It's Called Social Work

by Jessica Marynik

     Why do I want to be a social worker? There are multiple reasons I want to work in this profession, but I didn’t even realize it until about two months ago. When someone asks you what you want to go to school for, it is a lot more complicated than when someone asks what you want to be when you grow up. I could describe what I wanted to do as a career for a long time. The problem was, I didn’t know what the profession was called, and I didn’t know what kind of degree you needed to pursue it. 

     After meeting with many different departments on campus and explaining what I wanted to do, I finally found a home. I want to counsel people when they are in need of help. I want to be there for people who think everyone else has given up on them. I want to understand them and why they made the choices they have made in their lives, and not punish them for the decisions they have made. I have believed for a long time that if people want help, no matter what situation they are in, it can turn out to be okay.

     Social work is something you need to be passionate about, and I truly believe that I am. I love reading about what different kinds of social workers do every day. I think it is all so intriguing. The people who have social work jobs are so patient and under control all the time. That is something that I know I can do. I wanted to choose a profession that I know I could go above and beyond in, and I think I found it in social work.

     For as long as I can remember, all I wanted to do was help people. In this field, no matter what career path I choose will fulfill that. Every day, I go to my social work classes at school and can feel myself getting more and more excited for when I can actually get out and do the work myself.

Jessica Marynik is a student at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. She is working toward her degree in social work.