Over history, we have seen people who were more into serving humanity and relieving their distress. History is full of people who fought for the freedom of slaves, raised a voice against child labor, violence. These people are still known because they were determined to make a difference. That difference might not be visible at that moment, but their efforts did contribute to change. If we hear the name Nelson Mandela, we remember him spending 27 years in jail for the freedom and equal rights of black people. If I say mother Teresa, you will easily recall her efforts to create charity missionaries, helping homeless, looking after lepers, and many other acts of kindness. We all know that charity begins at home. These people started to think about the welfare of their people and made them a priority. Their efforts might have seemed useless in the beginning, but later they brought enormous changes for the protection of humanity.
Helping others requires kindness and compassion. It needs the courage to put others first before yourself. Doctors help us to get well and to treat us irrespective of any time of the day. Teachers are assisting a new generation to be better citizens of the country. In one way or the other, every profession out there is facilitating our lives. If you feel that you are blessed enough with the passion of helping others, making their lives easy, and want to pursue an education in that field. And if you think that your job might not allow you to attend a university, then you can seek a Master’s in social work online at the ease of your home and time.
Already have a career in social work and want to boost it up a bit more? Here are suggestions for how you can raise the bar.
- Be Kind
Imagine if someone is helping you and mistreats you, how will you feel? You obviously will feel ashamed for even accepting their help. Kindness is a basic instinct for helping others. You can also practice it in your work environment as well by introducing people, appreciating someone’s work. You can help someone struggling with any task. Being kind at your workplace will not only make you feel better, but it will also change the perspective others have for you.
- Ask for help
Since you are already in a job and focused on helping others, you can also require assistance sometimes. Do not act like you know it all. Instead of doing something wrong and lower your performance, you shall be courageous enough to admit your weakness to yourself. Admitting your fault or asking for help allows your colleagues to help you, and they will feel more appreciated. Also, asking for help may eradicate any negative behavior or perception that your colleagues might have about you for being rude or stubborn.
- Volunteer and Connect
Social work requires a sense of empathy and sound knowledge of what problems people face in their lives. Volunteering allows you to connect with people outside your workplace and community. It also gives you an insight into their lives and the troubles that need help. If you want to boost your career, volunteer for a charity project at your office, talk to your colleagues and ask them for ideas. This way, everybody will feel involved and connected. Working with colleagues to resolve issues will not only have a positive impact on the individuals, but it will also do well for the community in the longer run.
- Define Improvement
Career improvement involves two factors of skills and opportunities. You need to be clear about what area of expertise you want to enhance further. If you want to improve your writing skills, try writing one line a day or enroll yourself in a writing program. You cannot learn or master something in a few days, which means that you need to be consistent and focused on what you want to improve. Having a simple goal can boost your concentration and undivided attention.
- Have simple goals
Social work offers a lot of career domains that can be befitting your education. Instead of going jack of all trades and master of none, it is wise to know what you want. Many people cannot answer the question of what they want next in their careers. Simplifying your goals is essential in setting your course of action for your job. You cannot be a high-intensity therapist and social worker at the same time. A social worker helps people to improve the outcome of their lives, whereas a therapist must be an expert to treat people by applying Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Having a clear vision about which domain you want to choose under the umbrella of social work can help you excel in that particular field.
Conclusion
The successful business owners we see today were once employees. Even your boss might have worked and used the same desk that is now yours. With consistency and constant efforts for learning and improving your skills, you can modify your career trajectory to a higher range. Social work itself is a vast domain that offers many job opportunities. You can either choose to be a social worker, a high-intensity therapist, advice worker, counselor, and community development worker. These domains require a different set of expertise and skills, but you can always boost your career by being kind, empathetic, and eager to help, which will leave you happy and satisfied at the end.
