Public as a Social Work Professional When

¶ … Public as a Social Work Professional When I began my education, I had no idea that I would eventually be drawn to the helping professions. Instead, I began my education in 2006 at Somerset Community College, where I obtained an Associate Degree in Business Administration. At that time, I felt that I would continue to pursue business as a career and might further my education in that area. However, I discovered that, despite finding business interesting, I did not find it compelling.

I decided to pursue Social Work, and I returned to Australia and enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in sociology. As a sociology major, I discovered the field of social work and realized that I wanted to spend my life helping people. This was a transition from my earlier focus on business.

Though I had not been solely motivated by money as a business major, I did expect to be able to earn a comfortable living with my degree and expand my career in a way that would increase my money-making potential. As a social worker, I understand that I will be limiting my earning potential because social work is not a highly-paid profession.

However, in the past year I have come to the conclusion that there are many things in life that are far more valuable than money, and spending my life helping people promises to be more rewarding than financial gain. Although I am not motivated by financial gain, I am very aware of the financial burdens associated with getting an education.

In fact, the reason why I have chosen a master's degree over a bachelor's degree is because I did not want to outlay the additional cost and time to gain a 2nd bachelor's degree when I could gain the required learning and skills needed by doing the master's degree. I believe that my interest in sociology can be attributed to the fact that I grew up in two diverse environments. I was born in Sydney, Australia, but moved to Kentucky, in the United States, after my parents' divorced.

Although they have similarities, there are significant social and cultural differences between Australia and the United States, and, even as a young man I could see how these differences helped shape and change behavior. Being exposed to these different cultures almost certainly sparked an early interest in sociology, and this underlying interest in sociology was critical in developing my interest in social work. However, having a home-life that was somewhat tumultuous also helped me learn the value of providing aid and guidance.

My parents split up when I was relatively young. The reasons for their split were complex, but my father's alcoholism played a large role in their divorce. My brother became a drug addict. My sister sought solace and fatherly affection from men she met while working as a carnival worker. It would have been easy for me to allow their choices to dictate my own future, but I decided not to do that. I do not drink, smoke, or use drugs. I have not made my sister's unfortunate relationship decisions.

Finally, while I love my family, I have been able to distance myself emotionally from their negative decision-making. I credit my stepfather, who passed away last year, with helping provide me with an example of stability that I could emulate. While my parents' divorce was not particularly contentious, but it did result in my family becoming divided. I went with our mother, while my sister and brother stayed with my father.

Many families face similar scenarios, but my family's divide widened when my mother moved to the United States, making it very difficult to maintain any type normal relationship with my father and sister. Though we made efforts to remain in touch, the distance did take a toll on those relationships as did the underlying substance abuse issues. That personal experience made me think about the challenges that people face in attempting to arrange and optimize their daily lives, not only for themselves, but also for their children.

This personal experience made me realize the value of communication and how important it is for people to seek help when personal problems seem overwhelming. It made me believe that sometimes the greatest barrier to solving a problem is the belief that the problem cannot be solved. As a social worker, I may not be able to provide people with solutions, but I can help supply them with the necessary tools to tackle their own problems.

Although I do not have a military background, I am drawn to the military aspect of social work. I believe that the issues experienced by military members in their families are both unique and universal. For example, military members and their families have to deal with enforced separations for uncertain periods of time. I feel like my personal experience has equipped me with the ability to empathize with members of the military.

I know what it is like to be separated from family and friends, which is something that service members experience during basic training. I also understand what it is to have to adapt to changing environments, which is a common issue for those in the military who are deployed overseas or even assigned to bases in different states. I think I can help them deal with the loss and separation that is an inevitable part of the soldier's life, even in times of peace.

I am also drawn to the mental health aspect of social work. My life experience has taught me that many of the people who create significant harm and turmoil in other's lives do so, not because they are bad people, but simply because they do not have the skills to recognize that their behavior is destructive. I believe there are a lot of people out there who do not realize that they have a problem. They need someone that will not judge them, but, instead, help them receive.