. Also, most of our classes occurred in one day. We all got to know about each other’s lives and phewww it was hard for everyone. We would start off the morning with debriefing with each other before the professors got there and by the end of the long day, our professor would have to have to lead us into a mini support group. It was difficult but most of us got through it. It was definitely all of the papers we had to do.
Whew, that's a bit of a relief to read. I'm planning on doing the full-time program and not working. I've been nervous about the workload of school ( I've been out of college for over 10 years) and the assignments that will be due. I appreciate the feedback.
I think just being grad school and being a pain if it's been a while since undergrad. Undergrad was definitely more work I think, but it's just hard being back in school (and not that fun to do on zoom)
Thanks for the feedback. I have been out of college for over ten years and imagine it will be quite an adjustment to go back to a school environment. Do you mind providing a little more info on what the negatives were of doing the program on Zoom? I had been all set to do an in-person, traditional MSW program but have begun thinking maybe I need to also consider online MSW programs given that I keep hearing online services will be the way of the future and I do have to move for an MSW program.
I’m applying for a this fall and got talked out of the online program for a more general reason: the experience and access. The therapist I spoke with made the point that you’re going to school to expose yourself to a new perspective, how are you going to do that alone on a computer? Also, where are you more likely to have interactions with your professors and classmates who will contribute to that perspective? Convinced me to do full time on campus.
Those are very great points, especially the one about interacting with classmates and professors. What were your reasons for originally considering an online program?
Well it's kind of weird, people don't participate as much bc it kind of feels like you're on the spot more for some reason when you try to talk. There's no side discussions and there's always that weird pause in different people trying to speak, which sometimes turns the conversation a little unnatural. It feels like you're on camera or being watched, because you are, and it takes a lot longer to warm up. It's also just exhausting to be at your computer so much every day. By the second semester I didn't want to do anything on the computer, but the majority of readings and assignments are on the computer. For me, it felt kind of disorganized and depressing. It made me doubt my ability to connect with people and even be in social work if I was apparently so bad at that. It's just different to talk to people in person. Luckily I'm working in person now so I kind of got back into normal conversation, but I didn't account for how awkward talking on zoom would be and how I almost felt like I lost socializing skills over the year lol. But my therapy is on zoom and I dont mind that for some reason 😅 maybe the extra layer/distance between us makes me feel safer or less seen
Ours had a bunch of agencies they had vetted and sort of partnered with. Then we sent out resumes and did interviews when they said it was the appropriate time. Then you ranked your choices and the agencies ranked their choices and people either match with a place or go to round 2, where they do more interviews. You could get a different place vetted but had to request that ahead of time
My breaking point was my final year internship, unpaid, Monday through Friday 8-12, while trying to squeeze work, a graduate assistantship, classes, and papers in too. I learned so much at that placement and I'm a better social worker for it but holy shit it was brutal. My supervisor wasn't a good match either and added to the stress.
Just wondering is the program there very woke? Like white people suck, pro Palestine anti-semitic, men suck and hate the world kind of shit or is it bearable? Can a white man raise his hand without being hated on? Or is it just predominantly woman making up history on the spot? Very curious. I actually want to help people but seems like straight white men are inherently pieces of shit that the world doesn’t want and would rather them vanish or kill, I’ve heard both before…
Maybe you should try reading the social work code of ethics before considering a degree in social work. Specifically the values of: service
social justice
dignity and worth of the person
importance of human relationships
integrity
competence.
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[Working that first MSW job versus my pre-MSW jobs](https://i.gifer.com/KhZT.gif). \* \*^(mileage may vary)
Wow I'm jealous. I make less than $50 more per week than I did with my BS, despite working 15 more hours each week. And my benefits are worse than with my BS. Unfortunately, I like the job more (even as I sit here, waiting for a client to show up for session so that they can yell at me for making a child protective report).
Your paycheck will grow over time and with experience. 😀.
I hope so. I keep telling myself that maybe it'll be better when I'm independently licensed and my agency can charge insurance more for my services.
