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SOCIAL WORK
Personal desire
Unlike law which has a history of prestige attached to it, the attraction for social work to the contrary, does not arise out of the prestige attached to the profession. Most people choosing this career have a passion to help others in society.
As societies globally are rapidly changing and experiencing some dysfunctionality, it becomes very important that a frontline people is properly equipped to help in addressing some of the causes of the dysfunction that is increasingly being experienced the world over. The training of a social worker is therefore tailored to identifying the societal challenges increasingly being experienced and providing solutions to the same.
Globally there is an increased interest in people to pursue this career and one may not go wrong deciding on social work as a career path. As long as there will be people, there shall always be social challenges that will always need addressing. The skills that social work graduates are equipped with arising from the mostly comprehensive degree program they follow, makes social workers the most properly trained and equipped people to finding solutions to those challenges that different global societies are faced with today.
Financial Prospects
Though the financial prospects for social work may not be as comparable to careers like law, the prospects of employability and entrepreneurship are good for graduates of the Bachelor of Social Work Degree program. Career prospects for social work are vast from the civil service as social policy advisors to the government, lucrative careers in the non-governmental organizations and the international organizations where individuals with this skill are now highly sought after to work in different parts of the world and providing specialized skills to especially vulnerable communities.
For persons with a genuine desire to work with people, the prospect of employability as a social worker is very high and is even made more lucrative from the fact that it is a profession that has not been saturated and hence persons pursuing this career have an almost instant prospect of securing employment either in government, nongovernment organizations or international organizations.
Further, graduates with a Social Work degree play a pivotal role in the juvenile justice system. Social workers have the responsibility of advising the system on the welfare of juvenile offenders as regards the appropriate sentences to be imposed on juveniles who come into conflict with the law once convicted.
As most countries especially in Africa, Zambia inclusive increasingly align their policies towards social protection, there is also a heightened demand for persons trained with social skills that would be helping governments in the formulation and implementation of social policies. This is therefore increasing the demand for social workers not only in Africa and Zambia but globally.
Longevity
As with law, the prospects of retirement at fifty-five years of age for persons with social work skills is not really as high as with some other sectors especially in the public service. The counselling skills that social workers acquire through their training means such skills would always be sought in society. As long as there will be people, so equally shall there be a need to address the social challenges found where people are.
The training of social workers now is incorporated with important entrepreneurial skills. Social worker can therefore supplement government efforts in establishing different social service facilities such as care homes, kindergartens, special needs schools etc. which facilities would be long term and an important source of economic livelihood for persons with social work skills.
Because it is a career that has not very much been explored due in part, to an absence of strong social protection systems focusing directly on addressing the plight of people, social work has not seen much increase in the number of persons pursing the career. With a steady shift in government policies towards addressing the challenges people are facing, social work is becoming one of the most lucrative careers to venture into.
Lusaka Goldsmiths University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Science has a robust Social Work Degree program. If you are still contemplating a career path, Social Work is one of those you would do with Lusaka Goldsmiths University without regret. The program is the second most sought after degree at the University after law.
