Cloudyafternoons

Okay, this is going to be long, and probably boring, so I suggest you prepare yourselves...

So I've always been unsure of what career path I wanted to follow. I've always done really well in school, so people encouraged me to go into academia. My major is Classical Studies (which is Roman and Greek culture/civilization/language, for anyone who is unfamiliar with what it is), and so I figured academia was probably my best option since I don't want to be a doctor or lawyer or businessperson (careers dept. advisers have suggested in the past).

Now I'm a junior, and 3 classes away from completing the major. The thing is, I have really come to hate Classics. I realized that I don't want to teach kids about dead languages and cultures. I don't just want to be that nerdy prof. that nagged her students about all the uses of the ablative. I want to have a bigger, more significant, more meaningful impact. So then I started vaguely wondering if I should try non-profit work. That's how I found the public policy minor at my school.

I'm supposed to start taking the classes for my public policy minor next semester, but at this point I'm not sure whether I want to go into non-profits. I was speaking with a friend's mom the other day, and she suggested I consider social work, specifically medical/healthcare social work. Due to family illnesses, I've spent a lot of time in hospitals and nursing homes, and it's so hard on the families of those who are sick. To be able to help to those people would just be...I can't even describe how much that would mean to me, because I know from personal experience what those people are going through. The thing is, I don't know where to even start with that. My school doesn't offer a BA in social work, and I really don't want to transfer halfway through my 3rd year in college.

Would I still benefit from a minor in public policy? I feel like public policy is focused on larger social issues, while healthcare social work is focused more on individuals, so I don't see how the public policy minor could help me.

So, due to how complicated and confused the above essay was, I'll summarize my questions into bullet points:

-Should I still pursue a public policy minor? Would it help me if I want a career in healthcare social work?

-How can I even begin to get involved in social work when there's no major or minor at my school? I'm also majoring in Anthropology in addition to Classical Studies. Would a BA in anthro help me at all?

-Could I go to my school's career development center to talk more about a career in social work? Would they know anything about it?

Also, at this point, I welcome any advice you might have for me at all. I'm a first generation college student, so I don't have any family to consult either. I'm planning on going to the career development center anyway, but I wanted to see what others thought first. Just trying to make sure I'm not completely insane (Kidding! Sort of).

aigiqinf

If you want to provide direct services, you're more than likely going to want to pursue the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. Only with an MSW can you become an LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) and without that credential, there's not much you can do direct-practice social work without heavy supervision (that, due to legal restrictions, doesn't reduce due to experience)--of course, this depends on your state, but often you cannot legally refer to yourself as a "social worker" if you don't have a license.

Because of this restriction, it would not be advantageous to transfer to a school offering the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree in your situation.

If it won't require you to stay an extra semester or more, I would. It would make you more competitive for graduate school admissions. Also, many social workers start out as direct-service providers, but then move to administration or macro-level practice. In many cases, you realize that the hardships your clients faced aren't solvable at the micro-level and that, because they're simply the symptoms of societal inequality and social problems, your hands are tied. Sometimes, you're limited to referring clients to less-than-adequate programs or to helping them feel better about their circumstances. A public policy minor would make you more prepared and, thus, more competitive for such positions.

Also, make sure to check the admissions requirements for graduate programs. The most common are one human biology course and one statistics course.

Anthropology will help you, but, again, you will likely need to seek the MSW degree. To that end, you should make sure you have human services volunteer experience (especially in settings relevant to what you do). It's especially helpful if you're supervised by someone who holds an MSW and can give you a positive recommendation.

I suppose the only way to figure out is to ask.

3Triplet

I agree with everything that aigiqinf has to say. There are lots of social workers whose undergraduate degrees are varied...my co-worker has an engineering undergraduate degree, others have psych and criminal justice. The reasons for this are varied ...later in life career moves, couldn't find jobs with their undergraduate degree or limited options for social work undergraduate degrees at their first school. The biggest advantage to an undergraduate program with a social work degree, in my opinion, is the required internships which would allow u to discover whether this is what you really want to do. I agree that it I'd u finish at your original school, looking at volunteer opportunities would be key. Good luck. The MSW degree is very flexible and also so are a lot of the programs....

2bizee

There is good information above. You certainly can go to graduate school for an MSW with your major, and Public Policy is a great background for Social Work. Keep in mind, a direct service social worker doesn't make a ton of money, so don't rack up debt for that graduate degree. See if you can go to a public uni. You can also look at Masters in Health Care Administration or MBA Health.