A Career In The Field Of Social Work

I am in my first semester junior year in the field of social work. I have had experience working in an adult residential service with individuals with behavioral or developmental disabilities for over five years. I have worked with individuals who are non-verbal and I have to use sign language to communicate, read their body language and using a picture board for communication. I have also worked with individuals who have behavioral issues like self-injury, physical aggression, sexual aggression and destruction of properties. Putting smiles on the faces of the individuals I serve and guiding them to achieve their individual support plan (ISP) goals are the most meaningful thing I can remember. I have learned is how to treat each individual differently to meet their basic needs. Most at times treating people equally does not necessary means fairness, but meeting everyone’s expectation, since we all have different wants and needs. I have learned more about myself on how to handle pressure. The most valuable lessons I have learned is to always remain focused and work on a person’s capabilities and potentials instead of their limitations. Prior to working with this population, I had perceived them as dangerous and an object to be pitied. All this changed

I have chosen Social Work as a major and a career because I want to assist other people to live a full and happy life. I want to be advocating on behalf of other people in the community by empowering them to make decisions on their own. I want to be a social worker because is a natural fit for what I do intuitively. Finally, the field of social work is broad and there is a lot of different kinds of job that I can work in this field. I want to work with the elderly population because when people are living longer they need more services. There is upward trend in the adult population as they are booming and they need more resources and services from social