Is being a social worker really that bad?
Asked by girlfriend
I'm majoring in Family Services and was hoping to maybe work for DYFS, but I've heard that being a social worker is full of stress, heart-breaking, you don't even make that much money. If you've had experience in the field, I would appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

Best Answer:
I have both worked in the field and know a lot of social workers. Some people love it and others are unable to deal with it. The wonderful thing about social work is that there are so many different types of populations with which you can work. Burnout is a huge problem in the social work field, but I combated the problem by working with several different types of people. I have worked with the elderly, the poor, and teenage parents. Each was a very different experience, but I was able to maintain a positive attitude by changing fields if I began to feel disillusioned with the population with which I was working. Working in Family Services is heart-breaking experience at times as you have heard. It is a lot of discouragement and disappointment with some positive changes taking place on occasion. The way that some people treat their children is absolutely disgusting. It takes a special person to work with abused and neglected children and although you don't make as much money as a doctor or accountant, CPS workers actual tend to be some of the higher paid social workers in the field. Hope this helps and good luck.
MSW
Answered by Anna3