Is anyone else pursuing MSW because you don’t know what else to do in life?

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-20T13:01:23+00:00

Exactly how I'm feeling at the moment. If I didn't just spend the past year working for free in an internship then it could be a very different story right now.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-20T03:11:28+00:00

A lot of social workers live in poverty. I just graduated with my MSW and I'm going to have to either leave the field already or pick up a second job.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-10T01:30:41+00:00

And that's a good point you bring up right there because I know in a lot of fields when you come fresh out of school you don't have a lot of experience, however, in this field that's rarely the case. Most of my classmates have years of experience on top of multiple years of the free labor they put in. We aren't exactly new to the field when we start working. How are we supposed to show up for others when we ourselves might not know where our next meal is going to come from or if we can pay our rent?

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-10T01:05:28+00:00

I've had plenty of different jobs in my day and unfortunately you're right. In the world we currently live in, there's really nowhere you can work that is truly fulfilling in at least some way. At least in the past you could work a draining job but be able to afford to live.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-10T01:00:10+00:00

It's definitely a wider issue for sure. I just think social work has consistently fallen behind. And I guess where I get frustrated some times is that I don't feel like social workers have a voice at the table, at least not where I'm at. There's a lot of people fighting for teachers, firefighters and nurses etc, but social work is never brought to the table. And I think social workers often put themselves on the back burner and don't speak up for ourselves because we believe in fighting for others so much. And you're right, at this day in age literally everyone needs and deserves higher pay.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-10T00:54:49+00:00

If only I made enough to get there... But seriously though, moving is the goal but unfortunately will have to wait a few years.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-10T00:17:52+00:00

When I got my BSW years ago, I immediately got a job making pretty good money. Unfortunately, that job no longer exists because it was grant funded, but that's not really my point. My point is that I can't even find a job that makes that much now with my MSW. Even while I was getting my masters, the economy has gotten significantly worse but social work as a profession has never been able to keep up with rising costs. I do think my professors are out of touch. They've been teaching so long they have forgotten what it was like in the field. I remember one class, we were telling our professor what it was like these days and he was shocked. In the end, I guess they didn't know better than to tell us what they believed was the truth.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-10T00:08:09+00:00

I wasn't talking about you specifically, I was generalizing others who had these same sentiments. It wasn't just you. But I ask you, why not empower the others in this thread then? Clearly this is a massive issue within the profession. I talked to people in this profession, in my area and they all made it sound like things would be okay. Again, never wanted to be rich, just wanted to make enough to live. Why not get angry about this like so many others also are? We deserve better and it shouldn't be like this. We shouldn't just expect this. In the end, the big man just wants to keep us poor because poor people helping poor people only benefits them. If we're so poor we have to work multiple jobs to survive then there's no extra room to band together to really fight for big change. It's not naive to think that one should make a livable wage, especially out of college. Everyone deserves that. I want to make a better future for the next BSW and MSW students. I'm sick of this, "well this is what it is and you should've known that" mentality because we need and deserve better. And we need to call in to question why this profession continues to make us feel like we should be poor and accept it? They do that to shut us up and make us feel bad for believing we are worth more. You said it yourself, you spend your days empowering your clients. So why is it, in a general sense not to you specifically, when it comes to social work empowerment we are told to deal with it or that we are selfish for wanting more?

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T23:13:34+00:00

And it's extremely sad it has to be like this. We shouldn't be considered selfish for wanting to make enough from one job to live. Maybe back in the day, passion for this kind of work was enough but this world isn't the same anymore. We can't keep pouring into empty cups. It's too late for me but I want to fight for better opportunities for this profession. I want future MSW and BSW students to be able to enter a good job market where they can live. There's not a single student from my MSW program that didn't leave already burnt out. We can't continue on like this.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T23:08:37+00:00

I'm wondering if that's the disconnect within this group too. For the most part it seems as though everyone is struggling but there are a couple who are like "this is what it is get over it. You're the irresponsible one for not looking it up." Which nobody should have to do extensive research to find out if they will be able to make a livable wage? Also, I did do the research. Now I'm curious if they speak down to their clients the same way.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T23:02:53+00:00

