Social work was recently listed in this article on Huffington Post as one of the worst paying college degrees. That generated a healthy response from social workers who left dozens of comments on the Huffington Web site as well as National Association of Social Workers' Facebook page.
We would like to respond.
The National Association of Social Workers is concerned with salary information posted in the Huffington piece, which cited Payscale data. Payscale, which limited its data collection to social workers with bachelor's degrees, listed the starting median salary for a social worker at $33,400 and $41,600 for a mid-career social worker.
However, those median salary levels are below those in a new National Association of Social Workers Compensation Study, which includes data from social workers with master's degrees. That study puts the median annual salary for all social workers at $55,000 a year.
Social workers with less than five years experience earn a median annual salary of $43,700; those with 10- 19 years of experience earn a median annual salary of $52,000; and those with 20 -29 years of experience earn a median annual salary of $60,000, according to the NASW study.
You can find social workers in all areas of society. For instance, they help veterans who have risked their lives for our nation get the benefits they need, counsel families in crisis, and help keep children safe. Many social workers say the good they bring into the lives of others is far more important than getting rich.
However, there is no question social workers should be paid more for the invaluable work they do. That is why NASW supports Congressional passage of the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young Social Worker Reinvestment Act, which would secure federal and state investment in the social work profession.
We would also like to point out that social work is one of the fastest growing fields in the United States, according to Labor Department data. And a May U.S. News and World Report article said medical and public health social work will be one of the 50 best careers in 2010 and beyond.
Judgments on the monetary value of certain careers are always subjective. Thank goodness many people continue to choose life-affirming careers such as social work despite the naysayers.
Sincerely,
Tracy Whitaker, DSW, ACSW
Director, Center for Workforce Studies & Social Work Practice
National Association of Social Workers
So, I would like to say loudly & clearly that those "high salary" figures above are a Crock of Bull****! Realistically, those salaries are found in 10 - 15% of actual working social workers, one would be lucky to have that type of salary without fear of being laid off or worse because of budget concerns. Let's not forget the huge burnout that many of us "social workers" undergo from working in this field because of huge caseloads, understaffing, and lack of appreciation.
Personally, I'm leaving this field after 9 years and going back to school for a MA degree in a another career profession, making a decent salary (which can hopefully help me pay off my student loans from Undergrad!). I hope that someone is smart enough to read our entries and avoid the pitfalls associated with this field because
1. You won't earn a liveable wage (to pay off your college loans or much else)
2. Additional Job stress and very long work hours
3. If you don't have a strong family & friend support network, the trials of this field will overwhelm you
4. Lastly, volunteer at a group home, hospital, or school - you'll make a difference there
PayScale has done a similar study of master's degrees (to be released soon by Forbes magazine). We found a slightly higher median pay for MSWs at mid-career than the NASW's $55,000 median.
The NASW would know better, but looking in the PayScale data, it appears that more than 2/3rds of social workers have a master's degree.
Given the differences in definition - for NASW, median of all social workers, including a large percentage of MSWs, vs. for PayScale, all employees (any job) with a BSW as their highest degree and ~15 years of experience (mid-career) - it is not at all surprising the two medians don't agree. They are medians of different sets of workers.
For why we only considered employees with a bachelor's and no higher degree, in our bachelor's college salary report, see http://blogs.payscale.com/ask_dr_salary/2008/08/college-salary.html. The short answer is that the higher degree then determines future pay, and many undergraduate majors can lead to the same graduate degree. Earning an MSW after a variety of undergraduate majors is a great example of this.