Almost two years ago, I worked as a domestic violence advocate in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. I started as a part-time shelter employee and received two promotions over the years. I was there for four and a half years. In April 2010 I quit my job and moved to Hawaii via Alaska. I was really scared to do it, but I took the plunge. It was a risk to quit a decently-paid nonprofit job with good benefits, in a recession. But I did it anyway, for a lot of reasons: I had/have vicarious trauma from the work and the agency was going through major changes and funding cuts (re: the trauma, I wasn’t good at self-care and the stories wore on me after a while); I finally graduated with my B.A. in women’s studies from Ohio State; I lived in the same city that I grew up in; my parents were crossing boundaries with me and I wanted to get away; I had an opportunity to go work on a boat in Juneau, Alaska for the summer; my partner is from Hawaii and I liked it here when we came to visit.

After landing in Honolulu in July 2010, I landed an Americorps*VISTA position with a nonprofit housing agency. I lived on VISTA wages for a year in one of the most expensive places in the world, thanks to the help and support of my partner. I also got really involved in the local music and art scene and made one of the best groups of friends I’ve ever had—step one: self care. 

When I figured out that I didn’t really enjoy what I was doing in my VISTA position, I looked for something else. Something that reminded me of my skills and passion. I found a women’s community-based correctional facility in the heart of urban Honolulu that assists women transitioning from prison to the community. I called them to see how I could volunteer or help. I still volunteer there, teaching groups on healthy relationships and boundaries to an incredibly diverse group of women, mostly addicts or former addicts. Step two: networking.

I got into the University of Hawaii’s MSW program halfway through my VISTA year. That gave me a lot of hope. Getting an MSW had and has been a goal of mine for at least five years. I looked forward to the future, stalked UH’s website for Graduate Assistant positions, and applied to a bunch and interviewed with two. One never called me back, but the one that did hired me—it was a project working on federal financial maximization in conjunction with Title IV-E foster care cases: trying to maximize the funds the state receives from the federal government to care for foster children. I got the job because I told them that I really like and care about policy in my interview. I spent six months creating a database to track patterns and changes; spending whole days in government office copy rooms; and writing policy suggestions. My boss on that project is a phenomenal social worker that has morphed into my mentor, of sorts. Step three: chasing down funding and being persistent.

Right before finals in fall semester, our project got defunded by the state. As of January 31, 2012, the 8 positions in our project were gone. Most of them have already found other jobs/assistantships. Me too. I applied for and got a part-time job with a local women’s health clinic, doing volunteer management and policy work. It didn’t come with free tuition, but it came with something else that was for me, invaluable: real-world legislative policy experience. Step four: networking paid off here. I had a network of incredible references from volunteering and working that supported me through the layoff, offered their help, and helped me find a great job.

Since I’ve lived in Hawaii my career has been seemingly angling itself towards working in policy and admin social work, and going with it has been really fun and rewarding. I think I am naturally much more suited for macro and mezzo social work than for direct service. I was never a bad direct service provider - I worked REALLY hard, but I was exhausted all the time, and I had such a hard time trusting anyone that I didn’t have good relationships. Self-care and friendship are so much easier for me now, partially because I don’t expend all of my emotional energy trying to heal from horrific stories and partially because I’ve learned to care for myself better. Direct service workers get all of the credit in the world: it is such a hard job. 

I wouldn’t have got anywhere I am without the deliberate decisions I’ve been making about my career since I moved to Honolulu. The career advice and guidance I’ve gotten since starting graduate school have been incredible, and the opportunities I’ve been given have been exciting and challenging in the best way possible.  All because I was brave and I put myself out there. A lot. I advocated for myself when necessary, accepted help and criticism, and learned to take care of myself better. And I said yes to almost every opportunity that was thrown my way.

I don’t tell my story to say that I’m better than anyone—but I do want to do a few things. I want to emphasize how important networking in the social work field is—not a lot of people really talk about this. It’s critical, especially if you’re living in a new city or state. I want to give you a cautionary tale of what not to do: don’t disappear into your job, and if you are showing signs of vicarious trauma, you need to talk to people about it, and accept help for it. Finally, I want to show you that it is possible for these things to happen. I know that in my early twenties I often felt lost or confused about career and work-related issues; I think a lot of people do. It’s part of growing up. I also did most of this myself—I’ve been working full-time since I was 20, and put myself through undergrad and am putting myself through graduate school, too (I got a 3.89 GPA my first semester).

In light of all that, I’d like to recommend two blogs I find really indispensable for career advice and tips:

• Heather Krasna’s Public Service Career Blog. Heather Krasna is the Director of Career Services at the University of Washington, Evans School of Public Affairs. Her advice and posts are totally useful and she always brings a perspective on an issue that I never would have considered.
• Ask a Manager. More general work and career advice, but still very helpful. The author used to be a nonprofit manager, so she is familiar with a lot of the realities and unique characteristics of social work and working in a nonprofit—this is rare in work/career blogs, I’ve noticed. Advice for MBAs isn’t always applicable for MSWs.

I would also like to recommend Twitter.  I’ve been using Twitter mostly-professionally since I started school, and meeting other social workers on Twitter has been so fun, informative and helpful! I’ve learned about social work in other countries (especially England), had a springboard/place to ask for guidance or opinions, and been able to offer advice to fellow social workers.  Get started by searching for the #socialwork hashtag.

I believe so strongly in our profession, and my commitment to it. I hope that this advice helps any of you who are struggling with becoming or being a social worker!