With an interest in community issues and social welfare, Jay Gleeson enrolled in a Bachelor of Social Work degree at Sydney University. Dave Drayton speaks to Jay about the degree, his current work in the field and the state of the community welfare jobs sector.
What is your current position/job description?
Case Work Services Co-Ordinator. I work at a crisis homeless service for single women and families. My role is to manage the team of case mangers who work with our residents to help them find housing, work, make referrals to councillors and other services and so on. I also write policy and participate in wider service planning as my hostel is part of a larger network of inner city hostels. I also screen and assess potential clients as well as manage the behaviour of difficult clients.
What did the Bachelor of Social Work involve?
Four years full time study in psychology, sociology, political science, community work, group work, individual counselling, anthropology, research methods and more.
What was good about the course?
It was very broad, and gave a lot of different perspectives which is important in this line of work.
What didn’t you like about the degree?
There are a lot of dominant ideologies that, unfortunately, take over the course work.
How effective was the course in preparing you for your current role?
Very good from a worker point of view, however I have had to now start doing management style courses to build upon my management skills which were not part of the degree.
Any advice for people looking to follow a similar career path?
The community sector is slowly professionalising, and having a degree will increasingly mean you get better pay and have a lot more opportunities in the job. Starting at TAFE and then building to a degree can be an effective way too do this and will give you the upper hand once at Uni. Also, community work is grossly underpaid and under resourced, try and get some work experience early so you can check it out and ensure that this is the field for you.
Take a look at courses from Sydney University.