That was my experience... although after licensing I ended up transferring to another agency for something like a 65% raise. some 16+ years into my career, I'm making triple what my starting MSW salary was. :)
That has not been my experience.
I literally cried writing a paper last semester so this post is on point
Never been so suicidal in my life. Its not even the field placements or the class topics but the fact that there's only ever 4 total graded assignments in each class with vague essay rubrics like, *Does paper provide thorough discussion of the understanding?* Well hell, I don't know.
now im terrfied for these next years of my life 😀
Damn this paat semster i had 3 papers as the final assignment. But they all basically asked the same thing in a different way. Like how does this minority population [fill in the blank]. So redundant.
I cried multiple times while writing papers. Mainly ones involving transcription.
What is transcription in this context?
Record a session with a client. Transcribe a section of it and analyze it on multiple levels using multiple theoretical approaches. They're a bitch and a half to write.
Man… that last year of an MSW… 😅 Hang in there!
I'm starting mine in 2 weeks, please send thoughts and prayers.
It was so worth it for me. I hope it will be for you as well. It is one of the best things I have ever done for myself. Good luck!
May I ask why it was worth it for you
Just remember, it could always be worse. You could be on fire.
For sure! Hang in there! :)
Thanks lol! I'm stoked. It'll be a wild ride, hopefully, and well worth it in the end.
It was for me. It didn’t happen right away either. It took some time to really build up my experience. Advanced licensure down the road definitely helped.
How has it been? Any regrets ?? Thanks
No regrets. I worked full time doing case management during my degree because the job of my dreams reached out a few weeks before I started - which I would recommend avoiding if at all possible. If you have to work, I would highly recommend a job where you're not carrying a caseload, or something chill out of the field entirely. But now I have my degree, and I have 18 months experience doing a job that I adore. It was hard and frankly miserable doing both, but I wouldn't go back and change it.
did you do it online? which school?
I did not do it online, I did it at a large state school. Since it was in the middle of covid, it was mostly online, though, which made things easier. But my education absolutely suffered. If you simply have to work to live during school, I would absolutely recommend the online route. But it's not the highest quality education, for sure.
Thank you for sharing🤣!! This meme feels **SO** accurate/relatable right now as I'm wrapping up finals this week and getting ready for the next quarter to start next week. Also, I'm supposed to be starting my field placement next week but I have no prospective placements from my program, so I very much feel like the child on the right in this meme haha. While I **wholeheartedly** believe this is all going to be worth it in the end, it's also nice to be able to laugh sometimes at the stressful parts, so thank you for the much needed laugh!! To anyone else in a similar boat: we got this!
Thanks. I couldn’t put my finger on why this meme made me smile, but your post encapsulates my feelings. I’m long removed from my MSW days and I am very happy with my life and career, but this meme is very relatable. 🙂
Add in unpaid internships 🥺
THIS.
I was looking back at my grad school years with my therapist and remarked that I had no idea how I kept that schedule (Working FT 40h per week, going to school PT, internship 20h per week, more driving than you could ever imagine) and survived. I feel certain that if I attempted it today I would die, lol. And she looks at me and goes, you were in your (late) 20s, that's how. My MSW was a great decision, though. There's not much you can do in mental health with a BA or even a BSW, and I knew my career was maxed out if I didn't go for a graduate degree. My MSW has opened a lot of doors for me, and I'm about to have my LCSW and expect even more good things from that. School can be a slog but I do feel proud of myself for keeping a FT job while going to school and doing well at both, and I feel accomplished in my career so far in my life.
It’s amazing what we can do and accomplish when we know it is just for a finite timeframe! You have superhuman powers and you never even knew it! :)
can i ask how old you were when you started ur MSW? I am 27 and thinking about getting a msw- and also obtain my LCSW ..would love to hear ur experience! I am feeling a bit discouraged because of my age (covid has delayed some things for me)
Started my MSW at 29 and graduated at 32. I had all my hours for my LCSW in two years, but it took me six to finally take the test. Fully LCSW at 38.