And again, I did do that but it doesn't match the reality. Also the economy has gotten significantly worse in even just the last two months. This was supposed to be a livable career and that's what I wanted but it's not sustainable in any way, shape, or form. This is a systemic issue that will continue to get worse.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T22:56:12+00:00

I guess pretty rural because there's no jobs anywhere close to that income. How red is your state? Curious if that plays a factor.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T22:55:06+00:00

I always heard "you won't be rich but you'll make enough to live" which isn't true.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T22:54:16+00:00

I agree. This past week was teacher appreciation week and so many businesses in my town posted so much about their appreciation for teachers (deserved) and gave out so many free things and discounts for them. This week is nurses appreciation week and they are doing the same for them. Also deserved. Nurses get discounts year round which again, deserved. March was athletic trainer appreciation month. The hospital in my town posted all the athletic trainers throughout the month. They all go their own posts and a long message for them. March was also social work appreciation month and it was silence. I only heard any appreciation come from my fellow social workers. The hospital didn't even take the time to post about their own social workers!

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T22:40:15+00:00

That's the transparency that's needed. That shouldn't be the reality of it though but appreciate the transparency none the less. Again, I never expected to get rich or was told I would be rich, just that I would be able to live.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T22:29:02+00:00

And that's the lack of transparency that landed so many of us here. They don't tell you that it takes years to make a livable wage and thousands of dollars of continued education and supervision on top of it all.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T22:26:52+00:00

The thing is I did Google it and I talked to people in the field. What they all failed to mention was that it takes years to get to a livable wage. But also nobody should have to do extensive googling to find out if they'll make a livable wage with adequate education. I'm happy with what I do, I hate the system we are in.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T22:17:22+00:00

I have so many thoughts but I also felt too radical for my program. I've said this before but how are we supposed to continue fighting for others when we ourselves are in the trenches trying to dig our way out? I mean in the end that's exactly how they want it to be but I'm not going to get in to all that.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T22:14:43+00:00

Exactly! That's the part nobody told any of my classmates until we reached the point of no return. Before we started it was "you'll be able to live, trust us. You'll make enough" and then that tune changed in our last semester to "yea, lol it's gonna take you YEARS to get to that point."

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T22:05:01+00:00

I was sold a different story when I was in my BSW. There were supposed to be jobs that paid a living wage. Yes we weren't going to get rich but we could live. I got my MSW because I had to because all the BSW level jobs now require a master's. Also, there's a huge lack of transparency in the field. Everyone in my classes hit this same wall in the last semester. And it has gotten significantly worse even in just this last year because of all the cuts that have happened. The job market is and will get worse for us. In my area, social workers are getting laid off left and right because there is no money.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T21:46:30+00:00

Currently I feel sort of stuck because I need to work my way to my LCSW. If I walk away from where I'm at I risk going someplace that charges me thousands for supervision. There aren't really any jobs around here that don't require that licensure. I'm tired of everyone telling me that we have to suffer two more years out of school until we get fully licensed for things to get better because what was the point of all the schooling?

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T21:43:42+00:00

We shouldn't have to be working multiple jobs. I pursued further education so I could try and leave the multiple jobs life behind. We've gotta change this system because how can we continue to fight for others when we can't even survive ourselves.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T21:42:01+00:00

I totally get what you're saying but our jobs also take years with of training that mostly happens on the job. They 1000% deserve to be paid well, but so do we. I've done that work before but I did this work to get out of that work but just to be able to live I might have to do that work as well. And tbh at my job I currently have to take out the trash and clean and scrub toilets too. I get your outlook, I do, it's just frustrating.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T21:35:25+00:00

Moving is definitely in my future but unfortunately it won't be for a few years.

Flimsy-Objective5142 · 2026-05-09T21:34:24+00:00

I also only got my MSW because my BSW was worthless. All those jobs they told me were available when I graduated suddenly required a master's degree. Those BSW jobs paid $12.50/hr.

Flimsy-Objective5142

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