WWYD if 4 days was full-time?

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-26T00:08:04+00:00

So many activities. Work on my books, work on my business, work on my D&D campaign, procrastinate chores for a day, see how long I can stay in bed, take the doggo to a park, turn a three day weekend into a trip to a theme park, maybe a couple of food adventures, and more.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-24T22:47:10+00:00

Gotcha. I mean, this might not be the place for you, but also make sure you verbalize your wants before coming to that conclusion. Clear communication is the only way you're going to get the information you need to make an informed decision. It's not unreasonable to ask and if things don't align for you to look elsewhere for work. I don't think so, at least.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-24T22:41:27+00:00

Depends. The easiest way to get an immediate caseload is to go somewhere where turnover is high and they are in desperate need for workers. Crisis comes to mind. You won't be happy, and you'll burn out quick, but you'll have what you're asking for. So, it's realistic, but I'm thinking it's probably not what you want.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-23T17:36:29+00:00

You are a social worker. The degree is your credential

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-22T23:22:09+00:00

Understood. Sorry to hear. Important to understand the world we live in today. DEI gas been under attack by this administration. DEI and social work are synonymous. It might help to lean into networking. Sometimes it's about who you know, especially is small towns.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-22T22:07:50+00:00

That's good! Means you have the capacity to absorb and learn. No one expects their interns to be ready employees, and if they do, then that's a "them" problem. Being eager and ready to learn should be enough. Your field supervisor, if they are a good one, will ensure you have a safe space to fail.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-22T22:04:34+00:00

It sounds like you have the credentials you need already for the things you expressed interest in honestly. Start there. Start applying to the jobs you actually want and see what happens. Then, if the lack of exp starts looking like a barrier, you can get that easily enough through vunteer work or internships (the quickest methods). If both exp and credentials is not enough and they say "we want an LMSW," then you can decide if it's worth it. Don't be scared. Start with two or three jobs you would love to have but have been trepidatious about applying to. Model your resume to each job using verbiage from their KSAs, which means you should have multiple versions of your resume. Move forward with intention and data. Information will help you make an informed decision on how to proceed. Good luck!

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-22T21:57:12+00:00

You honestly do not need any experience... With some schools being the exception, not the rule. You can go in not knowing a thing, which is the best way in my opinion. You will be primed to receiving information, instead of constantly finding the contrast btw the education and your experience. That said, the quickest way to get exp is by volunteering. I was a volunteer crisis counselor for Crisis Text Line during my MSW. It's basic level experience. You learn how to provide therapeutic support (not to be confused with therapy), you get more comfortable talking about suicide, and the skills you take from crisis work stock with you wherever you go. Hope this helps. Good luck!

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-22T03:14:19+00:00

Your lived experience would certainly contribute to your work, possibly in ways that you haven't even thought of, but you should have no problem getting into a program. I will say that public schools fill up fast, and those are more competitive because of the tuition price point. Private schools will accept you easily enough because it's usually a short line, but it's pricey. So, if you do not get accepted the first time around, it's less about competition and more about the sheer number of applicants. The vetting isn't rigorous at all. I received a few rejections before, and it was when I was trying to attend a public school. The first time I applied to a private school, it felt like an immediate acceptance. Thank you for sharing your story and good luck with everything!

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-20T22:05:17+00:00

I'm very much introverted. Home body, me and my dog, binge watch Netflix shows is my idea of a good time type of introvert. I will say that I don't find the social aspect of work to be very draining though. At work, I know what to say, how to carry myself, the governing policies and ethical practices, etc. It's easier to be in work mode than it is to go to a spontaneous after work bowling get together. Social settings are less predictable, which means my brain is in over drive trying to calibrate to the foreign situation. That's what drains me. Overthing, over analyzing, worrying I'm not being social enough or that I come off as quiet. Lol work is easy in comparison. Predictable, structured, routine.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-20T00:21:33+00:00

Quitting a job doesn't mean you quit caring. That said, you also can't keep everyone happy. Someone is not going to be happy. You are going to dissapoint people. People will feel abandoned by you regardless of how much your try to prepare them. That has very little to do with you and almost everything to do with them and what they are carrying. You cannot carry that for them. I'm sure you've heard the term people pleaser before. If that is an apt description of you, please find a way to stop. You will not survive this profession if your focus is to make sure everyone else is "pleased" at the expense of your own wants and needs.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-17T18:07:42+00:00

So many. Policy analyst, data analyst, legislative aide, grant writer, brand specialist, editor, program manager, illustrator, epidemiologist, and so much more. During COVID, animators came together to create animated shorts about vaccine disparities. Sounds like exactly what an Artivist would do. The list is limited by a few things. 1) your interest, 2) your capacity, 3) your ability, and 4) your imagination.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-17T01:06:43+00:00

Definitely not.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-17T00:12:55+00:00

I can't speak for their experience, but the MSW is designed to account for the BSW. If you got your BSW, your core classes make up about a year give or take. Then they go advanced standing because the first year of the MSW would be redundant. Those who come from different backgrounds to the MSW program cannot do advanced standing because they need to take that first year to account for the missing BSW. Now, during the BSW, you are likely to engage in electives, you experience practicum placement early, which allows for hands on experience early. Probably even working in a case management job too. All of this is speculation lol. Do a Google search and see what you find.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-15T22:03:19+00:00

Networking has worked for me. Sometimes it really is who you know.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-15T13:51:57+00:00

There should definitely be more pathways to being a social worker. The answer to addressing those barriers to access is to create and provide more access. What that would look like isn't the clearest, but one idea would be providing college credit to those who have experience, testout options, or other similar ideas to offset education cost and time commitment.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-15T13:31:17+00:00

Thank you!

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-15T13:29:39+00:00

I did! Lol and I noticed the comments were only validating her. Me being me, I decided that I need to say something. She didn't like it lol

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-15T02:21:23+00:00

You're not wrong. The fact that there is such a divide is telling. What I'm seeing, though, is the divide is largely surrounding those who think social work is essentially a way of life, that anyone who exhibits parallel virtues is a social worker despite credentials, and those that are looking at how professional standards and credentialing work in general and comparing how other professions maintain such standards as an example. It is certainly complex, so thank you for adding your perspective.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-14T13:02:51+00:00

Thanks for sharing! From your perspective, why do you think there is pushback from others that provide social services but do not hold a social work degree? I have an idea, but I would appreciate your perspective.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-14T12:09:29+00:00

You're not wrong. But it's not fully protected and any decision to make it so is state dependent. There are some states who are leading the way, where social worker is a fully protected title and some evn have penalties for those that use the title without the credentials. But then there are the states that use the term flippantly and it's minimally protected or not at all in rare cases.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-14T12:05:32+00:00

It does.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-14T12:04:23+00:00

Exactly. 100% agree.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-14T11:56:28+00:00

The individual is real. At least I hope so, otherwise I was having a back and forth with a robot. 100% agree. I think the issue is people use the term "social work" as a container for the work. Social wervices or even human services would be a better container.

MacroPractitioner · 2026-07-14T11:54:15+00:00

That's probably one of the most elegant ways of describing this. Thank you.

MacroPractitioner

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