So I’m currently armed with an English degree. I really enjoyed earning it. Writing (along with reading) was always my passion and that sort of thing. I started working at an elementary school tutoring kids not too long after I graduated. However, lately I’ve been feeling an itch to go back to school. I’d like a career upgrade.
I’m not sure which of the two has better potential. I was hoping for some feedback? BTW, I’m based in Los Angeles if it matters. I’ve also heard conflicting info. Some people say that a BA in SW is enough. Others say you need to get a MA.
Thanks in advance!
Consider a Masters in Education.
Although desperately needed, Social Work can be a burnout profession because as a case manager you will typically see the same children suffering neglect & abuse repeatedly.
Since the title of your thread is “Undecided: Child Development or Social Work ?” ask yourself whether you want to develop them or repair them.
Thank you for the prompt response. I hadn’t considered the MA in Education. I Googled and it looks like UCLA has a good program. Still, I’d like to do some more research before I actually get my feet wet.
Publisher, for some reason it didn’t show your second response before I posted mine. I guess I’ll have to do some careful thinking about developing or repairing.
Eh, I don’t think this is an actual existing distinction. I wouldn’t use the term “repairing” - children aren’t broken - but helping children get through grief, life transitions and other struggles is an integral, core part of child development. Someone who studies child development would definitely learn about these things, maybe even take full classes in the area.
I think the biggest distinction between the two is that an MSW is a professional degree that leads to a professional type of position - a social worker. Of course there are lots of things you can do with an MSW besides social work, and in fact there are many positions that prefer people with social work training and education that don’t involve much social work themselves. But it’s still a professional degree that leads to licensure to do something specific. (And no, a BSW is not enough to go far in the social work field. The majority of social work jobs want someone with an MSW.)
An MA in child development, however, is more an applied academic degree without a clear professional career path. You’d want to work hard to find a program with a good post-graduation placement rate and good career connections/support.
I think you should think really carefully about what a “career upgrade” means for you - what are you looking for from a career? And also consider whether returning to school in either of these areas will scratch your itch. Right now you have a nice job that brings together writing/reading and working with children. Do you want to venture into work that is heavy on the children but light on the English side?
Social workers do a variety of different things. Most people’s familiarity with them are the social workers that work for the Department of Family and Child Services (or whatever its name is in your state), and they probably think of the extreme example - social workers taking children away from families and putting them in foster care or up for adoption. But that’s only one dimension of one kind of social work job. Social workers, even the ones who work for DFCS, do other stuff. They may help struggling new parents adjust to parenting; they may counsel and work with children and their parents/families who are staying within their natal home; they may monitor the progress of students who have been reunited with family members (which actually represents the vast majority of kids who go into foster care).
But that’s only a small slice of the profession. A quick search on Indeed.com yielded other kinds of social work jobs with children:
-A posting hiring a school social worker, who works with children in schools who may be having difficulty adjusting to or thriving within the school environment
-A posting with Homeland Security for a social worker to work with families who have immigrated to or are refugees in the United States, legally or not
-A social worker for a city government to create an outreach and community engagement program to families and children in that city
-Lots and lots of hospital social workers, who may help children who need extensive or long-term care or who are dealing with grief or stress from a sick parent
-Lots of licensed clinical social workers
A Bachelors in SW is not enough for most industries. I know firsthand… I am a LSW in MA with a bachelors in Behavioral Science and Adolescent Psychology. My primary focus in college was incarcerated male juveniles. I’m employed in long term care working with rehab and elderly clients, one of the few industries that hire LSWs vs MSWs. Yes, Department of Family and Children in various states will hire you but be aware that your caseload will be crazy, your responsibilities more than any 20 something should have, and the pay is low. I was lucky to find a job as a case manager working with intellectually disabled adults a few years ago, a job that I loved and paid well, but the local offices closed, and those jobs are very hard to find. In fact, most industries are now requiring at least a LCSW, they really want the clinical education and experience.
It all depends what demographic you want to work with but I would highly recommend that you get the Masters either way.