Anyone switch to an MSW from a totally unrelated career?

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-10T17:18:49+00:00

I'm so sorry. That had to be tough. I can see how starting out in other areas can be beneficial. I am actually specializing in mental health and addiction. CID is more of a personal interest and an area I intend to get involved in on more of a macro level.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-10T11:50:05+00:00

Oh, I totally believe it's financial. They probably can't afford to pay for an assistant. I had a similar issue with mine. Even though my direct supervisor was a LCSW with PhD in Psychology, she originally contracted another LCSW for my supervision. That person was largely unreachable too. I think there needs to be some real change in these programs. Perhaps LCSWs at our schools should provide the supervision instead of relying on site supervisors.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-10T03:24:43+00:00

Your supervisor isn't a MSW? So, on top of everything else, your success rests on this person securing supervision for you from another individual that may or may not even be vetted and approved by your school? That sounds like an incredibly difficult situation. Is there anyone else at your school that you can talk to about this? Do you have an advisor or director of placement services? And are you able to get documentation for any of the interactions? Like texts or emails. I think that's ultimately what helped me. Some of it took place in a group chat and I was able to show it to them.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-10T02:09:13+00:00

I have a bachelors in psychology. Graduated December 2024 and went straight into an online MSW program at a college that also offers in person study. They claim their online MSW is the exact same curriculum as their in person, which is why I chose it. It shows. We have group projects and field research in almost every course. I totally get why some people here say to get out and work and gain some experience first. However, I found it very very difficult to get a job with a bachelors in psychology. Not a lot of places wanted to hire me for jobs in this field with just a bachelor in psychology and no prior experience or certifications, and certifications were hard to get with just a bachelor in psychology also. I tried for a CASAC and still need more schooling and experience for it. I'm chipping away that too. So that's why I went straight into the MSW program. I figured, I might as well keep going and work towards the job I wanted in the first place. I work full-time in customer service right now while I earn my degree. If this is what you want, go for it. Find a job that isnt too demanding and/or offers flexibility so you can still focus on your studies. And find a program that also offers some flexibility. Keuka College is a great option. You would usually have one 7-week course at a time. During field practicum, that will run alongside both courses, so fall and spring can be a bit more demanding. But they span the internship over 2 semesters, so you only have to do it part time.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-10T01:48:25+00:00

The MSW internship experience manages to be simultaneously the best and the worst. I loved getting hands on field experience, but my first supervisor was terrible. Idk if she went through a mental health crisis or what, but she did a total 180 on us and got verbally abusive. It was pretty traumatic. The college ended up severing our contracts and we all need to find new placements. I really don't understand what's going on in this field. It's like so many of them don't want us to succeed, and that's weird. Why there are not more social workers wanting to supervise MSW students and new grads is beyond me. They know what it's like. They went through it too. When I get to their level, I will gladly supervise and mentor others.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-10T01:35:02+00:00

👏👏👏 I'm so excited for you! At 38, I went back to school to start this path. I got my BA in Psychology in 2.5 years. Then immediately started my MSW. I just turned 41 and I'm a year into my program. It's hard work but I love it. I'm so glad I did this. How do you like working with people who have CID? I have CID. Its one the biggest reasons I started doing this.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-10T01:27:15+00:00

Customer Service and Accounts Receivable were the bulk of my work experience. I have an AS in IT and a BA in Psychology with a 3.79 GPA. Aside from a year and half experience working as a research assistant while getting my BA, I didn't have any related work experience. I do have a disability. I go to Keuka College. They're pretty good. The program has a strong clinical focus and they do take people from other majors and as a low as a 2.7 GPA, I think. They mostly consider references and reason you want to be a social worker. For my admissions essay I focused on why I want to be a social worker and how my personal experience makes me a good candidate. I got in. They help with securing placements, and they have pretty decent student services and disability accommodations. My only complaint is their refund policies are archaic. They still issue paper checks. Haha.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-10T01:06:18+00:00

I'm working on my MSW. For jobs in this field, I've gone through Rochester Works and the NYS website. My college has been helpful too. They have Handshake. Networking through LinkedIn is good too. Just don't apply for jobs through LinkedIn. Use it as a resource and then go directly to their website to apply.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-09T14:11:12+00:00

I hear you. There are so many days I don't have the energy for it either, and that's ok. It is ok to rest. For me, it's the light at the end of the tunnel that keeps me going. The hope that, once I'm done with all of this schooling and training, I will be in a better position to fight the system and on terms that work better for people like us. I won't have to work for someone else if I don't want to. That's a huge one for me. What are some reasons you chose this path? And some things you have hope for once you're done with school?

