Everyone has their own passion, their own way of changing the world. Today, there are many children, even teenagers, that do not have a voice. They’re neglected, ignored, abused, and even sexually harassed. Removing a child from a negative environment and placing them into a positive one is a social workers job. They focus on the children as a whole. They make sure they’re placing the child in a stability setting mentally and physically. Several causes have stimulated my passion towards the field of social work. Watching other people go through something so toxic always impacted me emotionally because I have gone through it myself. I endure helping people and making a change in their lives. Whenever I pursue the career as a social worker, I know it’ll be one of the most emotional and stressful job yet. It’ll also give me the satisfaction of helping those in need. All over the world, there will be those who cry for help but will not ask for it. Someday I will change their reality into something positive.
I’ve encountered people who lived through a violent life. They were comfortable enough to tell me their personal life story. What they all had in common were the way they felt. You continuously feel stuck and alone as if you keep sinking deeper and deeper into a black hole. Watching others such as your friends and family members go through something so toxic would make you feel as if you should help them out. I know one day in the future, I’ll be able to reach my goal and help those who cry in the darkness.
Aside from watching others go through hell, I went through it myself. I lived in that negative environment. I was mentally and physically abused. I was neglected and ignored. I didn’t have a voice. Everyone always said, “it’ll get better” but in fact, it never did. During my childhood years, I had to see a counselor everyday. Not because I needed to, but because I wanted to. One day, an incident happened that involved social workers. Many truths that were kept secrets were told. The social workers removed me from my current home into another relatives. Weekly the social workers checked up on me and provided everything to keep me stable. Long story short, my experiences that shaped me into who I am today caused me to branch out and help others. Experiencing such a negative environment first and second hand is quite traumatizing. Everything I have felt from there on out influenced me to make sure nobody lives through something so horrifying.
Due to others experiences and my owns, it has influenced me to reach out and help others. People are abused, neglected, ignored, and sexually harassed by those they look up to. An individual’s mindset can be hugely damaged by those who were suppose to guide them. I want to be confident in the resolution I’ve provided and I am determined to make those whom I encountered leave off better than they started. “Your town or city can have it’s faults, but there are hundreds of people working to make it better” (CareerBuilder). I’ve always liked to help others, especially those share the same background as mines.
Whenever I pursue the career as a social worker, I know it’ll be quite emotional. You’ve heard stories of every person you’ve connected with. Everyone has their own story to tell and it is not always going to be rainbows and sunshine. “Social work can be one of the most emotionally draining jobs to pursue” (CareerBuilder). Picture a child going through physical abuse at the hand of a step figure and the legal parent isn’t doing anything about it. How would that make you feel? Wouldn’t you want to do something? By giving a voice to those who cannot be heard, social workers could make a difference one step at a time.
Aside the emotional effect as a social worker, it can be quite stressful too. “Not every case that social workers encounter will have a happy ending, but they work tirelessly to ensure that most of the people they work with end up better than they started” (CareerBuilder). You wish there was more you can do and as long as they ended off with something positive, you know you tried helping in every way possible. Nancy Saetern, a former social worker states, “the hardest part of my job is experiencing secondary trauma from the kids I have worked with in foster care. You get to know everything about each kid and knowing everything they have been through is affecting them today. In some incidents it is heartbreaking and emotionally draining. At the end of the day, you feel like you wish you could have done more.” Though there may be some failed cases and it’s okay, you’ve done everything you can for them. You should proud that you made an impact even if its little.
Though a social workers job may be emotionally draining and stressful, all of the stress and pain of working in this field is worth it when it gives you the satisfaction of helping others. Individuals who chooses social work as a field want to better the community and help people. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing someone who was once struggling in a better place. Nancy Saetern, a former social worker states, “My job does give me satisfaction especially when I see how far a kids has come when I first met them. It is quite rewarding and it make me feel good about the job I do.” The process a social worker has to do takes a lot of work, but every once in a while, you can look back and proudly say, “I did that.”
In conclusion, my passion comes from knowing one day I will be able to change the world. It all starts with helping one person and being able to connect with them. I’ve been in their shoes and becoming a social worker just feels right. I will enjoy and reward myself with seeing a smile on the faces of the children I’ve impacted. Watching others and experiencing a toxic environment first and second hand stimulated my attention for wanting to enter the field of social work. Not only having and gaining experience but also, I enjoy helping others. I enjoy knowing that I bettered someone’s life and all it took was encounterment. Once I pursue my goal of becoming a social worker, I understand it will be stressful and emotional but it will also give me the satisfaction that I made a difference, that I changed their reality.
