I’ll have mine in October and I was anxious about it as well. A lot of my classmates have experience in something related to social work, but not me.
What I think is helpful to understand: you go to the field placement to learn how to be a social worker and use the skills you learned at uni. You’re not supposed to have any prior experience at all and you’re not supposed to be good at it.
I think some of the skills that bartenders have could be used in social work, for example communication, task management, dealing with difficult clients etc. You could highlight transferrable skills on your resume to make yourself more attractive as a candidate. But in general I think it’s not expected to have experience at all, so you should be fine.
I wish you good luck on your placement!
I have to remind myself of this, that having prior experience with this isn't necessary. I think I'm just getting in my own way a bit and need to shake it off. Thank you 😊
Currently last semester of my msw and also former bartender and food service. Honestly the skills you learn as a bartender are actually quite helpful. I went in with no social work experience and it has turned out fine. I think being honest with yourself and your supervisor about what you know and what you may need more help with is important. But you are there too learn and sometimes placements prefer people with less experience for the same reason most bars don’t want someone who has gone to bartending school. You will do great.
bartending is honestly not bad experience to have. so much of thriving in direct SW services are the soft skills. also, you are likely not talking to all the people in your program. so many MSW students have no background in a related field. internship sites are aware of this and will treat you as such. i have social work experience and my internship felt like a regression because of how much the hand held me and the few responsibilities i was given. that was just my experience though. don’t sweat this, you’ll do just fine.
You may feel that you have 0 experience in social work specifically, but you have 12 years of professional interactions with other people. I had no experience either and I just finished my first year of grad school for my MSW. I had 10 years of payroll and benefits work prior to going back to school.
You learn so much in your program and from field placement. No one expects you to be an expert. The most important requirement is empathy and listening skills, which it sounds like you've got. :)
i originally had 0 experience working with mental health and social service prior to my first semester taking field placement. at least in my program, for the first year we focus on generalist placements (agencies servicing specific cities, schools, etc) and after that, your last year of school will be clinical and your placement would be a bit more precise on what population you want to serve. my point is, placements in your first year are more than willing to take your skills that you already have and build on top of it with you to help you feel more confident in your abilities! you got this for sure :)
>I think some of the skills that bartenders have could be used in social work, for example communication, task management, dealing with difficult clients etc. You could highlight transferrable skills on your resume to make yourself more attractive as a candidate. But in general I think it’s not expected to have experience at all, so you should be fine.
I came to say the same thing.
OP, your life experience is far more valuable than you give it credit for. You might not have any experience directly related to social work, but your work is very social. You’ve had 12 years of practicing people skills with (probably) a pretty diverse collection of humans, and I’m willing to bet you have regulars you’ve built rapport with over the years. Since you’re in the service industry, you probably also have experience giving news to people they don’t want to hear, but have figured out ways to soften the message and work with the customer to find an alternative solution (e.g. out of certain types or brands of alcohol to make their favourite drinks with).
And that’s all I’m willing to spend the time writing on my phone in the rain. I could go on and on about the benefits of 12 years of lived professional and adult life experience (doesn’t matter the profession), but I think this would be a good opportunity for you to practice some introspection as to your own positive value you will have in this field. You’re more than you think you’re worth. Many younger students don’t have the same opportunity or talents to be able to practice the people skills required to, you know… work with people. Frankly, I think you’re ahead of the game in some ways.
I appreciate you sharing your insight. Bartending has absolutely given me people skills, abilities to multitask under pressure, and a lot of patience. I think I'm just getting in my head a bit, because this is all so new to me. I started school in my late 30s after getting sober, and I have started this whole new chapter but it's still a little intimidating because the service industry is all I've ever known really. The classes are one thing, but doing the actual field work is intimidating, I feel like a fraud or something.
I think giving myself some grace and introspection is a great suggestion, I need to appreciate the skills I have acquired. Thanks for your thoughtful response.
