I have always been the type of person to care about those around me and always wanted a career where I could help people to improve themselves and/or the situation they are in. I felt social work was the perfect career path for me as the whole nature of the job is to support and empower people within society.
What kind of impact do you want to make on people’s lives?
I hope to make a positive, hopefully, life-changing impact on people’s lives. I would like to think that the social worker I become is able to better people’s lives and empower them for the future.
What advice would you give to any A-level or BTEC students about their studies?
When it came to uni, I found it helpful to have an understanding of social work and be able to apply elements of it to my personal life. My advice would be if you can get any work experience or volunteering in then definitely do that – you can reflect on it in your university interviews!
What advice would you give to these students about: a) getting relevant work experience; and b) about developing the right skills and knowledge for social work?
In my opinion, any work experience working with people is beneficial as you come across things that relate to social work every day! But make sure you get work experience in something that interests you. I had mine in a primary school!
Before I started the degree, I did some wider reading and understanding of what social work involves, as well as understanding the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) model and other important frameworks. Many unis put reading lists available online for you to find before starting your degree.
What have I enjoyed the most about the course so far?
In my opinion, the people on my course are what I have enjoyed the most, getting to know each other and our personal life experiences. As well as making new friends and getting to know the supervisors and lecturers.
Has anything surprised you?
I found the assignment rather enjoyable, which was a shock to me as I hated writing in A level studies. I liked how you are able to apply your learning actively when writing the assignment. As well as researching your answer and learning new things within them.
Has your understanding of social work changed since you started the course and if so, how?
I would say my understanding of social work has changed since the course has begun. Now, I have a wider understanding of the history of social work and how it has changed over the past century within the UK and will continue to change. I would also say my understanding of how social policy impacts social work has changed – I never realised how much social work is dependent on policies.
Read more student stories about studying Social Work at York
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