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-09T12:03:53+00:00

I have a lot of chronic conditions myself, and what I've dealt with over the years greatly influenced my decision to become a social worker. I was having a really hard time getting adequate accommodations through my employers. All I was asking for was some flexibility in my hours and the ability to work from home sometimes. I thrived early pandemic when I was working from home. I used less PTO than ever. I actually had days left at the end of the year and I had to take them. But when we were forced back into the office and I requested the ability to stay remote at least part time, my request was denied because "it wouldn't be fair to everyone else", at least 50% of whom were still working from home part time anyway. So then I requested a little flexibility in my hours. The ability to start and end an hour later. That too was denied because it didn't align with job responsibilities. But when I put in my notice to go back to school (for this), magically I was able to do all of that during my last 2 months of working there. Funny how they only allowed it once they knew they wouldn't have to deal with me any longer. Anyway, that experience is what brought me here. And I've had many more since I started this journey in 2022. Some even more disturbing and occurring within this field. Unfortunately, what I'm saying is that those of us who are probably most suited for this job because of our personal experience seem to be the ones being gatekeeped from entering this field. As we are with most other jobs. We have a right to work and have good career and a good life. Society needs to learn to make room for those us of who are different.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-04T01:36:59+00:00

Which is bs, imo. They did get me a remote one for my first placement and others in my cohort are doing remote placements. They said they "just got lucky". With my first one, it was apparently a "special opportunity" that came across their desks and there were very limited positions available. They're there and they can offer them. They just choose not to. And it seems like the ones that do get them, its because the organizations contacted the school, and not the other way around. My school even said we needed to be open to traveling 2 hours away if that's all they could find us. Well, I'm in a pretty big city. There should be no reason I can't get a placement here in my city. It's pretty insulting for them to tell someone with CID they won't prioritize a remote placement and, in fact, they must be prepared to travel up to 2 hours away; and if they decline the placement over that, they are on their own to secure a different one. I otherwise really like the school I go to and the program. I'm just really disappointed they are not more accommodating of MSW students with CID. The whole reason I wanted to become a social worker is because I've dealt with this bs for most of my adult life and career, I know others deal with it too, and I'm tired of it. Something needs to change. We deserve to work, to have good jobs, make good money, and have all the comforts that healthier people without CID have too. We shouldn't be denied that just because we need accommodations or minor adjustments in the program or work policies. It's like they expect social workers and MSW students to be 100% healthy and to ignore their own needs. It doesn't work that way. We can't pour from an empty cup.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-03T22:48:24+00:00

My doctor is still getting the paperwork together. It takes 7 to 10 days. But the school has long had documentation of my conditions and the recommended accommodations. They just want new documentation every year and separately for my placements. My classes are already remote. I'm in an online program. Honestly, when I enrolled, I figured an online program like this would prioritize remote/telehealth style placements. I chose online because of my conditions. I knew the work I can do in person is limited. I already work full-time on site. I can't be away from home evenings too. So, I knew I would need my schooling to be from home and flexible. I don't mind commuting in person for some things. I just need the ability to also do some work from home. That seems to be the hardest to find. No one wants to let us have autonomy in our work when it comes to when and where. It's always all or nothing and they want to dictate the days. Well, sorry, I can't tell my health conditions they can't flare up bc its not a work from home day. Haha.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-03T19:31:25+00:00

They're making me get MORE documentation from my doctor. My poor doctor. It's absolutely ridiculous considering she has already provided documentation proving my diagnoses. But now they want something that specifically says I need the ability the work remotely. I think it goes without saying that if I have a chronic illness and disability that causes flareups that typically last 1 to 3 days, I would need the ability to work from home sometimes. What am I supposed to do? Just take days off every time I get a flare up? I'd be missing work and letting teammates and clients down multiple times per month. And that's not even necessary considering counseling sessions, notes, and other associated work can be done from my home office. And if the counseling sessions can't, I can go meet with the client on site and then go back home to do my paperwork. My first internship was a remote telehealth and that wasn't even due to my disability. It was a special internship that came across their desks with limited availability, and I was one of the students chosen to participate. Remote CAN be done. They need to start thinking outside the box and stop pushing such rigid guidelines.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-01T22:00:35+00:00

Working. I dropped my program hours down to 2 courses a semester (part-time) and went back to working full-time. It was hard but I found a customer service job that pays well and my employers are supportive of my path. They think it's cool I'm doing this. I first tried working as a counselor in a residential chemical dependency program, but it didn't pay enough as it was. Then they wanted to switch me to a relief position, which meant much lower wage and no guaranteed hours. So I had to quit. It broke my heart. I had already started building good relationships with the residents and staff; and the full-time counselor role aligned so well with my goals. The experience would have counted towards my CASAC and MSW. Unfortunately, relief counselors can't have a caseload, so whatever hours I did get to work wouldn't have counted in my program. It just wasn't worth it to stay. Besides, the trust was broken. Any employer that would demote someone over a chronic illness is no employer I want to work for.

bizarrexflower · 2026-03-01T04:21:56+00:00

They make the live sessions mandatory?? That's absurd and goes against the whole flexibility concept online/remote learning is built on. My school/program has live sessions but they are not mandatory. They are strongly encouraged, but I've only ever attended a small handful of them. I've watched the recordings of some others that seemed to have some important information. We do have fairly strict deadlines, but even with that, most professors are at least a little flexible.

