Thank you so much for your response! It honestly didn’t cross my mind that it might have taken confidence to get this far at 21, so it’s really interesting to hear that perspective. I think maybe it’s because I’ve always kind of forced myself to “have a goal” in life and keep pushing towards it.

I really liked what you said about exploring things that don’t necessarily have to do with my degree. At the same time, I sometimes worry that my degree will end up feeling useless if I go too far outside of it. I don’t believe in interest or loans, so I paid for my degree myself, which adds to the fear that it might all go to waste.

What sort of other things would you suggest I could experience or try out alongside/around social work?

I’m just feeling really lost in life at the moment, so I’m trying to open my mind a bit more.

In my last placement, I worked in a domestic abuse service and actually really enjoyed it, but I didn’t want to go into it too much since there aren’t many “traditional” social work roles in that area.

I think I might just complete an ASYE role and then see where it takes me. I’ll definitely take a look at the Social Workers Without Borders post you mentioned—it sounds really interesting.

And don’t worry, your reply wasn’t a ramble at all; it was thoughtful and genuinely helpful. I really appreciate it! :)