Career Pathways
Social work
Social work is a growing field and has the ability to draw a large number of prospective job seekers since the field touches many other industries (healthcare, education, social work, substance abuse, military, etc.). Professionals in this field are in high demand, which means job seekers can spend time exploring the right job fit and enjoy room for growth.
High demand
This field has faster than average growth rate (7%) over the next decade.
Unique skill set
Social workers meet a rising demand for services by utilizing specialized clinical skills
Positive impact
Social workers find satisfaction in advocating for positive change on behalf of those in need.
Carl Green, Medical Social Worker
Listen as Medical Social Worker Carl shares what a typical day in his life looks like.
A typical day with me would be basically coming in, I would say starting off with…organizing my patients list of who I would see that day, giving them a call, scheduling appointments to go out on a visit. Once I complete that visit with that patient, I would normally just do what they call a psychosocial assessment.
[I’m] trying to also assist that patient with community resources, services that’s basically needed communicating with other agencies that’s in the community. Also talking with I would say Adult Protective Services and also Children’s Services if they have any kind of issue with abuse or neglect.
Discover your career opportunities
As the demand for social work grows, so do the job opportunities. Here are a few job titles available to individuals with social work skills:
| Entry level | Mid level | Senior level | Entrepreneurial |
|
| Case Worker/Manager |  | |||
| Child and Family Social Worker | | | ||
| Clinical Social Worker | | |||
| Clinical Therapist | | |||
| Community Organizer | | | ||
| Director of Clinical Services | | |||
| Director of Social Services | | |||
| Director of Social Work | | |||
| Director of Therapy | | |||
| Independent Clinician | | |||
| Licensed Independent Social Worker | | | ||
| Mental Health Social Worker | | |||
| School Social Worker | | | ||
| Social Emotional Learning Specialist | | | ||
| Social Worker | | | ||
| Substance Abuse School Worker | |
There are many social workers who do very similar work but have different paths. For example, a school social worker might end up doing work very similar to a child and family therapist. A substance abuse social worker may have a similar daily experience to that of a mental health social worker at a behavioral health clinic. Your landscape as a social worker could end up being very broad or more specific. Your degree and license are important, but there is a lot of crossover between types of services provided, so when you are considering this question, just know that it’s a fluid question.
Christine Cherian, career expert at edX
Learn about topics in social work
Register for a course on edX to learn about a variety of topics within the social work industry.
How can I acquire social work skills and turn them into a career?
If you are interested in pursuing your own social work career, we recommend taking these steps:
Research is key when it comes to any career, and a career in social work is certainly no exception. Take advantage of all the information out there, whether through browsing the internet for job titles, listening to relevant podcasts, or getting connected to professionals in the areas or positions that interest you.
One key part of the research phase is networking. This simple step is often overlooked and undervalued but can significantly impact your career trajectory. To clarify your career goals and aspirations, you must talk with professionals about what the work looks like.
You open a door of opportunity in your career by reaching out to professionals in your targeted fields, positions, and companies. Connecting with social work professionals who could vouch for you and provide hard-to-find intel about the industries or organizations of interest is invaluable.
Check out our Networking guide and Networking outreach samples for help getting started.
To supplement your understanding of what others are doing professionally, gain clarity on your own goals and aspirations. Ask yourself what about social work interests you — the possibilities are endless.
An important question to ask yourself: Who am I interested in working on behalf of? Your response may help determine which social work skills will best serve your career.
