Social work is the kind of career that people have a vague knowledge of, but that isn’t often known about in-depth. Unless you have had an experience of social work or social workers, perhaps because you know someone who is one or you have needed their help in the past, it is unlikely you’ll have a good knowledge of what social work is. Yet don’t let this put you off studying for an online social work degree. Social work can be one of the most inspiring and satisfying careers available, and once you have your degree you can enjoy its many benefits which include helping others to live happier lives and finding out more about who you are which is something we should all do, but hardly anyone does.
An online social work degree is the first step to becoming a social worker, but with everyone being so busy and so many other pressures put on us every day, finding the time to study and gain additional qualifications can be difficult. Often,it’s the thing that falls to the bottom of the to-do list and keeps getting pushed back to another day. Yet studying online rather than in a physical school or college will help you achieve your goals; even if you are extremely busy, online learning means you can still earn your degree and move forward with your life. Choosing an online degree makes a lot of sense, and here are the reasons why.
1. Flexible and Convenient
An online social work degree will give you as much flexibility as you want and need. Because everything is online and you don’t need to attend a physical school to complete your learning, you can study at your own pace and around your own schedule. If you already have a full-time job or you have a family to take care of (or both) or you have any other commitments that need to be fulfilled, you can still learn how to be a great social worker. This means you don’t have to sacrifice any part of your life other than time, and even then, you might not need quite as much as you think. Although there will be deadlines for assignments, the classes themselves can be taken when you are ready, so you’ll never have to miss out on any important events, and you won’t have to lose any learning time either.
Not only is an online degree flexible, butit’s also convenient. Being online, this means that as long as you have an internet connection, you will be able to take your classes and complete your learning. The first place and time you might think of when you consider earning your online social work degree is probably at home either late at night or early in the morning. This will work great if it suits you, but if not, then you could study during your lunch break or on your commute to work. Or perhaps you could study when your baby naps, giving you time to play with them and enjoy them when they are awake. The choice will be yours, and that’s just one of the many reasons why an online social work degree makes so much sense for so many.
2. Career Advancement Opportunities
You might be thinking about taking an online social work degree to start your career in this field, and many people do. However, this is not the only reason to take this degree or a similar degree. You might be looking to advance your career and having additional qualifications or going back to school for a refresher type course can give you exactly that information, knowledge, and skills you need.
Any employer who is looking at someone to give a promotion to, or who is looking to employ someone at a particular level is going to be impressed if you go back to school in your own time and with your own money to gain an online social work degree. They will see that you are totally dedicated and that you don’t just do your job because you can and because you get paid for it, but you do it because you love it – you must do, since you’ve taken it upon yourself to get additional qualifications.
The great thing about social work is that you can choose what level you reach and how far you want to go. If you enjoy the work you are doing at an entry-level, you can continue to do that for as long as you wish. If you want to push yourself further and climb the career ladder, social work will offer you those opportunities too. It all starts with signing up for an online degree; the rest will be your choice, and you can do as much or as little as you want once you have the qualifications.
3. An Interactive Learning Experience
Sitting in a lecture hall and listening to a professor telling you things is a great way to learn in some subjects. However, when it comes to social work, it’s not just about the things you learn in a book. You need to know much more, and most of it will have to be taught on an interactive level. After all, you are dealing with people and since everyone is different and their lives are unique, learning everything from a book or through one professor’s opinion isn’t going to give you the overview you might be looking for.
An online social work degree allows for this additional level of interactivity. You won’t just be sitting and listening to a professor or lecturer talk at you. Instead, you will be tasked with learning by yourself some of the time, listening to lectures some of the time, and having one on one or group learning discussions at other times. Combined, these elements will help you understand what social work is all about, and it will mean you can get a much better picture of the kind of work you will be doing once you have your online social work degree.
This kind of learning has other benefits too. If you have a question, you will be able to ask it and know that you will get an answer. This is especially true if you have one to one learning sessions. In a standard college, there will be so many people crowded together, and so much that the tutor needs to say that questions might be missed due to lack of time or voices being crowded out. Online learning gives you the personal touch, which, in a career like social work, is all-important.
4. An Excellent Education
Online learning wasn’t always as great as it is today, and in the past, it was something that people tended to avoid. It wasn’t seen as ‘real’ learning and obtaining an online social work degree might have been completely impossible.
This stigma has disappeared altogether now. Over the years, the online study space has become extremely competitive, offering an excellent education on the same level as (and sometimes far exceeding) a standard college.
Of course, there are still issues with online learning, but these are the same issues as traditional learning has. All it means is that you need to research the college you are going to learn at thoroughly and make sure it is exactly what you want and offers the education that is going to benefit you the most. What’s wonderful about online learning is that you aren’t limited as to which college you choose. If you learn traditionally, you will need to factor in geography and all the additional costs associated with moving away to college. With an online social work degree, this is not the case. You can stay at home, and you can continue working full time, and you can still earn the degree you want from any of the online colleges you think is best.
This is the benefit that helps most people and is why online learning is growing in popularity. How else would anyone be able to change their lives for the better without having to go through difficulties first? Online learning has the answers.
5. Make the Most of Your Time and Money
Time is a precious commodity that everyone wants to make the most of, but when you are trying to study for a degree, it becomes even more important, particularly if you are also working in another career already. Time truly is at a premium. So too is money. If you want to study for an online social work degree, but you have bills to pay and a family to feed, you might think that it’s just impossible. The truth is, the lack of time and money are the main reasons why people stick with their current jobs and lives rather than making the changes they need to be happier, healthier, and potentially more well off. This is a shame; so many people would be able to help themselves and others if circumstances were different.
The good thing about an online degree is that you can save yourself time. There will be no commuting to a college, for example, and this could certainly save you a number of hours each week. Plus, as mentioned above, you will be able to work at your own pace. Even when there are live lectures, they will be recorded for those who are unable to be there at the right time due to other commitments. In other words, you can make you online social work degree work for you, rather than the other way around.
Money is a slightly different issue, although online learning will save you some. You’ll still need to pay for the course itself, but there are plenty of money-saving options for you when you learn online. You won’t need to pay for parking, gas, or a train or bus ticket. You won’t have to pay for extra food or a new place to live. Online colleges will have virtual libraries that will allow you to check eBooks out to save you buying textbooks. You won’t have to give up your job, so you’ll still be earning what you were earning before.
6. A More Confident Student
If you are an extrovert, the idea of going to a standard, physical school and being with a lot of other people might be what excites you, and that’s great. If it’s what works for you, then it’s a good thing. We all need to do that makes us happy.
However, for introverts, this might be the worst thing they could think of. Having to be with a lot of other people, make small talk, and more is just not something they are comfortable with. They don’t want to make new friends; they don’t want to party; they just want to learn so they can have a great career doing something they know they’ll love.
An online social work degree could solve this issue. Rather than having to be with other people, you can work alone. However, you can still chat with others online and even arrange to meet up with various other class members should you decide that sounds like fun. There is no pressure, though, and you can be as quiet or as involved as you want to be.
You might think that a shy person like this wouldn’t make a good social worker, but this is far from the truth. In reality, a social worker needs to be able to listen well and think carefully about any response, so a quiet, introverted person can do very well in the sphere of social work. Anyone with the right personality and the drive to succeed can.
Plus, learning via an online course can even boost your confidence. You might start off very shy and introverted, but by the end of the course you could be much more outgoing and confident.
Conclusion
Studying for an online social work degree brings many benefits with it, and each person who signs up for such a degree will have their own reasons for doing so. Whatever those reasons are, and however, the benefits affect you, if you can see yourself being a social worker than you should push to become one. The world always needs more helpers.
