I Won't Apologize!

I thought long and hard about what my second blog should be, you see as a social worker, I learned in my BSW education and later my MSW education the importance of a positive attitude in affecting sustainable change. I titled this blog "I Won't Apologize", because in this blog I am going to tell you, my reader (maybe readers) what I really think about the status of the social work profession relative to salaries and our passive attitude about social work salaries.

Generally, when I find myself talking with social workers about salaries within the human services, I often hear the same ridiculous statement that I believe has become a learned behavioral response among many social workers. The statement goes a bit like this, "I didn't become a social worker to get rich, I became a social worker to help change the world for the better". I too became a social worker to help make the world a better place, but I also completed my social work degrees to secure a good job and make a comfortable living. As social workers, we often send mixed messages about our salaries to potential employers and also to potential social workers. On the one hand we communicate a self-sacrificial, altruistic attitude and even say things like, "I didn't become a social worker to get rich", while on the other hand complain about the lack of competitive salaries within the field.

I am a proud social worker and love what social work has afforded me: a chance to make a real difference in the lives of others, a secure job, a nice home and car and fantastic vacations. I won't apologize for having done well financially in social work and I wish that social workers (those that this statement applies) would stop complaining and start advocating the way we advocate for our clients. What is it about social workers who believe to be a good social worker one must take an oath of poverty or not care so much about one's salary? Social workers are incredibly dedicated people who genuinely care for others. If we do not feel worthy of commanding/demanding competitive salaries for the work we do, them shame on us!