What It Means To Be a Social Worker
By Janlee Wong
March is a time for all of us to reflect on what it means to be a professional social worker. When we entered social work school we were asked why we chose social work. Many of us said it was because we wanted to help people or perhaps to change the community, society or the world.
After almost 40 years in the profession, I have to say my motives are the same but I have many more tools and I’m more experienced and a lot wiser. I also want to say I have many many professional colleagues that I can count on versus almost none when I started social work school.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the condition of our society and the world. We still have war, injustice and inequality. Are we better off than we were 40 years ago? Absolutely. Do we still have a long long way to go? Ditto.
Have I made a difference and can I still make a difference? As a social worker trained in seeing entire systems and whole environments, I can see positive change at all levels from micro to macro. This is so unlike any other helping profession which tends to be more narrow and specialized.
Whether I change jobs, retire or go do something entirely different, I’ll still be a social worker and I’ll still make some contribution to the betterment of individuals and society. That’s what it means to be a social worker.