Identify your target audience
Determining who you want to work with will enable you to decide what type of skills you want to pursue. The list below encompasses options for the audience you may want to consider:
- Children or adolescents
- Families or couples
- Individuals with mental health diagnoses
- Individuals with substance use disorder
- High school students
- College students
- Individuals with health issues
- Hospital patients
- Individuals in the corrections system
Skill set for social work
You‘ll also rely on a variety of social work tools in your practice, which will depend on whether you decide to implement a clinical or macro focus. View the list below for examples of these skills:
- Qualitative research
- Program evaluation
- Advocacy
- Program management
- Program development
- Strategic planning
- Grant writing
- Capacity development
- Community organizing
- Policy analysis
- Fundraising
- Treatment planning
- Group facilitation
- Crisis intervention
- Case management
- Behavioral therapy modalities
- Trauma-informed care
The different types of roles within the social work field require varying levels of education, training, and licensure. Once you’ve explored which type of social work role you want to pursue, you’ll need additional research to determine the level of clinical training required to advance in that path. If you are in the early stages of exploring, here are some options to informally explore more about the social work field:
Self-education — If you want to learn asynchronously, informally, or casually, self-education is a great place to start and determine if social work continues to be a career path of interest. Many approaches to this learning style support career goals, budgets, and time commitments. Here are some to consider:
- Informal opportunities: Gain a greater understanding of the industry by reading. Explore books, articles, and even research papers to expand your knowledge and learn what’s happened or is happening in the field. Not a reader? Plenty of videos, podcasts, and other forms of multimedia can teach you a thing or two about careers or work related to education
- Online courses: edX.org offers several instructor-led and self-paced social work courses that may be of interest.
Degree programs — If you do not have career experience in psychology, counseling, social work, or education, you may want to consider a degree program. Many social work-related positions require advanced clinical skills, and degree programs can be an efficient way to acquire these skills. Education, psychology, and sociology are popular degree programs among social work professionals.
Professional licensure — Licensure is required in certain social work settings, organizations, or scopes of work, so you’ll want to determine whether the type of social work you want to pursue requires this and, if so, figure out the steps to get there. Licensure requirements vary by state, so make sure you research your options. Licensure is also a great addition to your resume and a way to prove your clinical skills for roles in social work.
Interviews for social work positions will likely include behavioral interviewing questions. These questions will ask about your behaviors in past scenarios as a way to gauge how you would react in future settings. Potential employers will want to know how you stay adaptable, manage tasks, and how you engage with clients.
Once you achieve your social work career goal, celebrate your success. The career journey is full of ups and downs, and every victory deserves acknowledgment.
With that said, your journey doesn’t end here — it’s only just beginning. Give yourself grace and understand that careers are not linear. Here are some ways you could continue growing your social work skills:
Continued learning — Always reference our course catalog on edX.org for continued learning opportunities. It never hurts to brush up on your skills, expand your knowledge within the industry, or learn about other subjects that could apply to your work, interests, or something in between.
Promotions — As the social work industry continues to grow, so will future job opportunities. To position yourself well for promotions, you will need to stay current on continuing education opportunities and develop leadership skills.
Here are examples of senior roles you may want to work toward as you advance your career in social work:
Director of clinical services/Social work — Lead and oversee a team of social workers or a clinical program that provides evidence-based therapeutic modalities and crisis management or intervention to patients.
Licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) — LICSWs have achieved the highest form of licensure after having received hours of supervision under the guidance of another LICSW in addition to qualifying for and taking multiple clinical exams. LICSWs are able to independently diagnose and treat patients. This means they can open up their own private practice and work for themselves, or they can work under an umbrella organization where their level of licensure allows them to bill insurance providers for their work. They can also supervise aspiring social workers for licensure to sponsor others looking to progress their futures in the field.
Pivots — Make sure to regularly check in with yourself and your satisfaction with daily tasks. If you are dissatisfied in your current role, take stock of what you like and dislike about it, keep your eyes out for company-sponsored growth opportunities, and pursue career pivots that optimize your background, skill set, and interests.
Being able to do both “nonverbal” and verbal communication. To me that is always the key…because if you don’t know how to interact with patients, you have to know how to interact with families, you need to be able to communicate with that person verbally and nonverbally without being judgmental at all. That’s always been my biggest key. Everything I’d say is communication. How do you deal with your patients and the individuals you interact with on a day to day basis.
Carl Green, Medical Social Worker
What are my next steps?
Start learning now
Register for a course on edX.org to learn about a variety of social work topics.
Watch a session
Watch a relevant session on our Events Page to learn more about the industry and other professional’s experiences within it.
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