A social worker is a helping professional who works with individuals, families, and communities to address social and emotional issues and to improve their well-being. While we often think of a social worker in a traditional counseling and support setting, there are several unique jobs available for social workers.
Social workers can work in a variety of industries beyond traditional fields such as healthcare, child welfare, and mental health. Some unexpected jobs for social workers include:
- Corporate social responsibility: Social workers can work with businesses to help them meet their social and environmental responsibilities.
- Criminal justice: Social workers can work in prisons, juvenile detention centers, and other parts of the criminal justice system to provide support and rehabilitation services to individuals.
- Education: Social workers can work in schools to support students and families, address social and emotional needs, and promote positive academic outcomes.
- Research: Social workers can contribute to social work research by conducting studies and developing evidence-based practices.
- Disaster response and relief: Social workers can work with disaster relief organizations to provide support to communities affected by natural disasters and other crises.
- Military and veteran affairs: Social workers can support military personnel and their families, as well as veterans, in addressing a variety of social and mental health needs.
