Reflections on Social Work: My Professional Journey

Code of Ethics
This paper will explore what the primary mission of social work as a professional means to me. Through self-reflection of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, I will delve into why I chose social work as a career, the type of social worker I want to become, and ponder what challenges and obstacles may impede my chosen path.
Social Work as a Career
According to the preamble of the NASW Code of ethics (1996), as social workers, we try to make lives better for others, by helping people obtain those resources in society that all humans need to survive. These would include such items as food, clothing, and shelter. As professionals, we should concentrate our efforts on helping those in society that have

I would want to acknowledge their vulnerability and strength in being able to recognize when they may be in need of assistance.
Obstacles in my Path
My first obstacle in becoming the social worker I envision is myself. As a Southern woman, I was taught to pray, have good manners, to cook, not to display behaviors in public unbecoming of a lady, to honor my word, and that it was my duty to help those in need. These principles speak to the social work values of service by helping others, integrity in being honest and ethical in the things I say, and dignity and worth of a person, by treating others in a respectful manner.
But along with these positives, I realize some of this upbringing taught me to be judgmental. I still have internal reactions to things, such as women cursing profusely or having deep belly laughs that travel across the room. My first thought is that it is very uncouth. I must remind myself that I do not like to be judged, and I want others to look beyond how they first perceive me through the filters of their learned behaviors to give the woman before them a chance to help them if they are a client, or to work with me, if they are a