101 Things To Do With a Social Work Degree offers a comprehensive look at a broad spectrum of careers in the social work field. The majority of the book consists of interview-style storytelling by social workers who work in various aspects of social work. It includes social workers from various countries, but the majority of the social workers featured are from the United States.
As a social worker, journalist, and entrepreneur, I especially enjoyed the stories of the social workers who have started their own businesses and also those who have dedicated their careers to work in specialized non-traditional practice, such as those who are founders and CEOs, social work podcasters, and e-journalism social workers. Although this was a small aspect of the book, I thought it was very necessary to include these roles. I just wish that there were a few more non-traditional roles featured.
The majority of the roles featured are traditional social work roles, such as child and family services, case management/direct services, clinical services, and mental health. There are also stories from contributors in education, research, policy, healthcare, leadership and administrative roles.
The format of this 396-page book is consistent and easy to read. The contributors provide insight into their jobs and the steps taken to get to their current positions. I found the advice each contributor provided to future social workers deeply valuable.
Part of being a social worker involves effecting social change and leading by influencing others. This book does a lot of things well. It brings to life the titles of jobs that you read about and offers a relatable view of the roles through storytelling. The stories are told through the eyes and words of someone who actually works in the roles presented.
The book includes salary range for each featured role, job description, daily responsibility, pros and cons, and lessons learned. This made it easy to compare different roles and career paths to consider in social work. Each contributor also offers advice. This is one of the things that I loved most about this book.
Overall, I found this book inspiring and relatable, because it highlights roles that I knew very little about and I learned about roles that I had never considered prior to reading the book. The stories were inspirational and insightful to me. The self-care section gives a thoughtful and personal touch to the book for social workers and future social workers. I appreciated the thought process taken in putting this book together.
There is strength in storytelling. This book shows just how broad social work is and the many possibilities. You don't have to choose the traditional roles. Social workers can help in so many ways.
101 Things To Do With a Social Work Degree is a valuable resource for someone beginning their social work career journey or even a social worker who is considering a different role in social work.
Reviewed by Tasha Krank, MSW, BS (she/her/hers), an MSW graduate from Western New Mexico University. She earned a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University. Tasha is also an author, journalist, and entrepreneur. Her topics of interest are adults and children with disabilities, social justice issues, and career empowerment topics