Hello Dear Readers,
I can't believe how fast time has been moving lately. Work is picking up at an incredible pace and I can only forsee it getting busier in the coming months.
A lot of change is happening with my job and many of them are not for the best. The workload is going to be significantly increasing for both me and my co-workers and I see a lot of overtime in the horizon. Add to that the more unfun aspects of my job which I have had to deal with lately which in total makes for a stressed out social worker!
I know I won't be doing this job forever and that thought gives me some solace. Right now it's the burnout that's creeping in and it's not so much physical but emotional. It's the hard aspects of the job that are starting to weigh me down - the nitty gritty things that all helping professionals have to work with. I am getting tired of dealing with unhappy people and having to be "the tough guy." I am normally a pretty upbeat person and I try and surround myself with positive people. But you don't get that choice when you have to work with angry clients. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy being able to advocate or offer support to clients who need it and it makes me proud when they tell me "thank you." However, all of that gets quickly washed away when I work with someone who is the opposite. I know it is all part of being a social worker, especially one who is working in front line but I can't help but think in the moment "why do I do this to myself?"
So, I have begun working on my exit strategy. I have a firm timeline of when I'll likely be leaving this job. It's not right away which is a good thing since I need the time to plan my next moves. I am going to be ramping up my job searching just to give me an idea of what's out there. I did find an interesting job posted this weekend which at face value looks positive but it does still include some elements of front line social work. So now I am doubting it's fit. And as I've been saying since I moved on from my first social work job, the next one needs to be better - lower caseloads, less stressful etc. And in a way they have all been a bit better than the last, however as my Dad reminds me, they are not much better! So this time I want to start fresh, considering jobs I may have never looked at before to help me break the front line cycle. I am especially investigating paperworky job since writing/paperwork is definitely one of my strengths.
I know that I can use my social work experience and education to do many types of jobs, especially in the organization I work for. I am lucky in that they encourage lateral transfers and promotions but not climbing down the ladder. And to be honest, I am not at the point yet where I could even afford to do that. So type of job is one important aspect but also the location of said job is another. Which brings me to the topic of this post...
I work in a city, albeit not in one the size of Toronto or Vancouver. I don't have to worry about crime too much or getting lost. I have friends here and I know what to expect from my city. But, it doesn't have the amount of job opportunities as a bigger city. I've already decided I am going to stay in my province, however I am starting to accept the fact that if I want to move on from front line social work, I have better chances of doing so if I worked at one of our offices in a larger city. I know that there are sacrifices in whatever decisions we make but I am trying to balance mine here. I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of moving to a metropolis. The negatives include increased crime, rush hour traffic, having to learn a new city, getting to know new co-workers and making new friends. However, as one person close to me said, your scope of practice is usually smaller in a big city and that would be something I would enjoy. Other positives include more work opportunities in general, more social/creative activities to participate in, more anonymity and less travel for work (which is especially nice in the winter). But the idea of completely starting over - a new job in a new city - it's a big decision that I can't take lightly.
As Always,
Patti