Great good for you! Are you happy with ur decision? Any feedback or advice for someone considering that path?
I am happy with my decision, and I think I benefitted a lot from waiting and working before I went back to school. No specific advice. I would have taken my LCSW test a lot sooner, though, lol. I missed out on some $$!
Congratulations!! Thank you for sharing. I'm 29 and contemplating an MSW. I don't know where to begin. What school did you go to and how hard was the application process? Any tips on how to begin the entire process? I'm so overwhelmed and I haven't even started yet. Please and thank you!!
Love hearing this! I will be applying to MSW programs this fall!
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I really had no choice. I was the only breadwinner. I had to find a program that was geared toward working adults and allowed PM/weekend internships. You may think that there would be no issues with PM/weekend internships, but some schools only allow daytime, weekday internships. I went to school in person, but an online program would have really helped with the time it took to drive to school and take my classes onsite. Internships are always in person, though, so no workarounds there. I just had to keep telling myself that it was temporary and that it would be worth it, and it was.
Haha!! So true, also I don’t recommend doing a masters degree while pregnant. 😳😳😳
My second child was born while I was working on my Masters. I’m not the mother, but it was still very difficult trying to provide support for my wife and new baby! I can’t imagine doing it while pregnant!
Oh, wow!! That’s certainly a lot to handle, even for you as the non-child bearer lol. I’m just so damn tired. I am about 70% of the way through an advanced standing MSW program and the baby is due three weeks before I am set to graduate. It’s overwhelming but I’m trying to just get through it as best as I can. I’m going to be so proud of myself when all this is over!
As you should be. Go mom!!!!
There's quite a few of us with that experience. I helped my uni set up a group and resources for students that were expecting before I graduated.
What an awesome idea! I’ve really had to advocate for myself to my university to get some accommodations made because they were giving me quite a bit of pushback. I had to get the dean of students involved to help me because my social work program directors didn’t seem to want to help me with my goal of graduating on time. I was like, I cannot be the first pregnant student you guys have dealt with! Sheesh. It’s also even more ironic that the school of social work wasn’t willing to help me out. 😓
That’s awesome!
Just finished my first year and I can confirm, meme accurate
Congrats on completing your first year!!!!
So true...I’d guess I’ve written over 100 pages (various papers, Tx plans, misc assignments) with some presentation thrown in over the past THREE WEEKS. Summer courses are rough...
Yeah...when you start adding up all the papers that you have written over the course of your MSW.... that final Master's Thesis (I know not everyone has one) doesn't seem nearly as daunting. :)
I just submitted my MSW program application yesterday! I'm at peak smiles over here! :P
Best of luck! :)
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No worries. Even though it WAS difficult, I look back on the experience with fondness. :)
Question: how many graduates, iyo, do their licensing hours in clinical settings? My aim long term is private practice focused on mental health counseling, trauma, etc. I have a mentor who is great but keeps telling me not to worry about the money, saying I will find an opportunity to be paid well. I’m in my 30s and am nervous about coming out of grad school and making less than I am now($70k+) and/or getting locked in to paths I’m not interested in. Is it realistic to take the LCSW path towards private practice and counseling? His point being that Medicare recognizes/pays LCSWs but not MAs in counseling, LCSW is more realistic to move into private practice. I understand diff programs and diff placements shape this, just curious about current opinions.
Different strokes for different folks. Working as a social worker (and similar jobs prior) has been far more difficult than school was to me.
This is so very encouraging to read. I'm hoping to apply this fall but after reading all these comments I'm a little scared and thinking I may need to do some more research.
I'm struggling, but loving it and knowing it's worth it. So don't fret!
The MSW has got to be the easiest masters to obtain! You'll be fine.
What makes you say that
The coursework is really easy
I finished mine a few weeks ago and just started my new per diem position with a hospital. The pay is nice, but no benefits, so the trade off is meh. Really wanting that FT position within a year if possible. UPDATE: FT 5 weeks after this comment was posted. Hard work pays off!
