Careers

Has anyone taken a youth care/counselling career path?

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Deal Addict
Mar 29, 2012
1474 posts
368 upvotes
Vancouver

Has anyone taken a youth care/counselling career path?

The reason i'm avoiding this path is because I think there's a lack of jobs and is probably terrible in the career department. Just wondering if there's anyone out there that has went to a college or university and took a youth care or counselling program that has had any success in the job industry.

My ideal career would be highschool counselor but I doubt im academically smart enough to obtain the requirements.
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Deal Expert
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Jan 27, 2004
52937 posts
18145 upvotes
ONTARIO
SquirreI wrote: The reason i'm avoiding this path is because I think there's a lack of jobs and is probably terrible in the career department. Just wondering if there's anyone out there that has went to a college or university and took a youth care or counselling program that has had any success in the job industry.

My ideal career would be highschool counselor but I doubt im academically smart enough to obtain the requirements.
Start off with getting your bachelor of social work. But even a college diploma would qualify you to work in the field, but most agencies want people with bsw or msw. You could also technically practice social work with training in occupational health.

Otherwise.... I find college educated people are relegated to work in shelters and agencies with minimal in depth case work.
I was a social worker briefly, before burning out and switching careers into sales. Which is actually working quite well for me right now...

Just make sure you're doing it for the love of helping people. You need that extra motivation besides money.
Deal Addict
Mar 29, 2012
1474 posts
368 upvotes
Vancouver
UrbanPoet wrote: Start off with getting your bachelor of social work. But even a college diploma would qualify you to work in the field, but most agencies want people with bsw or msw. You could also technically practice social work with training in occupational health.

Otherwise.... I find college educated people are relegated to work in shelters and agencies with minimal in depth case work.
I was a social worker briefly, before burning out and switching careers into sales. Which is actually working quite well for me right now...

Just make sure you're doing it for the love of helping people. You need that extra motivation besides money.
Was it hard to find a stable job as a social worker?

All my other jobs I did for the money, yeah i make big money, but it feels so lifeless, just a gear in the machine, so I figure since im still in my 20's this is sort of the last chance to get a college/uni diploma to do something i'm actually interested in. I'm mainly interested in helping youth. I think as long as i'm making somewhere near $20/hr i'm fine.

How would I get into the field with occupational health training? Should I do a diploma for that? That seems like the most secure route if anything backfires on me.
Jr. Member
Aug 7, 2011
139 posts
48 upvotes
Toronto
SquirreI wrote: Was it hard to find a stable job as a social worker?

All my other jobs I did for the money, yeah i make big money, but it feels so lifeless, just a gear in the machine, so I figure since im still in my 20's this is sort of the last chance to get a college/uni diploma to do something i'm actually interested in. I'm mainly interested in helping youth. I think as long as i'm making somewhere near $20/hr i'm fine.

How would I get into the field with occupational health training? Should I do a diploma for that? That seems like the most secure route if anything backfires on me.
If you're only in your 20s and making big bucks what job/s were you doing previously?
Deal Addict
Mar 29, 2012
1474 posts
368 upvotes
Vancouver
Respects wrote: If you're only in your 20s and making big bucks what job/s were you doing previously?
I was a machine operator for a big worldwide company. Worked an average of 55-60 hours a week, 6-7 days per week. Before that I worked a lot of other manufacturing and production jobs.

It definitely wasn't something I was interested in though, I ended up getting really stressed out and depressed. And realized how much life I wasted doing something I hated.

If i could turn back time i definitely would have gone to school for ..anything.
Deal Expert
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Jan 27, 2004
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ONTARIO
SquirreI wrote: Was it hard to find a stable job as a social worker?

All my other jobs I did for the money, yeah i make big money, but it feels so lifeless, just a gear in the machine, so I figure since im still in my 20's this is sort of the last chance to get a college/uni diploma to do something i'm actually interested in. I'm mainly interested in helping youth. I think as long as i'm making somewhere near $20/hr i'm fine.

How would I get into the field with occupational health training? Should I do a diploma for that? That seems like the most secure route if anything backfires on me.
Occupational health is for occupational health. They can technically be registered by the ocsw bc they can perform some types of therapy and other services that are used in the field of social work.

Yes it is difficult to get stable work in social work. You'll be doing a lot of contracts. Many of my peers go from contract to contract. But thats the story for every field these days.
Deal Addict
Aug 17, 2008
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Sask.
My niece got her BA in Psychology, then her Social Work degree two years ago. She worked for a time at the Y, then at a teen detention centre.
She just got a full-time permanent position as a social worker at our university hospital in pediatrics - and absolutely loves it.
Deal Addict
Nov 22, 2009
2782 posts
664 upvotes
Toronto
UrbanPoet wrote: Occupational health is for occupational health. They can technically be registered by the ocsw bc they can perform some types of therapy and other services that are used in the field of social work.

Yes it is difficult to get stable work in social work. You'll be doing a lot of contracts. Many of my peers go from contract to contract. But thats the story for every field these days.
I think the contract to contract scenario applies to most jobs these days.

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