>> You can volunteer.
The volunteering is huge.
You're going to need it every step of the way.
You're going to need it when you're at the [inaudible].
You're going to need it when you go on for your bachelor's level
because you can't technically be a social worker without a bachelor's degree.
You can be a human service worker but to be an actual social worker you need a
bachelor's degree.
And then every resume you fill out for social work is going
to ask you what your volunteer experience is; and so, it's really important to get
that volunteer experience in on the homeless shelters.
There's just so much.
Hospitals, nursing homes, respite care.
There's a lot you can do.
You can't be a social worker without a bachelor's degree.
So, you're going to make very little money, and you're not ever going to be a social worker.
You're going to be a case manager.
You're still going to work with those clients, but you're not going to be able to move up.
Once you have that bachelor's degree, you can move up and you can get a county job.
You can get a state job.
There's just a lot more you can do.
A lot of places won't hire you without a social work degree because of the licensing.
They can't have you working with clients unless you've had that bachelor's degree.
And really, I'm going for master's degree.
I start in fall so I'll have my master's in about 18 months.
People really don't listen.
They think they listen but they're always thinking about what they're going to ask next.
So practice active listening.
Don't think in your head about what you're going to say next.
Think about -- and just listen to what the person is saying.
To be a social worker, you really know how to listen
and actually hear what the person is saying and what they mean
because sometimes what they're saying is telling you what they're meaning.
You just have to listen and just actually hear what they're saying.
Also remember everybody has a story that they're not telling.
Everybody has a chapter they don't talk about so don't judge them, and you can't just jump
to conclusions because you never know somebody else's story.
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