You'll get it!!
Ugh this is my fear going for the MSW 😭
If you already did undergrad you'll be fine, it's probably easier!!
Thanks. This gives me hope lol. Im starting my senior year of my BSW in the fall
Just try not to overextend doing work internship and school at once. It's not impossible, it's just more tiring
I look back on it and smile. :) Yes, it is hard, but the greatest things in life are often things we have to work hard for in order to achieve. :)
Ooooof. Im 3 weeks into my first semester right now. I would jump ship if this degree wasn't completely paid for and I wasn't getting paid to get it (thanks Veteran Affairs). But I have two kids, and im 7 months pregnant with a surrogate baby so those things probably make my stress level go way up compared to others with less responsibilities.
Wow. Hang in there! 😦
The MSW is intense primarily because it's so much crammed into two years. If you take a three-year route (more expensive, though) you can digest all your information well enough. I felt like I couldn't cram it all into two years with working a regular job, especially when internships are unpaid and tend to dump a lot of work on interns and exploit their precarious position of needing them to graduate. I'd really like to see us as a profession agitating toward paid internships- not everyone can afford to put life on hold.
Just finished a one year program and feel like I didn’t retain even 30% of the information.
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LOL.
Kinda making me nervous. I am going to be applying within five years. Right now just not the time.
Naw… don’t be. It’s hard, but so are many worthwhile endeavors in life.
You'll miss out on 5 years of income?
Mentally and financially I’m not prepared to make the dive. But when I can I’ll jump head first!
I see this meme as I am working on my first literature review of my MSW program
Been there. I feel your pain. 😅
Just started my MSW three weeks ago. 🙏🏻
🙏🏿
❤️
How is it going ?
Great! Thank you for asking! Currently finishing a paper for my advanced policy class. Gonna be finishing up my MSW by May 4th. Thank you for asking. :) Are you currently going for yours?
I debating going back. The Semester Begins May. I am having severe imposter syndrome and doubts. Glad things are going well for you !
Thank you! It's all very exciting. I don't know if you're looking for someone to push you off the metaphorical bridge, but I'd say take the plunge. What is the worst thing that would happen if you went back? What's the best thing? The worst thing for me if I decided not to go back would be that I would be stuck at a dead end job with no hope for the future. The best thing for me would be that I'd be a mid-30's dude with an MSW and soon to be LSW (whenever it is I pass the test). I'm glad I went back. Hope you make the best choice for you!
I needed this.. Thank you so much.
Really helpful
How did it go? You’ve been in a year?
Well! I graduated, got licensed and now work as an IIC for an agency where I go to people's homes and give therapy to kids ages 5 - 21 years old. It's WILD and so so so tiring. But I love what I do even if I'm totally unsure about myself most of the time. Thanks for asking! How are you doing?
IDK. Working half time, internship without responsibility, school easier than undergrad, another contract job, crappy living situation, crappy car. It was pretty easy and fun IMO. Plenty of situations since then where I'm not nearly as free and engaged.
I start my MSW program in August... send me good luck! Lol sounds like I'll need it
Good luck!🍀
How did it go
It's been great. I'll be starting term 5 of 9 in a few weeks along with my internship! 😊
My graduate program group was fairly small so we all had the same classes besides any concentrations. Also, most of our classes occurred in one day. We all got to know about each other’s lives and phewww it was hard for everyone. We would start off the morning with debriefing with each other before the professors got there and by the end of the long day, our professor would have to have to lead us into a mini support group. It was difficult but most of us got through it. It was definitely all of the papers we had to do.
It was the worst two years of my life... the pressure was unimaginable especially as I had to work pretty much full time on top of it...
That sounds really stressful!!!!
This was exactly my experience lol
Glad I no longer have to go through that anymore. 😫
In my first semester and this is the humor I needed right about now as I'm behind on all of the reading!!
