Why I Chose Social Work

When first deciding what to do with my life, it was often a battle with choosing what “I wanted to do, and what my parents wanted for me.” At the age of eighteen years old I was often persuaded by my mother and father, scared to stand up for what I truly wanted. Education was the first choice; because that was the goal they wanted for me, and not what I wanted for myself. Years past, and many years of frustration, and thousands of dollars spent and I was still lost, and did not know what I truly wanted to do as a profession. Moving to West Virginia and attending Concord University, I found a path in the social service field. Graduating with a psychology degree in 2008, I was able to immediately find employment in the mental health field. While working as a case manager, I was approached by a Community

I thought this was ludicrous, and there was no way I could or would ever want to work in child protective services. After, sometime had gone by and research about social work, I decided to peruse a field in Social Work, and see if I could make a difference in someone’s life. I realized that maybe I could help a family, and reach out to someone in need and be a voice to a child that did not have a voice. This was my goal. While being a Child Protective Services Worker I realized, I could not save every child, but if I saved one child, and helped one family, than maybe I did my job. As a Social Worker there are times when your own beliefs may be tested, and you may have to put your own bias aside and do what is best for the families you are working with. A person's rights should never be infringed upon just because of a disagreement due to marital status, color of their skin, or their religion. During my career path as a Social Worker, it is my goal to ensure that clients are treated with dignity and respect and to always empower the families I work with. When deciding to enter into the field of Social Work it has been a goal to strive for an