6 Tips for Social Work Students

A student’s life is riddled with deadlines, assignments, expectations, and requirements. But with that, you have to juggle your personal life too. You can, of course, choose to complete your social work degree with the minimum requirements, but to get better opportunities in the future and stand out during interviews, you should take advantage of the opportunities your school provides.

Social work explores human relationships, builds emotional intelligence, and uses wit or humor to handle stressful situations. To fully develop as a successful social worker, here are some tips to make your time count as a social work student so you’re ready for real life.

Build relationships with instructional teams

More often than not, your instructional teams can take your basic social work degree to the next level. You should take advantage of any opportunity to connect with your instructional team for support, information, and academic exploration. The team is dedicated to your success and is trained to help different types of social workers, so you don’t have to worry about fitting into a particular mold.

Stay after class to speak to your professors, create a relationship with them and see what avenues open up to you. Chances are they will write you good recommendation letters too. Anytime you feel like your courses are overwhelming, reach out to your professors or anyone from the instructional team. They will appreciate you asking for help.

Track your achievements

Looking for a bright career in the future means starting something a little early, and one of those is keeping track of your achievements. Start from the first year in college. If you’re part of any student-led initiatives, committee leader, or have played an important role in organizing an event, have a publication under your belt, etc., start listing from the get-go. These will serve as a foundation for your resume.

More importantly, if you’re feeling confused about your future, going through your achievements and seeing a pattern might help you steer in some direction. Make a spreadsheet you can keep updating every so often to stay on track.

Keep asking questions and observing practice

Curiosity can take you to unimaginable places sometimes. During your studies, there will be times when you feel exhausted. This can make you doubt your abilities and compare your knowledge to others. Staying in that headspace can frustrate you.

The true art of learning is in observation and asking questions. If you see someone who has a way to practice that seems appealing to you, ask them about it. You aren’t going to know everything, but you might know more if you ask. Having such an approach to curiosity will eventually help you in your professional life. Furthermore, you should look at yourself and observe your behavior. Perhaps you notice increased resilience or more emotionally intelligent responses. At the end of the day, you are looking after yourself by observing and consequently managing your work.

Seek out more research opportunities

Social workers are a part of a society that would simply crumble without their services. However, as a student, you can choose multiple groups of people you might be interested in working with in the future. Think of a population you’re passionate about and get on to research about them.

You can get your faculty member involved so they can give you a better direction. This experience will help you explore certain populations in detail and perhaps choose one that excites you the most. Look into professional research that has the possibility of getting you published. It will add to the achievements you can mention on your resume.

Participate in professional development opportunities

While your courses give a comprehensive learning experience, it is always good to participate in events that will help you in the professional world. Most colleges will ensure that they have events or speakers coming to facilitate the experience for social work majors. Participate in these events as much as you can. Do your research beforehand to see what you’ll be getting out of it, and go in with a solid plan to learn something new.

Many counties have service councils that provide great resources and workshops about common issues a community faces and how to tackle them. Professional development workshops can help you learn important things like dealing with an individual with trauma, caring for people as a social worker, etc. You can even ask your university or the agency holding these sessions to waive off the fee (if any) or provide financial aid. Seeking out opportunities to increase your practical knowledge will also help you network and jumpstart your career as a social worker.

Networking to the best of your abilities

Like everything else in the world, networking within social work circles can get you better work opportunities. As an undergrad or a graduate, you’re likely surrounded by social workers of the future. Staying connected to your peers means they will share job opportunities with you, especially if you’re their junior.

Seniors will graduate and join workplaces. Whenever there is a good opportunity, they will likely put in a good word for you, especially if you’re close to them. Having a good relationship with your alumni is also a great way to network. When long-time professionals hear someone from their college is ready to work, they love sharing their perspectives and knowledge and help you work through a difficult phase of your job. Academia prepares you to become a social worker, but having connections and learning outside lecture time will enhance your learning experience.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a soon-to-graduate social worker or a freshman at your college, know that having the upper hand is essential to your future growth. And you can start working on that by building connections, networking, learning outside class, and researching yourself. Everything comes with practice, and it can also make you less confused about where to go after you graduate. Utilize your professors; they are always happy to help. Be aware of your options so you can evaluate the next steps to take. These steps can push you in the right direction to learn more and nurture a prolific career as a social worker.

Ulani Uriah

Umar Nisar was born and raised in the busy city of Abbottabad. As a journalist, Umar Nisar has contributed to many online publications including PAK Today and the Huffing Post. In regards to academics, Umar Nisar earned a degree in business from the Abbottabad UST, Havelian. Umar Nisar follows the money and covers all aspects of emerging tech here at The Hear Up.

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