Need some advice. (College / Major)
 

Since I have to take a forced year off, I've been thinking a lot about what I want to go to school for. And it's been stressful, to say the least.

Anyway, recently I've brought back the idea of becoming a social worker / counselor. I've thrown this idea in my mind for the past 4, almost 5 years.

Only thing is, I don't really know much about what goes into becoming one. Of course I'm going to look into it, but if any of you know anything about it, or could lend me some advice, that would be really nice. Thank you.

I am currently working on my Bachelors in psychology then I am moving on to my Masters in Mental Health Counseling. I would suggest searching what the requirements are for your area in order to become a social worker/counselor. Then look at schools and what classes you need to take. I am taking online classes for my bachelors degree through an online university and I love it so far.

BTW- Thats cool you are from IL, I am in WI

Hey there Jenni, I'm Jennie. I'm working on my Bachelor's in psychology, with an emphasis in development and clinical counseling, I'll be graduating in May.

As I'm sure you know, the first step would be getting your BS or BA from an accredited college or university. Some jobs you can get with just a bachelor's, but most would require a Masters of Social work or Masters of Counseling- during your sophomore or junior year of college you'll want to start looking for graduate programs. You would need to find out the requirements for licensure in your state and make sure the programs meet the requirement (for example, in my state you need a 62 hour program to get your counseling licence, but a college near me has a 43 hour program- if I went there it would be a waste). You'll also want to find an internship or job related to the industry to build up your resume (I had an internship in a middle school and I currently have a job in a psychology research laboratory. One of my friends is interning at an after school center). Most people tend to have internships during their junior or senior year.

A few things to keep in mind- social workers usually get paid much less. Schooling for social work is usually more intensive (requires longer & harder internships).

Any other general advice- talk to your professors, work hard, be involved in your major, take any opportunity that is offered to you, (join PSI CHI- the international honors society in psychology, psychology club, social work club, ect...) stuff like that looks really good and you can find scholarship opportunities, job opportunities, ect...

I hope this was somewhat helpful.
Jennie