C HILDREN ’ S S OCIAL W ORKER By: Ashlyn Moen

E DUCATION AND T RAINING You will need at least a bachelor’s degree but it is probably better to have a master’s degree. I want to go to University of Northern Iowa. It would be about $10,596 a year plus $6,376 for tuition and fees. At least 4 but possibly 6-8 years.

J OB S KILLS, T ALENTS, AND E XPERIENCE Some skills that are necessary to be a Children’s Social Worker is being able to speak clearly, active listening, social perceptiveness,, reading comprehension, active learning, critical thinking, and judgment and decision making. You can gain experience in the skill in everyday life by just listening and talking to people. I think I’m suited for this career because I really like to help people and I want to make a difference in someone’s life.

E ARNINGS The standard beginning wage for a Children’s Social Worker is about $31,368 per year. I still want to live in Iowa. The maximum standard you can expect is about $63,420 but the degree you have makes a difference. With a Master’s you could earn over $100,000. Probably just having to pay for college that long and additional classes you have to take to get a certain job.

B ENEFITS AND H EALTH F ACTORS Many health care services that social workers have are paid for by the “third party” like insurance companies, Medicaid, and Medicare. There aren’t really any health and safety issues unless you go to get a child from a home and the parents are violent or the child is violent. Vacation time varies from days depending on the years or service.

E MPLOYMENT O UTLOOK To get employed as a social worker you need a degree in social work then by the time you get done with internship, you will have many leads on jobs. The employment for a social worker is expected to grow faster than the average through You won’t get a job as a social worker if you don’t have at least a bachelor’s degree. Child and Family Social workers is expected to grow about 12%

A DVANCEMENT O PPORTUNITIES A social worker can advance to a position as supervisor, program manager, assistant director, or executive director of a social service agency. For advancement, you have to have related work experience and an advanced degree.

T YPICAL D AY I bet a typical day for a social worker is go to an office for a little bit, then investigate some homes, have a meeting, go back to the office and do some more paperwork, then go home. Full- time social workers usually work a 40- hour week, but occasionally work nights and weekends to meet clients, attend community meetings, and handle emergencies. The best parts of the day are probably when you help someone and change their life for the better. The most challenging parts of the day are probably when you see a child that got abused or has some problems.

A PTITUDE I think I am suited for this job because I love children, I don’t get mad easily, I’m usually in a good mood and I’m caring. I don’t have any experiences with children that have been abused, but I know how to work with children because I babysit children that range from 2 years old to 11 years old.