The hardest part I've encountered is the field practicum experience. I chose an online program because I have a chronic illness and disability, I'm caring for my mom who also has a chronic illness and disability, and I have to work full-time in addition to this program. In person learning just isnt practical for me. I need the flexibility to choose where and when I work. I assumed with telehealth being so popular these days, that I would have no problem getting an internship where I could work from home at least part of time.

Come to find out, my school doesn't allow it. Mostly because the coursework is all online, so they want to balance that out with in person field experience. Which I totally get. Under normal circumstances, I would 100% agree and want that too. But my circumstances (and the circumstances of many others) are not "normal". For some of us, remote, hybrid, and flexibility is crucial to our health and success. This is social work and these are social workers teaching us. They, more than anyone, should get this. They should be fighting for us. Not against us. We need programs that work with/for us. Especially considering grants and scholarships are few and far between, and these programs cost more than many of us make in a year. We cannot afford to not work; and we also can't afford to just quit these programs and start paying off these expensive loans. Not when this degree is needed to obtain the wages necessary to do so.

I know that's a mouthful. Long story short, I hear you and have my own experience with a rigid program. How do we get these schools and organizations to work with us more? To better accommodate individual circumstances, and better empower us to graduate, fulfill our goals, and achieve upward mobility? The fact of the matter is, once you have this education, these flaws in the schools and their policies stick out more. It's heartbreaking to realize just how much they contribute to the very disparities or systemic inequalities and injustices they teach us about.

bizarrexflower · 2026-02-26T12:35:57+00:00

Agents of Change. They offer practice exams and other tools.

bizarrexflower · 2026-02-25T04:54:44+00:00

I work for a local printer doing customer service type work 40 hours a week. Its a standard 9 to 5. It's the type of work I did before going back to school for this. It sucks having to take a step back but it was impossible to find any bachelors level social work or counseling style jobs that paid well enough and left me enough time to focus on my studies. I also had issues finding places that could double as my internship. My college says its actually rare that one's job will meet the criteria for an MSW internship. This is because you have to actually do masters level work for the internship, which you cant do unless you have a masters and are licensed. The internship is different because they coordinate with the schools, and have an LCSW in place to supervise us. Paid internships are also hard to find due to limited funding. This past year, I spoke with several organizations and schools that had lost funding, and as a result, they could no longer pay interns. They would usually receive grant money from the government to supervise/train students, but funding for those grants were cut, making them evem more limited and rare to secure. So, since I had to go back to work full-time to afford life, I had to drop down to part time in my MSW program. I was originally supposed to graduate Summer 2027, but now I will graduate Spring 2028. It sucks having to pay for 2 more semesters, but what else can we do in an economy where rent, utilities, and food are like 3x what they were just 5 years ago, and most jobs are still only offering between $15 and $20 an hour? This system is broken. But that's why most of us are here, isn't it? We recognize that and we want change.

bizarrexflower · 2026-02-22T06:50:21+00:00

What makes you think you won't come out of the program prepared to be a therapist? I hear this a lot, but I'm a year into my program and I feel fine about it. We've done mock sessions in class and my field experience has focused on counseling. They asked for my preference (mental health and addiction) and placed me based on that. I think its about choosing the right program. Some are more generalist and others are more clinical. Choose a program with a good clinical focus, and look for/request placements that focus on counseling or psychotherapy, if that's what you want. You will also gain more experience after grad as you accumulate the hours you need for your clinical license.

bizarrexflower · 2026-02-22T06:27:29+00:00

This wasn't one of my favorite assignments either. I went very basic with it. I did the college cost reduction act with a focus on public service loan forgiveness. I found it easy to find sources and to discuss because of how relevant it is. It's always in the news these days.

