If I Had To Do It All Over, I’d Choose Social Work (Again)!

by Rachel Castillo, MSW, APSW

     If I had to do it all over, I’d choose social work (again)!

     I’ve always been proud to be a social worker - it’s a profession that embodies the very core of who I am and who I want to be. And with all of the difficult things going on worldwide, I find myself becoming more and more proud of my profession. Sure, there are times when social work friends and I talk about what it would be like to be in a different profession - one that is less stressful, where the most important decisions you make are in regard to money and not in regard to people’s lives. But the truth is, I love my profession, and as I’ve matured I’ve grown to love it even more. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Social Work Values - Have you read our Social Work Code of Ethics recently? In particular, I just love our core values. I often forget in the day-to-day work to stop and reflect on them. Yet, when I do, I feel empowered and excited to be in this profession. It’s extremely important to me to have my day-to-day work be in line with my values. As a social worker, I only have to look at our official code to know that indeed there is a high level of congruency. There are very few professions where this would be true.
2. Understanding how micro, mezzo, and macro intersect. I started my social work career in direct practice, and that is still where my heart is. However, as my lens has grown, as well as my desire to get to root problems, so has my understanding of the importance of macro-level social work. I love being in a profession that has those complementary pieces covered and allows the opportunity to gain new experience, education, and insight by learning about and exploring the different lenses (micro, mezzo, macro). Instead of feeling just stuck and overwhelmed (when one is seeing the negative aspects on a daily basis during direct practice), you can reach out and find out what is happening on a macro level and get involved in positive policy changes related to any specific direct practice problem you are seeing. That is empowering.
3. Getting to be part of positive change and personal growth. Often, people’s response when they find out I am a child welfare social worker is, “That must be so sad and hard - how do you do it?” And yes, often it is sad and hard. But just as often, I’ve witnessed and have been a part of incredibly hopeful stories - stories of parents overcoming their addictions; stories of children with challenging behaviors and needs finding their forever homes; stories of resiliency, strength, and hope. These are the stories that keep me going and help me connect to why I chose social work in the first place.

     Why did you choose social work? What makes you proud to be a social worker today?

Rachel Castillo, MSW, is a licensed Advanced Practice Social Worker (APSW) and has been working in the area of child welfare for more than 10 years. She is the founder of www.socialworkcommunity.com, a website/blog with the goal of creating a positive community for social workers to gather, connect, and inspire one another.