Lisa Grace Wilson

Sorry for the late reply! Every single profession in the world involves service to others in some way shape or form. If you are considering becoming a social worker, I think you need to determine what exactly motivates you to pursue a helping profession. For many, it is a desire to give back to the community that helped them in their own development. For others it is it to inspire change at a community level. Still others wish to protect and foster empowerment in oppressed and marginalized populations. You are not alone in wanting your career to be financially lucrative, we all need to live, and hopefully thrive! Social work is typically an undervalued profession (see - “overworked and underpaid” as the unofficial motto of human service professions) but there are ways to provide for yourself within social work. For example, macro focused social work typically pays more, as these social workers are often working in community organizations and governments, and this path provides many opportunities for advancement in many different branches (non-profit management, education, research, politics, etc). It also depends on your priorities. I grew up upper middle class but was raised in a way that I understood the value of material items v. the value of experiences and relationships. Therefore I am okay with renting a small, older apartment and grocery shopping for my meals if it means I don’t dread going to work in the morning. Depending on your individual situation, your priorities may differ (and that’s okay!). If your priority is to move to a city with a higher cost of living, you may want to pursue a higher-paying field. If your priority is to have a large family, you may want to pursue a higher-paying career. However, all things are possible if you put your mind to it, which brings me back to my first point of determining your motivation for pursuing social work. Hope this helps!