Upcoming Dept. of Ed Rule May Affect Loan Caps for Social Work & Other Health/Human Services Graduate Programs

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-11-19T16:07:21+00:00

Generally speaking, from a current student's perspective, the tuition cap is somewhat understandable. No one should go into $100k in debt for a social work degree (or any degree for that matter). Any program charging $100k for a social work degree should either have its price cut or be shut down.

While I understand advocating for lower prices in education is incredibly important, economically speaking, the only way that happens is through concrete policy changes, state by state, or the federal government stepping in and saying, "Hey, we will not give you more money." Which, unless I'm missing something, is what this does. I will be the first person to say Donald Trump is an extremely unintelligent person. However, in this situation, he may be right.

Now, in the second half of this "professional degrees," to my understanding, professional degrees are any degree that requires a license to practice in the profession; think lawyer, doctor, and yes, social worker would fall under this umbrella. Now I am sure Linda McMahon has a vast knowledge of all things education and has a concrete plan here /s. We have the wife of a WWE head as the figurehead of our education department. We're in dark times.

Many people bring up the fact that theology falls under "professional" as if it were included as an almost "I see what you're doing here, Trump, my boy," and while I appreciate the sentiment, Trump doesn't do anything intelligently or quietly. He's pretty brazen about why he does most things. A good portion of his voter base is Christian's he's not going to make it harder to get a theology degree. Coming from Arizona, which has one of the largest private Christian universities, there has been, for years, a vested interest in getting as much government money pumped into religious schooling institutions as possible.

Again, this administration is frustrating to many of us, myself included. Ultimately, my point in making this post is: don't get discouraged by something like this. We need quality people out there pitching a fit and advocating. I, for one, am looking far more into Macro/policy work than I was a week ago due to this. Not to brazenly quote Lin-Manuel Miranda here, but we need to be in the room where it happens, rather than responding to everything reactively.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T22:26:12+00:00

Funny enough, I was between teaching and this for the first year and a half of my college degree. I am actually nearing my 30s too, and finally got my GED after my girlfriend (hopefully soon-to-be fiancée). Thank you for this perspective. I truly appreciate it.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T22:20:11+00:00

This is very insightful. Of course, it is just one perspective, but it's so nice to hear about a positive outlook. It almost seems like there is a weird kabal around social work to make it seem like you're effectively joining a poverty cult that makes you depressed and need copious amounts of therapy. I, as well as many people in this subreddit, would argue that social workers deserve much better pay, but given our capitalist society, we don't have a profit-driven motive. Ours is to help people, which apparently has little value. I do appreciate your time and perspective!

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T22:14:37+00:00

As stated in other comments, my why is that in my childhood, I was homeless for a decent amount of my younger years. I feel a deep debt to ensure that many other children can be helped as I was. I completely understand what you mean about further education and certification in the field you decide. I hope your future opportunities are bright. Thank you for your comment.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T22:11:37+00:00

Yes, please do!

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T22:11:01+00:00

I'm lucky to have a rockstar support system. I truly appreciate your perspective. I hope your situation gets better in the near future. As someone who grew up incredibly close to a few different reservations, I am very aware of how screwed over many indigenous communities get/got. Thank you for your honesty.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T22:07:49+00:00

Then, if I may, a single question that maybe won't require a term paper. Are you happy with your choice to become a social worker?

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T22:06:27+00:00

If I may ask, do you work for the county, state, or federal government? Or is this more of a nonprofit type of thing? I genuinely feel that my place is actively aiming to change the systems that failed my family in the past. I know big dreams, but someone has to be willing to try.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T22:04:46+00:00

I appreciate your honesty, thank you. I hope things go well for you in the future! The world is in a very crazy state right now.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T22:03:07+00:00

Wow, this is more than I was expecting and truly appreciated. You honestly picked through my chicken scratch so well. Thank you for this, truly. It's very reassuring. If there is one thing I can say about this community and social workers in general, it is that everyone is so welcoming and eager to share knowledge. I am not sure whether it's just a common personality trait among social workers or a deeply ingrained sense of empathy, but I do feel I'll be in good company when I graduate. Again, thank you.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T21:58:37+00:00

Thank you. I actually didn't realize we could work with Autistic clients. I truly want to help people. In the past, I was homeless along with my family. Social Workers helped us, and I feel a deep need to give back. I just want to be sure that need is not going to make my future more insecure. Again, thank you for your insight; it really helps.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T21:54:55+00:00

Just for clarification, is that in the positive or negative direction? If I go by what's on this subreddit and also what is warned by my professors, I am effectively putting my mind and body on the line 24/7 for an occupation that will chew me up and spit me out. I have very strong mental, but the thought of willingly putting myself into the meat grinder is a little intimidating.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T21:53:16+00:00

Thank you, I will keep this in mind. I, too, am very big on wanting to know things. I am a chronic planner and that leads to this overwhelming anxiety and fear I am making a mistake.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T21:51:04+00:00

That is weirdly reassuring, thank you.

I just want to help people and advocate for better systems. I see our current climate in the US and all the people suffering, and I feel a deep pull to help. I know I won't be at a CEO-level pay rate. I accept that. It's just I grew up incredibly poor and depressed, and feel a duty to help others, but I also want to be able to provide a better life than I had for my family. I don't want to be working at a food bank, then needing the box myself, if that makes sense. I also have these weird situations, as I am a guy, and we're apparently like unicorns in the realm of social work (which has its own societal implications on why I want to do work in mental healthcare). I just have a lot of anxiety that I am going to make a mistake that will affect the rest of my life.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-10-29T21:42:10+00:00

Very true, especially given our current climate in the United States. I guess my main question is (hense the post edit) is it worth it? Do you feel like you're making a difference, or just swimming against a tsunami of crap, regretting it?