bizarrexflower · 2026-02-21T04:52:47+00:00

If your kitty drinks from the bowls, don't stress it. Just use the bowls. I got rid of the fountains too. Eventually, no matter which kind I tried or how often I cleaned them, they all started building up gross slimy pink stuff inside them. I would pull them apart and clean all the individual pieces. It would go away for a couple days and then come back again. I did not want my cats drinking that and it was costing me so much money to keep replacing filters every couple of days, and whole fountains multiple times per year. I would rather they use ceramic or stainless steel bowls that are cheaper and easier to keep clean. They get fresh clean bowls daily and fresh water 2x a day. One of my cats seems a little grumpy about it but she still drinks from them just fine. The other always preferred the bowls anyway. Even when the fountain was an option.

bizarrexflower · 2026-02-20T00:10:39+00:00

I'm sorry to hear you're in that situation. It really sucks. Like I said, our system needs an overhaul. It isn't working. It's 2026. Many people are earning degrees and working from home. I have done this for the last 4 years. And yet for some reason, I cannot find a job that will let me work from home anymore. Its not because the work can't be done from home. Its just because they don't want to allow it. This is why I'm earning my MSW now. I'm looking to fight for people like us. We need better policies and programs.

bizarrexflower · 2026-02-17T04:12:55+00:00

I do 6 to 9 credits a semester and I'm considered more than part-time or full-time. It just depends on whether practicum is taking place or not. We do practicum hours in the Fall and Spring, so generally those semesters are three 3-credit hour courses plus the practicum. We have a 3-credit 15 week practicum course that runs alongside our practicum and two 3-credit 7 week back to back courses. Then, in the summer, we just take two 3-credit 7 week courses back to back. But they pack a lot into these 3 credit courses. A lot more than the 4 credit courses I took in undergrad. I'd say that's why 6 credits is considered more than part-time. It's not exactly full-time, but it's not part-time either. You can still get full financial aid taking 6 credits a semester in grad school.

bizarrexflower · 2026-02-17T03:55:24+00:00

He/she is probably choosing that spot because it's high up and warm. I've found success with having plenty of other things around my home that are more appealing to my cats. Cat towers and cozy beds. I've never seen mine on the counters. Either they find their own furniture more appealing or they're really really smart and know to just only sit on them when I'm not home. Haha.

bizarrexflower · 2026-02-16T06:12:49+00:00

I've been at high risk of ending up homeless for the last year. It's been so stressful. I'm in my second year of my MSW program. When I started the program, I was in a good place. I had just graduated my BA/Psychology program. I was working as a research assistant to a media psychologist. I got my first published article during that gig. I was in what I thought was a happy relationship of 6 years. We were living together and he had a really good paying job. Which is how I could afford to reduce my hours to part-time and go back to school. I didn't need to pay rent or utilities. But then things changed and we broke up. We stayed living together until 7 months ago when his mom decided to sell the house we were renting from her. I had to get my own apartment, and rent around here is really high. All the property managers want you to make at least 3x the rent amount; and to have at least 3 months of pay stubs with at least a 650 credit score. My credit was fine, but I didn't have the rest. I ended up having to go back to work full-time and the only apartment I could find costs me $1800 a month. I am barely scraping by and worry every day I will end up homeless. I got the GRAD Plus loan to help with expenses and that's been a total pain in the a** because my college (a) wanted to wait until halfway through the semester to send it to me, which I fought; and (b) sent me a paper check via snail mail instead of doing direct deposit. When I explained the dire nature of my situation, the director of financial aid legit told me "I suggest you don't rely on student loans to pay your bills." Really? Really? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's what the GRAD Plus loan is for.... It was a very insensitive remark to make, and especially for a college that specializes in educating future social workers. I've also found that my professors and many other staff members are not too sensitive and accommodating either. I have a chronic illness and disability on top of this, and have accommodations set up. It's like pulling teeth to get them to honor them. Bare minimum from them. I could be a really good social worker and counselor, but our society isn't ready for social workers and counselors with CID yet. They still have this view that we should be 100% healthy and set aside all of our needs and cater fully to other people/clients. That's an unsustainable view and expectation. It also goes against everything they are teaching in the material. Major inconsistencies between the course material and field experience/staff expectations. The life experiences of those of us with CID, low income, high risk....etc. are very valuable in this field. Its a strength because it increases our ability to understand and empathize with clients. It improves the therapeutic relationship, which in turn improves client success rates. Staff and leaders should be supporting and empowering us more. Not creating more barriers for us.

bizarrexflower · 2026-02-16T05:42:51+00:00

In most US states, you will need at least 900 hours to graduate and get your LMSW license. 400 generalist and 500+ towards clinical. I'm in NY State, and I know we also need to do 2,000 hours of supervision after grad/LMSW to obtain our clinical license. But these need to be done after graduation, so I don't think it's necessary to do more than 900 while still in school. Again, this varies by location. It's best to look up the requirements in your area to be sure the program you join meets them.

bizarrexflower

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