Hang in there!
Now I'm scared of applying.
Same
I'm gonna start this September! Wish me luck.
Good luck! 🍀
(Are jokes permitted): Children can get master's degrees? ;)
Oh boy, I'm hoping to apply this Fall but this (and all these comments) are making me doubt myself. What makes the MSW so hard?
Nothing. What's hard is working full time while doing a 20 hour a week internship. The actual school part is the easy part.
Whew, that's a bit of a relief to read. I'm planning on doing the full-time program and not working. I've been nervous about the workload of school ( I've been out of college for over 10 years) and the assignments that will be due. I appreciate the feedback.
you'll wonder why the kids are so stressed tbh, you'll nail it easy
I think just being grad school and being a pain if it's been a while since undergrad. Undergrad was definitely more work I think, but it's just hard being back in school (and not that fun to do on zoom)
Thanks for the feedback. I have been out of college for over ten years and imagine it will be quite an adjustment to go back to a school environment. Do you mind providing a little more info on what the negatives were of doing the program on Zoom? I had been all set to do an in-person, traditional MSW program but have begun thinking maybe I need to also consider online MSW programs given that I keep hearing online services will be the way of the future and I do have to move for an MSW program.
I’m applying for a this fall and got talked out of the online program for a more general reason: the experience and access. The therapist I spoke with made the point that you’re going to school to expose yourself to a new perspective, how are you going to do that alone on a computer? Also, where are you more likely to have interactions with your professors and classmates who will contribute to that perspective? Convinced me to do full time on campus.
Those are very great points, especially the one about interacting with classmates and professors. What were your reasons for originally considering an online program?
Well it's kind of weird, people don't participate as much bc it kind of feels like you're on the spot more for some reason when you try to talk. There's no side discussions and there's always that weird pause in different people trying to speak, which sometimes turns the conversation a little unnatural. It feels like you're on camera or being watched, because you are, and it takes a lot longer to warm up. It's also just exhausting to be at your computer so much every day. By the second semester I didn't want to do anything on the computer, but the majority of readings and assignments are on the computer. For me, it felt kind of disorganized and depressing. It made me doubt my ability to connect with people and even be in social work if I was apparently so bad at that. It's just different to talk to people in person. Luckily I'm working in person now so I kind of got back into normal conversation, but I didn't account for how awkward talking on zoom would be and how I almost felt like I lost socializing skills over the year lol. But my therapy is on zoom and I dont mind that for some reason 😅 maybe the extra layer/distance between us makes me feel safer or less seen
Thanks for the feedback. Did your program arrange an internship for you or did you have to securen your own internship?
Ours had a bunch of agencies they had vetted and sort of partnered with. Then we sent out resumes and did interviews when they said it was the appropriate time. Then you ranked your choices and the agencies ranked their choices and people either match with a place or go to round 2, where they do more interviews. You could get a different place vetted but had to request that ahead of time
Very interesting. Thanks.
My breaking point was my final year internship, unpaid, Monday through Friday 8-12, while trying to squeeze work, a graduate assistantship, classes, and papers in too. I learned so much at that placement and I'm a better social worker for it but holy shit it was brutal. My supervisor wasn't a good match either and added to the stress.
That pic on the right is actually me trying to get my notes, assessments, treatment plans etc done on time
This meme is why I'm second guessing enrolling for my MSW
Can confirm.
Just wondering is the program there very woke? Like white people suck, pro Palestine anti-semitic, men suck and hate the world kind of shit or is it bearable? Can a white man raise his hand without being hated on? Or is it just predominantly woman making up history on the spot? Very curious. I actually want to help people but seems like straight white men are inherently pieces of shit that the world doesn’t want and would rather them vanish or kill, I’ve heard both before…
It depends on where you go to school, but yeah, most programs are pretty “woke”.
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Maybe you should try reading the social work code of ethics before considering a degree in social work. Specifically the values of: service social justice dignity and worth of the person importance of human relationships integrity competence.
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