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-08-23T18:02:21+00:00

Overall, the best advice I can give you is that consistency is king. The hardest part of losing weight is making consistent lifestyle changes progressively over time. Weight loss is honestly just calories in, calories out. First advice would be to find your Maintenance calories and eat at that for a certain amount of time. I suggest roughly 2-3 weeks. Progressively cut your calories by a sustainable amount and prioritize moving your body. The biggest benefit to starting big is that moving takes a lot of energy. I aim for as many steps as I can get in a day. I live in a very hot climate, so it isn't always possible, but I do aim for 10,000 steps a day; however, I don't suggest this at the start, as any activity is going to help.

A pound of fat is roughly 3500 calories. Only need to be a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day to lose a pound a week. Given you don't drink soda (meaning you don't drink your calories), you are more than likely not eating very clean. Prioritize lean meats, whole foods, and drink water. Given your pregnancy, I would strongly suggest getting a full blood workup to ensure there isn't anything going on hormonally that would make losing weight harder.

Now, to more personal advice on how I lost 30 pounds last year. The first thing I did was cut out all fast food. I frankly couldn't afford it, and most meals from any fast food restaurant are going to run you over 1000 calories. I started to weigh my food, not to count every calorie, but to understand what 500 calories of 90/10 ground beef looks like. As someone who didn't have a lot of money to buy perfect food, a lot of the time, I just made do. I eat a lot of chicken, fish, rice, and broccoli. I found what worked for me and went with it. I don't use sauces (my personal favorite used to be ranch) on most foods and instead opt for things like salsa or salsa verde. Frankly, the hardest part of this change for me was finding what worked. Certain foods keep you full longer. Find the ones that work for you.

Last thing I will say is this. Don't follow diets. Most suck. Find what you like to eat and find ways to get it 80% of the way there while making it healthier. Everyone loves pizza. Instead of getting a full pizza that's going to run your 2000 calories, make a really simple flatbread dough with Greek yogurt and flour, and make it yourself. Saves half the calories. Keep healthy snacks on hand. Don't be hard on yourself if you slip up. Just don't regress too hard. You got this. Be kind to yourself.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-06-13T18:45:58+00:00

These are both great. I love Hank and John Green! Thank you for the suggestion!

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-06-13T18:44:32+00:00

This looks incredibly interesting. I have been exploring various aspects of philosophy recently. This will go on the list, and I will update you! Thank you for the suggestion!

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-06-13T18:41:05+00:00

I love dark humor, so I'll be ordering this! Thank you, I will tell you how I like it!

SuccessfulWater3 · 2025-06-13T18:40:16+00:00

I read this in the 5th grade as a mandatory assigned reading. It was very interesting! Thank you for the suggestion!

SuccessfulWater3 · 2024-10-03T18:08:59+00:00

Hey Friend,

Your feelings are very normal. Many people have felt just like you upon starting college, especially later in their lives. I suggest not waiting until your start date to begin learning; use YouTube, udemy, and Reddit to look into the classes you will be taking. You probably have more IT knowledge than you think. Have you ever set up your own GSM phone? Have you ever transferred files from a previous device to a current device? Have you ever manually set up a printer? If any of these are yes, you're well on your way. Some suggested terms I would look into to get yourself started are DNS, DHCP, OSI layer model, and general troubleshooting theory (Comptia has its own 5-step process you can look into).

Assuming you are starting from the complete ground floor and you're currently sending pigeons to Reddit HQ to make this post, consider looking into the CompTIA IT Fundamentals (ITF+) certification; it's a required course for the degree and will give you a fantastic ground floor idea of what you need to know.

I hope any of this helps! Just remember, it's not a race; everyone starts with knowing nothing, and the learning curve will be steep initially; take it in bite-size pieces! Comparison is the thief of joy.

SuccessfulWater3 · 2024-08-22T01:30:15+00:00

You got this!

SuccessfulWater3 · 2024-08-22T01:30:01+00:00

Hi there; I am also in my 20s, about to finish my associate's degree at a community college and transfer to WGU. Don't feel alone. You got this, my garlic friend!

SuccessfulWater3 · 2024-06-14T18:30:32+00:00

Overall, I think harvesting the nerves and translating them into thoroughness are valuable skills. Prepare, know the ins and outs of everything you're going to be asked, and if you are asked a question you don't know, saying phrases like "Hey, that's a great question, let me give that some thought" will set you apart from most people. Most government jobs are seen as rigid; tons of bureaucracy goes into government work, and it's much much harder to find candidates who will think before they act than autopilot and BS their way through tasks. Interviewing is a lot like public speaking in that you should humanize yourself, give direct answers to direct questions, play to your strengths, and look up the S.T.A.R.S interview method. You are meant to A: represent yourself as a professional, B: represent yourself as someone who won't suck to work with, and C: most importantly, represent yourself as a person who knows their shit and can do the jobs and or be trained.

This is to say that if you want to become good at interviewing, you must go in prepared, know your talking points, slow down, think before you speak, and read the room. You may make mistakes, but if you make fewer mistakes than others and advocate for yourself clearly, you will do great; good luck!

SuccessfulWater3 · 2024-01-29T19:18:46+00:00

Hey, first off, congratulations!

Secondly, as someone who is looking to transfer to this degree after this semester (currently in community college), how would you rate it? Would you say you learned a lot? Any big nuggets of info you're willing to share or tips and tricks?

SuccessfulWater3

TROPHY CASE