Career Voices: What Social Workers Say About Their Work
A collection of individual perspectives from social workers, curated from public forums, articles, and social media. These are unedited voices — some love the work, some left it, most feel both. Read quickly and form your own impression.
Sources are linked for each quote. Some are from Canadian workers, some American — the experience is broadly similar though pay scales differ.
“I Love This Work”
“It’s hard work but I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do. No regrets whatsoever!” — Social worker with 42 years in the field
Source: CASW — Profession of Choice
“I love advocacy work and am passionate about growing the profession.”
Source: CASW — Profession of Choice
“Part of me felt like I was selling out a little [when I made the career change], but I’m happy and I do use some of the same skills.” — Morgan Silverman, MSW who left for real estate but doesn’t regret the degree
“The Pay Is a Problem”
“After paying for my rent (a small place located in an old apartment building in a normal neighborhood) and paying for some daily necessities like food and utility, I get nothing left in my bank account. Relocating would be difficult too because social workers are generally underpaid everywhere.” — Hanwen Zhang, MSW who left the field
Source: Medium — “Why I Left the Social Work Field”
“$50K in debt earning less than $42K as a licensed MSW, with take-home pay after health insurance of around $2,200/month — barely a livable wage.” — Anonymous, via MSW Helper
Source: MSW Helper — “Is Social Work Worth It?”
“Social workers are in high demand these days… But if you don’t like dealing with people’s problems then beware!!!” — Quora answer about social work in Canada
“The Caseloads Are Crushing”
“A friend of mine works at a hospital and has over 100 people on her caseload. Another one works in a forensic setting holding a caseload of nearly 60 people.” — Hanwen Zhang
“Social work is all about relationships and if there is not enough time we cannot establish a relationship and, as a result, cannot adequately address risks to children.” — Anonymous child welfare worker, CASW national study
“75% reported unmanageable workloads as a critical issue in their practice.” — CASW national child welfare study
“The Clients Can Be Difficult”
“Some people just think the world owes them… ‘You don’t know how to do your job’, ‘You don’t help me’, ‘My previous worker helped me with this and that, but you don’t’, ‘I will report you’. It becomes very stressful when you hear this kind of complaint frequently while you started with a good intention to assist.” — Hanwen Zhang
“44% of social workers experienced threats or violence on the job.” — CASW national study
“The System Fights You”
“Bureaucracy bleeds into social work environments with stringent rules about who could do what… such as having to go through purchasing departments for basic office supplies.” — Anonymous, from career-change accounts
“Social workers may realize their actual job function is to save the organization money rather than help people, essentially putting a band-aid on issues rather than providing meaningful support.” — Summary from PMC research review
“Vicarious Trauma Is Real”
“Vicarious trauma is real in this field! Especially if you have issues with your own life, you will be more likely to be more depressed. Growing up, I have witnessed trauma and been in difficult situations in my own life. Conducting therapy sessions for my clients who might have gone through similar [situations]…” — Hanwen Zhang
“45% of social workers who left the field did so due to stress and/or vicarious trauma.” — CASW national study
“The Recognition Is Missing”
“During the peak of the pandemic, I was traveling to clients’ homes and communities, some of them are located in high-risk and dangerous neighborhoods both for covid and crime rate… However, society seemed to praise other professions like doctor, nurse, police officer, but [not] social workers.” — Hanwen Zhang
“I Left Social Work”
“The work entailed long hours for minimal compensation, and I found it difficult to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle.” — Morgan Silverman, who left after 2.5 years for real estate
“It’s 2:45 on a Tuesday, and I’m sitting in my kitchen talking to you. I’m making more money than I was before. I’m free.” — Morgan Silverman, after switching to real estate
“A father who took a pay raise when leaving regional services but always regretted it because working at Queen’s Park made him hate what he did.” — RedFlagDeals commenter about Ontario social services
“Private Practice Changed Everything”
Pros: “You can make your own schedule… greater earning potential once you build up your client base… less bureaucracy and no office politics… most of your clients will be motivated to work hard because they are paying for your services.”
Cons: “At times, you may make very little income and your income will be unpredictable from month to month… you don’t have an employer that provides sick days, health or retirement benefits… you need to hone the entrepreneur in you to make a living from private practice.”
Source: CASW — Pros and Cons of Private Practice
“If you charge $150 per session, you have a caseload of 25 clients per week, and your expenses are $1000 a month you’ll make a profit of $14,000 a month. However, if you receive $80 per session and… you can only work with 15 clients per week and your expenses are $3000 per month, your profit will be $1800 per month.”
“Hospital Social Work Is Different”
“The role includes discharge coordination, rapid rounds at 9:30 AM nursing station meetings, client meetings to build rapport with newly admitted patients, housing navigation through registries like Safebed and Gerstein Centre…”
“Housing shortages present significant obstacles, with workers often unable to locate available beds for clients ready for discharge.”
“Child Welfare Is the Hardest”
“72% stated administrative responsibilities prevented adequate client time.” — CASW national child welfare study
“88% reported colleagues as their greatest source of support.” — CASW national child welfare study (a bright spot)
“In child welfare, turnover rates can be as high as 40% annually.”
“The Paradox: Burned Out AND Satisfied”
“43.5% of front-line Ontario child welfare workers experienced emotional exhaustion, but many also had high levels of job satisfaction.”
Source: ScienceDirect — “Suffering in silence”
“Job satisfaction rating: 4.21 out of 5” (from 15 respondents — small sample)
“Whether social work is ‘worth it’ depends on your personal values, career goals, and financial expectations. The work is challenging, both emotionally and intellectually, but the opportunity to impact lives and advocate for change is a driving force for many.”
Note on These Voices
These quotes are curated from public sources and represent a range of experiences. They skew negative because people who are unhappy are more likely to write about it online. Social workers who are content with their careers are underrepresented in public forums. The CASW child welfare data is rigorous research but focused on the highest-burnout sector. Hospital, private practice, policy, and education social workers likely have different experiences but are less represented in available sources.
SpaceCat’s shelter work gives her direct exposure to the client population and working conditions of social assistance-sector social work. She already knows what this work feels like. The MSW would formalize her skills and open doors to higher-paying settings (hospital, private practice) that her current role does not access.