Social Work Path Essay

Finding my Path What does it mean to become a social worker? Why was I committing two years of my life to school after renouncing further education? I asked myself this after I applied, waited anxiously for my acceptance letter and scrambled to figure out the finances after I was accepted. I could not have guessed that the first day of the Micro Human Behavior Social Environment (SWG 510) would capture my attention and thrust me into the professional world of Social Work. As I learned more about what it meant to become a social worker, I found myself aligning to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Ethical Standards as reviewed through Foundation Course I’s first chapters.
It is not about the money. It is about compassion. My confliction of committing to social work started with the intersection of my identity as an Asian American. I am half-Korean, I grew up in a community that values hard work, dedication and furthering societal standing through one’s career path. Like Sofia Ahmad, my identity as an Asian American did not “look upon social work as a prize occupation” (LeCroy, 2012, pg 77). I was ashamed to tell my friends in the community that I started work in a

When I initially worked in the DES group home, I experienced disconnect as I did not have experience with the institution of poverty and the complexities of trauma on youth. The experienced staff at the group home were able to aide me in my development of compassion and empathy for the clients which allowed me to be “positive and respect who they [residents] were” (LeCroy, pg. 60). Routine, Expectations along with compassion and empathy were the foundations of creating a safe and stable environment for the residents as they slept through the night. I assisted with getting youth ready for school and learned what it took to keep a group home