Bachelor's degree in social work

I was just logging in to say that too. My daughter is currently seeking a degree inch social work and she is being told she will need a Master's degree as well. And from what I have accidentally stumbled across in my job search, even with master's degree these positions don't pay very much.

My cousin has a BSW - and she works with at risk youth and kids that are arrested, but not really in the system yet. It is not a high paying job. The hours are not good. When you are new, you will have 3rd shift type of hours - and that could be for several years.

If you acquire a lot of student loan debt getting this degree - I don't know if it will ever pay. It's sad - because we need really good people doing this job!

My daughter considered social work, but when she did some career planning and plugged in the salary numbers and the stress of the job - she decided against it.

I was going to say MSW, also. I'm not a social worker but one of my friends is a MSW. After twenty-plus years of it (working with children in hospital ER situations), she could no longer do that job because it sometimes meant returning kids to dangerous situations and her career became an ethical and moral dilemma for her. She has since moved into gerontology but once again she sometimes finds herself in the middle of family fights and exploitative situations. The difference this time is the age of the victim and the age of the perpetrator: now it's kids sometimes doing wrong to the parents. She's on the brink of burnout and her income is very low for the amount of $ her education cost. She's a kind-hearted and well-intentioned person but I have a feeling she will be changing fields very soon. She often tells me she keeps rescuing people who keep making the same mistakes over and over (just with different people).

Bless your heart for pursuing  this helping profession!

I was going to suggest nursing as well. Many work long shifts, but then only work 3-4 days a week.

Also STEM jobs are big right now. DS is a senior and we have been looking at career fields. I don't care if he makes millions, but I want him to get a job when he finishes HS and not move back into my basement. I would suggest some career counseling for you. You are right, you really need to look at the practical aspects. I would have someon in the know really help you choose the right path that will be rewarding for you and to pay your bills. Remember, there are a lot of volunteer opportunities to help those in need. Maybe you could volunteer somewhere as a family and that could be the outlet for you to feel like you are giving back.

I'm getting my MSW. It matters a lot where you live and then what job you take. At my current job they will hire me for another postion as soon as I have my masters and it starts at $55,000. For me that is decent for a starting postion. I also work with a lot of childrens administration (cps) workers making $50,000-$60,000 and they don't even need their MSW- but they do need experience to compensate I they don't. I've looked at social work jobs in hosptials and they are all starting at $50,000. I've seen MSW jobs as high as $80,000 (rare I am sure!). I am planning on practicing therapy after a while aNd that is more lucrative as well. I will just need to pass my licensing after I get my MSW. -- and be supervised by another MSW to gets my hours before moving to next level of liceenisng.

Each state is differernt for pay and licensing requirements. Added to my husbands income, starting at $55,000 ish works for me. Your mileage may vary! I like that the MSW is a versatile degree. My first choice though was occupational therapy but I couldn't pursue due to my family obligations. Now that is definitely lucrative if that is your main consideration.

Physical therapy degrees in some states are now PhD's.....My niece's friend was in college for 6 years.  Do you have any college courses at this point??  If you're looking into PT...look into a PTA (assistant) program.

My sister was a social worker but she never worked in child protection. (it is a mess in my province). What she did was work for Veteran's Affairs Canada. That meant Vets and former RCMP officers would contact her about getting approval for "stuff" like hearing aids, walkers, wheelchairs, medication approval (for specialty drugs), that kind of thing. She loved her job but had to take medical retirement. She dealt with all sorts of clients (she never gave specifics of course) but she did love dealing with the men and women who served. 

This is just another avenue of social work.

Nursing is something you may want to consider. My friend is a nurse in a remote place. She is now in management but what she did before was OB and before that she worked in an independent medical imaging office (starting IVs and things). Her job now is really varied. She works a LOT of hours but is compensated for it. She is also a childbirth educator and was a licensed lactation consultant.

I have another friend here who works in critical care. She makes a LOT of money. She loves her job. She says she works on her own without much direction (no micromanagement), she has seniority and excellent benefits. She does work a lot of overtime but she also likes to travel to Mexico with her significant other (several times a year...) She also is a marathon runner (well she says she isn't but you know...she runs in distance runs and she loves it). She lives a very good life. She is single though, no dependents other than her dog. She owns her own home in a nice neighbourhood. She told me she was making $95K a year and that is a nice income for where we are.

Just something to think about. There will always be demand for nursing. Even in places that say they are cutting back. I used to work in the Nursing Directorate department of the Ministry of Health in the province. It was a lot of fun. We worked at getting loan payback for new graduates. We also were recruiting nurses from other countries and provinces.

I got an MSW umpteen years ago. I worked in medical social work - first in the neonatal intensive care unit of a major regional hospital, then later in the traumatic head injury unit of an acute rehab hospital. It was stressful, sad work many days. Rewarding... but hard. I would have never been hired for either of those jobs with just a BSW.

I think you are on the right track considering other professions in the medical field though. That field isn't going anywhere and typically pays pretty well.

Good luck. It's hard enough to know what you want to be when you're little and have all the options ahead of you. It's even harder when you find yourself mid-life with twists and turns you never counted on (the death of your husband). You seem like a good person and tough cookie though. You'll figure this out and do just fine.