Are you looking for an in-demand, meaningful career that plays to your own personal strengths and skills? Consider becoming a community services worker (CSW)!
“Over the past few years, the number of community and social service workers has risen very sharply,” Service Canada reports. “This growth is attributable to the large increase in the range and intensity of social service needs, and the handling of a growing proportion of these needs by community organizations. These openings will go primarily to graduates of college and university programs related to social services”
At Academy of Learning College (AOLC), we understand that college can be a big investment of time and energy. We know you want to make sure that the program you choose to pursue is a good fit for your skills and interests. To help you decide whether you’re made for a career in community support service work, here are 3 signs that CSW is for you.
1. You’d like a Flexible Career You Can Adapt to Your Own Skills & Schedule
Once you’ve earned a community support services certificate, you’ll be eligible for employment in a wide range of in-demand job positions. According to Service Canada, “Community and social service workers administer and implement a variety of social assistance programs and community services.”
This means CSWs can find work in social service and government agencies, mental health agencies, group homes, shelters, substance abuse centres, school boards, correctional facilities, and more. You can choose to work with the particular population you feel most passionate about, or the community that you feel your skills are best suited for.
At AOLC, you can develop an understanding of topics ranging from psychology, sociology, family life, mental health, addictions, and criminology. You’ll study issues facing society throughout each individual’s life span, from infancy to adolescence, through adulthood and into late adulthood. If you want certification that is both focused and opens many professional doors, CSW training is a great place to begin.
2. You’re Up for Hands-On Work after Community Support Services School
The most successful community support services career pros are willing to dig in and work hands-on in the field. Although they’re prepared to work with a full range of computer and office skills, including current software applications and keyboarding skills, these professionals rarely spend their workdays at a desk behind a computer screen.
The CSW’s workload is a balanced diet of case management, business communication, and report writing in combination with counselling, assisting outpatients, and dealing with at-risk populations. If you consider yourself to be a ‘people person’ with great interpersonal skills, the CSW field is perfect for you.
To prepare for the hands-on, face-to-face support CSWs must provide, adult learners at AOLC gain access to on-site work experience through participation in a 160-hour clinical placement at an approved CSW facility. On their feet working with patients of mental health programs, driving to sessions with addictions program participants, and making house calls to elderly citizens in need are all potential job duties of an active and engaged professional CSW.
3. You Want Your Community Support Services Career to Make a Difference
Perhaps the most important quality of a community support services worker is the determination to make a positive difference in their community. If you’re passionate about making positive change and helping others achieve their best possible quality of life, a community support services certificate can help you make it happen.
If these motivations speak to you, the right training can give you the expertise and experience you need to serve at-risk and vulnerable populations in the wide range of ways mentioned above. Reading about this field can be your first step toward the enriching and fulfilling CSW career you deserve!
Are you interested in pursuing community support services school?
Visit Academy of Learning College to get started with the help of our friendly advisors.