Evaluation of Career Development in Social Work
The requirements and salary range depend on several factor, namely the educational degree of the employees, their previous experience, actual job description, and the state. In the majority of cases, the employers require MSW; such positions are paid accordingly. Less frequently the companies search for specialists with BSW and the work usually tend to be temporary and low-paid (Reisch and Jarman-Rohde 202). Some of the positions require the applicants to pass a test to evaluate their proficiency. In several cases, additional specific certification were required, like Activities Director Certified (ADC) or Modular Education Program for Activities Professionals (MEPAP) if the applicant is searching for a job within the field of physical activity (Indeed).
The salary depends on the field of social work. For example, healthcare social worker receives $51.930 annually, while school social worker gets $42.120 and substance abuse social worker may have $41.380 (Learn how to become). If comparing, the highest salary is obtained by the psychologists $69.280 and the lowest is in rehabilitation counselors of $33.880 (Learn how to become). At the same time, the salary range is relevant only for the specialists who obtained MSW. According to the data, entry level for the applicants with BSW is around $25.000, while with the time it is possible to reach $41.000 (PayScale). It is possible to see that the difference between the candidates is not significant, and it usually depends on the experience of the specialist.
In the field of gerontology, the job options vary. The companies may require the proficiency in this area as an additional specialty, when, for example, the applicant will have to collaborate with senior citizens indirectly. For instance, there are several propositions for executive director of operations in the senior center; this position does not require the specialist to be in contact with the residents. At the same time, there are a lot of jobs for a wellness director, who will have to maintain the programs fostering healthy living among senior citizens. At the same time, the most frequent job propositions for the gerontologists are social service director, wellness director, and resident service coordinator (Indeed).
The evaluated positions for the applicants with MSW in gerontology include Resident Service Coordinator in Senior Center, Social Worker Supervisor II in the Senior Center, and Social Services Director I in the Healthcare Center (Indeed). All positions were searched in three California counties, namely Madera, Fresno, and Sacramento. All propositions required the applicants to have at least one year of experience in the related field and to have good interpersonal skills. One of the positions demanded the applicants speak Spanish and to have experience in MS Office. Also, two positions required the applicants to have driver’s license and to undergo a multifaceted selection procedure that will evaluate the candidates. Overall, all job positions selected for the assessment had the similar demands for the applicants. First of all, the employees emphasized good time-management and planning skills, effective communication, efficient interaction with the senior citizens, and excellent ethical conduct. Also, the employers demanded the candidates to know how to deal with the challenging situations involving senior citizens. In general, the positions targeted leaders and good team players, as the candidates were supposed to have subordinates.
If comparing the regions where the evaluation was made, Sacramento county has the biggest number of job propositions. Also, the region provides a great variety of jobs, like Program Leader, Recreation Administration Assistant, Social Worker Supervisor, and two positions for the Professors in this field. Depending on the qualifications and the specificity of the job, the companies propose the salary from $10 to $40 per hour, where the lower range is provided for undergraduates and the highest one is proposed for candidates with MSW. In Madera, CA the employers posted only several job propositions, where some of the positions are designed for nurses and the rest of them require the candidates to work in the field of physical training and Wellness. The salary starts from $22 to $28 per hour and reaches to $45 per hour for the Wellness Director. Fresno county proposes several positions in the same area as Madera, CA emphasizing the need to be certified in physical training. The companies offer the salary of $33 per hour for the BSW candidates and increase it to $47 for the applicants with MSW.
Several positions were proposed for the candidates with BSW in Fresno, Madera and Sacramento, specifically, Social Service Coordinator in the non-profit organization, Resident Services Director in Senior Center, and Wellness Director in Senior Center. No additional certification is required for the jobs except for the Wellness Director, where the employer demanded ASFA Fitness Instructor/Personal Trainer certification. This job presupposed the candidates to create and maintain the physical training exercises for the senior citizens. One of the specificities of two job positions is the requirement of experience in the similar fields, which will be difficult o obtain for the newly-graduated. The other requirements are similar to the candidates with MSW, where interpersonal qualities and communicative skills were the most important.
Works Cited
Greif, Geoffrey L. “How International Is the Social Work Knowledge Base?” Social Work 49.3 (2004): 514-524.
“How to Become a Social Worker: Careers as a Social Worker”. Learn How to Become, Bureau of Labor Statistics. 15 January 2016. Web. 25 January 2016.
“Jobs in Gerontology: California”. Indeed. 25 January 2016. Web. 25 January 2016.
Purnima, George, Coleman, Brienne and Barnoff, Lisa. “Beyond ‘Providing Services’: Voices of Service Users on Structural Social Work Practice in Community-Based Social Service Agencies.” Canadian Social Work Review 24.1 (2007): 5-14.
Reisch, Michael, and Lily Jarman-Rohde. “The Future of Social Work in the United States: Implications for Field Education.” Journal of Social Work Education 36.2 (2000): 201-217.
“Social Worker (BSW) Salary (United States)”. PayScale. 12 January 2016. Web. 25 January 2016.
