A series on UTCSW students who chose to start a second career in social work.
Article two in the series
Social Work is often referred to as a “found” major or career. This means that it is not the major or career that someone started out to do, but was later discovered through personal experience or the advice or recommendation of others.
Many UTCSW students are studying social work as their second career or sometimes third career. Over the next several months, the college will explore these students’ reasons for choosing social work as their second or third career.
Jennifer Garcia Carrera
What program/year are you in?
I am in my first year of the MSSW Online extended program.
What was your previous career? I was in law enforcement for 28 years, 23 of which were as a police officer and the last four were as a sergeant in charge of detectives.
What made you decide to pursue social work?
My original plan right out of high school was to pursue a degree in psychology, but I went straight into police work instead. Once I saw that retirement was approaching, I decided to return to my original dream and obtain my BS in psychology. Having witnessed and experienced trauma on the job, I knew I wanted to be a therapist, so I applied for a job working for the Helen Ross McNabb Center. Working with everyone there has fueled my desire to work in social work and has helped me refine my goals for the future.
What do you want to do with your social work degree when you graduate?
My dream is to be a therapist specializing in trauma. I would love to work as a therapist for McNabb in their different programs for children, but I’m also considering returning to police work and working with officers and their families. I know firsthand how the traumas of the job can affect someone, and often, they bring it home to their families in unhealthy ways.
Do you have any advice for people who started down a different career path and why they may want to think about social work as a second career? There will always be a need for social workers. Psychology is such a relatively new field that social work is constantly evolving and changing, making it exciting. It’s fulfilling and challenging, and there are many different avenues to explore. If you like business, you can explore organizational social work, HR, or non-profit management. If you want one-on-one work, you can be a therapist with so many options for specializing. And then there’s the UT program for veterinary social work if you want to work with animals! Either way, don’t be afraid to pivot. Changing careers has been the most energizing time of my life.
Laura Virden
What program/year are you in?
I am a junior student in the BSSW program with a minor in social justice.
What was your previous career?
I graduated from Pellissippi State Community College in 2015 with my Associate of Applied Science in Paralegal Studies. I also took the NALA Certification exam to become a certified paralegal. After completing my internship in my final semester at PSCC in spring of 2015, I was hired by the law firm that I interned with. I worked with them for about a year as a paralegal with the firm.
What made you decide to pursue social work?
After my year at the law firm I decided that my role as a paralegal was not the career for me. My passion has always been helping others, and I was unable to do so in that role. After taking a few years out of the working world while staying at home with my children, I decided I needed to do something more, something that would make a difference. I have come into contact with social workers in so many different areas of my life, as well as seeing the difference that other social workers have made in the lives of people that I care about. That was a change that I could see, both in my life and the lives of others. I began looking into the career of social work and all of the different paths that it could open for me both as a person and as a professional, and decided that was where I was meant to be.
What do you want to do with your social work degree when you graduate?
My goal is to enter the social work area of adoption services. My family is incredibly important to me, and ensuring that children are able to be placed with a permanent family that will love, support, and care for them is a gift that I want to assist in giving to as many children and families as I can. Every family deserves to love and be loved by children who have so much love to give.
Do you have any advice for people who started down a different career path and why they may want to think about social work as a second career?
Life is full of surprises and changes beyond our control, which can be scary. But if you allow yourself to look at yourself and your life to see if what you are doing is what truly makes you happy and you come to the conclusion that it does not, it is worth it to allow yourself room to change your mind. Change your mind about your education path, career path, or even your overall outlook on life. Keeping an open mind is incredibly important regardless of your role in the career world, and if you feel that helping and supporting others is where you need and want to be, start researching social work and all the different doors that will open for you. There is an abundance of people out there who need your help, and if you are ready to make a change, jump in and be that change for the people and world around you.
Anything else you’d like to add?
As a single mother of five sons who is also a full-time college student, I have had to overcome all of the limiting thoughts I had about my capabilities in returning to school to pursue my education in social work. Life is busy, but if you are determined enough, you can make your dreams come true and achieve the career you are striving for.