One of my key strengths is the ability to interact effectively with people from different backgrounds, cultures, race and ethnic orientation. This is a skill that I have mustered with time from my early childhood as I lived in a multi ethnic and multi racial neighborhood. My friends and classmates spanned from various backgrounds and I could understand what each group went through and the stereotypes held against each group. My informed understanding of social work is simply the use of the various social theories and methods of inquiry to address the various issues and problems facing people in the society. The basic duty of a social worker is to employ all resources within his or her resources to better human conditions and make positive changes in the lives of those he or she comes across.
Taking a look around in our society and neighborhoods, one cannot help but pity the suffering that people go through. With all the social maladies that are thriving in our midst, any reasonable person would be wiling to assist. These problems range from alcoholism, drug addiction, domestic violence, prostitution and diseases such as HIV/AIDS amongst others. I have lived in the midst of suffering people, wives that have been battered, teenagers on the verge of insanity due to drug addiction, men struggling with alcoholism, victims of aids, orphans and other people living with social problems that people in the middle class might never imagine. Coming across such people always creates a burning desire and urge to reach out and help. One of my main reasons for considering pursuing a career in social work is the need to assist others.
I have come to understand, in my limited interaction with the homeless, the sick, the drug addicts and the alcoholics amongst others, that a little affection and effort towards assisting them can go a long way. That affectionate gesture and an understanding conversation can touch and initiate that needed leap towards reforms. With a background characterized by interactions with demoralized, hopeless and the poor, I have felt a strong urge to make a profession out of social work and arm myself with skills to help and assist others in the society uplift their status in life. With adequate training in social work, I am confident I will acquire the necessary skills and professional ethics to be able to serve the people better. It will arm me with a high level of professionalism to enable me pursue a career that I have come to enjoy, a career whose interest spans from deep within me.
A career in social work will not only give me an opportunity to pursue an interest and fulfill inherent desires to alleviate suffering in the humanity, but it will also give me an opportunity to make a living. That is an important reason that cannot be understated. The amount of money that I am bound to earn, though not comparable to other big professions like medicine and law, is reasonable and motivating enough. Financial motivation aside, the satisfaction gained from helping others is motivating enough.
People derive their satisfaction and gratification from various places. Whereas businessman would be motivated by the increase in sales and profit maximization, a social worker is inspired by the positive changes that he or she is able to bring to the society. All that counseling and assistance offered to people that need it and seeing lives being transformed would be a motivating factor. It would fulfill urges that have been carried on forth from my childhood; of helping others and hoping that they find solace and respite despite the problems and the desolation that surround them. That would be the greatest motivating factor behind pursuing a career in social work.
Apart from being motivated and having excellent interactive skills, it is self evident that I possess a reasonable level of compassion and self care. These two, Matthew Robb (2004) recognizes, are “ the bedrock value of social work” as they “ allow us to bridge huge differences in lifestyles and life experience, in beliefs and biases. ” Any effective social worker must driven by compassion and the need to help others. Compassion is simply a warm loving feeling towards others regardless of their social status in life or their cultural and political orientation. As afore mentioned, as a social worker, your interest lies with the people that have lost hope in life, people who have been driven into despair by drugs, alcohol, diseases and poverty. These are not the kind of people that one may enjoy interacting with under normal circumstances.
With compassion and self care however, this becomes an easy task as one recognizes that despite their problems they deserve respect and dignity. They are entitled to rights to a good life. Another quality that I possess that will come in handy in a social work career is courage and high analytical skills. A look ahead at the career ahead and a glimpse at the sort of duties that await me, makes me understand very well that social work is clearly not for the faint hearted. It requires courage to interact with the sick, the poor, the homeless and most of all to face and challenge the political and the social institutions that exist to be more responsive to the needs of the poor. My interaction with such kind of people has helped me understand that they harbor suspicions of the existing institutions.
They are skeptical of the ability and the willingness of the government to address the social and the economic problems facing the poor. This in most cases is true. It requires bravery and confidence to face the people that run public institutions. To challenge existing institutions is no easy fete. I believe I have armed myself with the necessary courage to stand up for the rights of the desolate and the oppressed in the society.
Integrity and impartiality in the delivery of services is another professional quality I pride myself of. Again I owe this a lot to my upbringing. Having interacted with various people from different cultures, economic, social and ethnic groups, I have come to understand that what matters most is the substance rather than the form. It is the character and personality that are important and they have no relation at all to color or creed.
With the professional training I am to receive, I am sure I will be able to assist all my clients indiscriminately and maintain the integrity of this noble profession. I am confident that I possess a strong conviction and principles enough not to fall into temptations and let my self interests impede the delivery of essential services or my interactions with my clients. There are areas too that need to be addressed to ensure that I maintain a high level of professionalism and become an effective social worker. One of this would be the weakness of becoming too attached to people’s problems and the belief that I can help everyone. I am well aware that as a social worker, I am bound to come across people with huge problems and who are suffering a lot.
I am convinced that I require professional training to assist me overcome the feeling that I have to assist everyone in the society. This is in the understanding that I can only assist a small group of clients and that I can only play a small part and leave the rest to other professionals. It is also important to acquire objectivity and a high level of professionalism to ensure that I do not get carried away and embroiled in some people’s problem while shunning others. Though not a major concern far as I am concerned, it is sometimes difficult trying to maintain objectivity in social work.
There are times that the prejudices and stereotypes that are held in the society can impede on a persons judgment, professional ethics notwithstanding. I would need constant mentoring and training to ensure that I suppress any such prejudices and be able to carry out my duties without any favors or discrimination. My interest in social work has been running on for long. One key quality to ensure success in such is effective communication and ability to interact with people from different backgrounds, people facing various problems in the society such as diseases and drugs amongst others. I am confident I will pursue a career in social work successfully.