The beginning of the rest of your new life: graduation! You did it, congratulations! What’s that? You also aced an interview and have your first job as a social worker? We are insanely proud of you! Great work!

 But now you may be wondering, “Now what?”. Don’t worry, everyone begins to wonder that. If you are hoping to get a good advantage in your new job, we have tons of tips to offer you to make things easier for you!

You Won’t Be Able to Help Every Single Client

Your job isn’t to become a superhero. Remember that, much like your clients, you are human. Many new social workers believe that they can help every single client all of the time. When entering the social worker field, you are willing to help everyone, and that is an awesome goal. Clients will absolutely love you. However, you can only help clients that want to be helped. Some may not. Some may be resistant to help. You have to learn that you can’t always be the one to help them.

You May Also Need Therapy

Yes, regardless of what you may think, this work will touch your emotions. You may leave a session with tears in your eyes. You may need to take a steady breathe while having a smile on your face. Each story will wiggle it’s way into your heart, so it’s okay to take a step back and get some help on your own.

Your Job May Not Be 9-5

Social workers work all hours of the day and the night. You may be on call or have to work a shift rotation. It’s important to try and find a good work/life balance for yourself. Finding ways to decompress will be huge during your off hours. Watch a good movie, a comedy stand-up, or hang out with friends.

I Like All of My Clients And They All Like Me

Think of it this way: do you like everyone in your family? Do you think they all like you? Do you argue or butt heads? It’s more likely that you’ll run into occurance where you and your client do not get along – and that’s totally okay! Don’t stress to much about it. Some people need a certain type of help that you cannot provide. You may connect with some clients more than others. Some themes will be easier to discuss, while others are harder.

I’ve Graduated, Now I Have All The Skills

Yes and no. A professional never stops learning. Curiosity should always be piquing your interest in your field. The more you learn and evolve, the more you can bring to your clients. While school has given you the basic schools, you need to build on these skills.

 Interested in pursuing a social work career? Then Computek College’s Community Service Worker Diploma Program could interest you. We can train you well to be a capable social worker. Call us at 416-321-9911 today!