Letting the Wrong Social Work Job Go

I can't tell you how many times I have chosen the wrong social work job based on the best intentions.  If the road to success is paved with multiple failures then I should be top of my career game by now.  Unfortunately, I am not.

When leaving school, most of us choose the first job that we successfully interview for and which gives us enough of a salary to pay our bills.  It was true in my case.  I chose a job that paid substantially well, neglecting the fact that although now I could afford a pretty good lifestyle, I would barely have time to enjoy it.  Immediately I felt swamped, overwhelmed and lost.  I knew within the first day and more surely within the first week that this was not the right social work job for me.  It was just too heartbreaking and I felt that I did not have the mental and physical capabilities to sustain my front line child welfare job.

But I put in my time anyway and I gained experience.  When the time came that I could barely get out of bed each morning and felt perpetually exhausted and burnt out, I knew it was time to apply to other social work jobs.

Since I lacked real hands on experience with clients that became my new career goal.  I was tired of managing so many files and I actually wanted to do real counselling with clients.  So, I made the transition with less pay and a move.

Although I enjoyed the change of atmosphere in my new job, and the fact that I wasn't sitting in front of my computer all the time, this job was also not a great fit.  My personal and social work values did not always mesh with the position and many times I felt helpless.

There were also more inherent risks with this position since I had more interactions with clients.  I got exposed to verbal and physical abuse which I was not prepared for.  I often wondered what good I was doing in this environment since it was hard to see the changes in my clients.  And it was a challenge not to take their abuse personally.  In a way, after some time I became immune to it but I often would ask myself is this what I want my work environment to be like?  I became jealous when I heard of friends and family members who had office jobs that did not work with the public.  Their lives seemed so stress free, even if they were making less money.

Yet, I persevered since I am not a person who easily gives up.  But eventually I was unable to continue to do this job which was frustrating and disheartening.  I felt like my career was a failure as here was yet another social work job that did not work out, one out of many.  Sometimes I wondered if it was for the best, that if I was not meant to be there then it was right that I ended up moving on.  It was hard to explain to yet another family member or friend that I was leaving another social work job.  They wondered why I couldn't just stay with a job, but that's difficult when it's the wrong one for you.  Since we are exposed to emotional stories, heavy caseloads and threats of emotional and physical violence oftentimes I felt as if I had no choice but to leave if I wanted to keep my health.

So sometimes we just have to let go of our mistakes and misfortunes even if that means accepting failure.  On the bright side, oftentimes this failure is not intentional and after some of the pain has settled we can use it as a learning experience.  However, while you are going through the trying experience it does not much feel like a positive learning opportunity!

In regards to advice, I would say give the new job six months to get to know it before you make any decisions about moving on.  Consult with other social workers in areas different from your own and see if you are just needing a change of fields.  If you feel like your emotional health is at risk because of your job, seek the help of a counsellor to help you sort out any big decisions since often when you are stressed/anxious/or depressed it is harder to make calculated choices.

Lastly, once you make the decision to move on, try not to look back at the mistakes you made in the past.  Focus on the future instead, with the determination that you will find the right social work job for you, even if that means trying out a few different positions along the way.