Introduction
Careers in human services continue to increase, and numerous Sociology and other Social Sciences majors decide on a career within the human services field. Most often, professionals within this field aid others with community, health, and individual services. In addition, many human services professionals find their careers rewarding considering they are able to serve the people of the communities in which they reside. While there are an abundance of appealing careers within human services, the five selected for this essay include: social workers, social and human services assistants, rehabilitation counselors, mental health counselors, and probation officers.
Social Workers
When people think of careers within human services, social workers often come to mind. Social workers provide services to individuals of all ages, in all environments, and from all types of backgrounds. These individuals include the youth, the elderly, and all ages of life in between. Tasks of a social worker include helping to place children in adequate foster or permanent homes, helping the elderly locate resources or transfer to assisted living, or provide information to criminal offenders in need of rehabilitation and treatment (Collins, 2008). At times, there seems no task that a social worker will not complete to serve their communities and those within it.
One of the primary reasons that I do not see myself going into a career of social work is due to the reported challenges of the career. Social work is most often discussed as a very stressful job, primarily because an individual must deal with situations where children may be taken from the home, or dangerous domestic disputes can occur (Collins, 2008). Some of the potential rewards of the job would be knowing that you did successfully remove a child from an unsafe home, or found a child a permanent home out of foster care, the amount of stress and personal emotions involved does not seem fitting for my future career goals.
Social and Human Services Assistants
Social and human services assistants are similar to social workers, but they are not as educated or typically as skilled as social workers. Social and human services assistants most usually work in government and other non-profit settings, and primarily provide social workers with the assistance they need on caseloads. Professionals within this job setting are usually the “face” of the social work agency, making them vital to daily operations (Lockard & Wolf, 2012). Additionally, they spend an abundance of their time gathering information from individuals seeking services.
A high school diploma, or equivalent, is required to become a social and human services assistant. A bachelor’s degree is not often required because most assistants that do obtain a bachelor’s degree apply to become social workers (Lockard & Wolf, 2012). The median annual income reported is over 28,000 dollars (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014). This annual income is roughly over half of what social workers make, but the pay is considered above average for the amount of education required. Currently, job growth is expected in this field by more than 20 percent, which is considered higher than average (Lockard & Wolf, 2012). This is unsurprising considering the hiring demand for social workers continues to increase as well. However, due to high amounts of cases, and reports of being overworked and overwhelmed, social and human services assistants do have a higher than average turnover rates as well. For these reasons, in addition for my desire to work in a career that requires a college degree, I would not enjoy a career as a social or human services assistant. Similar to social work, while the outcome of cases would be very rewarding and fulfilling at times, the overall job appears too stressful.
Rehabilitation Counselors
Rehabilitation counselors work with disabled or emotionally and physically hindered youth, adults, and elderly populations in attempts to help those live functional lives. These specialized counselors work in a variety of occupational settings, making this field more flexible than most in human services. Some rehabilitation counselors work within unemployment agencies, prisons, schools, or elderly homes to provide specific care to their clients (Leahy, Chan, & Saunders, 2013).
A rehabilitation counselor must possess a Master’s degree in order to obtain work. Some states do require that these professionals become licensed counselors as well, whether it is through additional education or training programs. Currently, a rehabilitation counselor earns an average annual income of over 33,000 dollars (Leahy et al., 2013). This amount can vary, however, depending on whether or not a counselor works for a private practice or non-profit agency.
Fortunately, the job growth outlook for rehabilitation counselors is above average by nearly 20 percent (Leahy et al., 2013). This is positive news because I could easily see myself in this type of career field. Even though a higher degree is required, this is one of the rewarding aspects of the field because you are providing individuals with specialized treatment and assistance. As with other types of careers within human services, rehabilitation counselors are sometimes overwhelmed by the amount of cases they must handle, but overall it appears as though the challenges would make the job more rewarding.
Mental Health Counselors
As the title suggests, mental health counselors work specifically with emotionally or mentally impaired individuals to cope with their conditions and maintain their daily lives. These specialized counselors make suggestions and strategies their clients can use to manage any issues they may be experiencing. Most often, mental health counselors work with juvenile and adult populations depending on their work environment. Some mental health counselors serve students at school, while others serve individuals at a private practice. Mental health counselors are also prevalent among the military population, which is also one of the main reasons why job growth for mental health counselors is almost 30 percent (Kerwin, Smith & Kirby, 2006).
Similar to rehabilitation counselors, mental health counselors must also possess a Master degree in order to serve their clientele. In addition to a Master’s degree, professionals seeking to become mental health counselors must also become licensed in the state they intend to practice. As of now, the average income for a mental health counselor is a little over 40,000 dollars (Kerwin et al., 2006). There are variations of mental health counselors, and some specializations pay more than others. This profession is a typically flexible one within human services because an individual has the choice to be a generalized mental health counselor, or a more specialized type of counselor, such as a marriage and family counselor (Kerwin et al., 2006). The flexibility of this type of career makes it appealing, and it would also be rewarding to help people through their emotional problems and help provide more stability in their lives. On the other hand, not being able to help clients would be challenging, especially in certain cases. It would be hard not to become emotionally attached as well. Mental health counselor is definitely a human services career that remains high on my list of possibilities.
Probation and Parole Officers
Second to social workers, probation and parole officers are probably one of the first jobs to come to mind when an individual thinks of careers within human services. Probation and parole officers dedicate their careers to serving ex-offenders and helping them to assimilate back into their communities, and most importantly additionally, holding these ex-offenders accountable for future actions and deterring future criminal acts from occurring (Gayman & Bradley, 2013). What the public does not regularly know about probation and parole officers is that they serve as a type of auxiliary law enforcement. As expected, probation and parole officers primarily work with adult populations, and at times, juveniles that have committed criminal acts. These officers serve as the liaison between an ex-offender and the justice system.
An individual wishing to become a probation and parole officer must have completed a Bachelor’s degree, but does not need job-specific experience to earn an entry-level position. Currently, the average income of a probation and parole officer is over 40,000 (Gayman & Bradley, 2013). Similar to other occupations, the rate of pay greatly depends upon the area an individual lives and works. Unlike most human services occupations, there have been no real changes in job outlook for probation and parole officers. This is primarily due to budget restraints at the state level, and as previously mentioned, probation and parole officers are considered as a type of law enforcement in most states, which their incomes reflect (Gayman & Bradley, 2013).
As expected, some of the biggest challenges to this occupation would be working with ex-offenders, many of which are violent or have violent pasts, and other risks that working with ex-offenders involves. Additionally, probation and parole officers are responsible for taking ex-offenders back to jail, if required, and must also perform urinalysis tests each time they see a client (Gayman & Bradley, 2013). The most unappealing part of the job would entail situations when an officer would have to track down a client at their home and the risk that would impose.
Conclusion
In summation, there are an abundance of careers available within the field of human services. Depending on the standards and desires of the individuals, there are many challenging yet rewarding jobs available that serve members of the community. Human services professionals can work with youth, adult, and elderly populations in numerous types of public and private settings. When it comes to a career in human services, I feel it is more important to be happy and effective serving your clients, rather than being concerned with the income being made. It is always great to give back to others, and I believe this is what professionals within the field of human services effectively do.
References
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