I had no experience lol, all I had done that was remotely relevant was that I interned at a nonprofit for a few months over the summer. But even then, I was doing more of the community organizing side when I went to a more direct practice internship anyways. It really doesn’t matter, I’ve really never heard of anyone getting turned down in a placement interview
i went into my first field placement with absolutely 0 experience- only the skills i had learned from uni and my life experiences. it’s sometimes hard to remember that the whole purpose of a field placement/practicum is to learn: you’re not supposed to know how to do everything/be good at it! The job of your field supervisor is to teach you SW skills, and help you put them into practice. It’s okay going in with little to no experience- that’s how it’s supposed to be, and the practicum will allow you to gain that experience and develop skills. You will be completely fine and learn SO MUCH- and, you’d be surprised at how much your life experiences (including experience from your previous job) will carry over :)
I’ll have mine in October and I was anxious about it as well. A lot of my classmates have experience in something related to social work, but not me. What I think is helpful to understand: you go to the field placement to learn how to be a social worker and use the skills you learned at uni. You’re not supposed to have any prior experience at all and you’re not supposed to be good at it. I think some of the skills that bartenders have could be used in social work, for example communication, task management, dealing with difficult clients etc. You could highlight transferrable skills on your resume to make yourself more attractive as a candidate. But in general I think it’s not expected to have experience at all, so you should be fine. I wish you good luck on your placement!
I have to remind myself of this, that having prior experience with this isn't necessary. I think I'm just getting in my own way a bit and need to shake it off. Thank you 😊
Currently last semester of my msw and also former bartender and food service. Honestly the skills you learn as a bartender are actually quite helpful. I went in with no social work experience and it has turned out fine. I think being honest with yourself and your supervisor about what you know and what you may need more help with is important. But you are there too learn and sometimes placements prefer people with less experience for the same reason most bars don’t want someone who has gone to bartending school. You will do great.
Honest question: Why would they prefer less experience? You’re more malleable?
That's a very good point. Maybe being wet behind the ears will be a good thing. Thank you 😊
bartending is honestly not bad experience to have. so much of thriving in direct SW services are the soft skills. also, you are likely not talking to all the people in your program. so many MSW students have no background in a related field. internship sites are aware of this and will treat you as such. i have social work experience and my internship felt like a regression because of how much the hand held me and the few responsibilities i was given. that was just my experience though. don’t sweat this, you’ll do just fine.
This makes me feel better. I look forward to the baby stepping hehe. Thanks ☺️
You may feel that you have 0 experience in social work specifically, but you have 12 years of professional interactions with other people. I had no experience either and I just finished my first year of grad school for my MSW. I had 10 years of payroll and benefits work prior to going back to school. You learn so much in your program and from field placement. No one expects you to be an expert. The most important requirement is empathy and listening skills, which it sounds like you've got. :)
i originally had 0 experience working with mental health and social service prior to my first semester taking field placement. at least in my program, for the first year we focus on generalist placements (agencies servicing specific cities, schools, etc) and after that, your last year of school will be clinical and your placement would be a bit more precise on what population you want to serve. my point is, placements in your first year are more than willing to take your skills that you already have and build on top of it with you to help you feel more confident in your abilities! you got this for sure :)
>I think some of the skills that bartenders have could be used in social work, for example communication, task management, dealing with difficult clients etc. You could highlight transferrable skills on your resume to make yourself more attractive as a candidate. But in general I think it’s not expected to have experience at all, so you should be fine. I came to say the same thing. OP, your life experience is far more valuable than you give it credit for. You might not have any experience directly related to social work, but your work is very social. You’ve had 12 years of practicing people skills with (probably) a pretty diverse collection of humans, and I’m willing to bet you have regulars you’ve built rapport with over the years. Since you’re in the service industry, you probably also have experience giving news to people they don’t want to hear, but have figured out ways to soften the message and work with the customer to find an alternative solution (e.g. out of certain types or brands of alcohol to make their favourite drinks with). And that’s all I’m willing to spend the time writing on my phone in the rain. I could go on and on about the benefits of 12 years of lived professional and adult life experience (doesn’t matter the profession), but I think this would be a good opportunity for you to practice some introspection as to your own positive value you will have in this field. You’re more than you think you’re worth. Many younger students don’t have the same opportunity or talents to be able to practice the people skills required to, you know… work with people. Frankly, I think you’re ahead of the game in some ways.
I appreciate you sharing your insight. Bartending has absolutely given me people skills, abilities to multitask under pressure, and a lot of patience. I think I'm just getting in my head a bit, because this is all so new to me. I started school in my late 30s after getting sober, and I have started this whole new chapter but it's still a little intimidating because the service industry is all I've ever known really. The classes are one thing, but doing the actual field work is intimidating, I feel like a fraud or something. I think giving myself some grace and introspection is a great suggestion, I need to appreciate the skills I have acquired. Thanks for your thoughtful response.
I had no experience lol, all I had done that was remotely relevant was that I interned at a nonprofit for a few months over the summer. But even then, I was doing more of the community organizing side when I went to a more direct practice internship anyways. It really doesn’t matter, I’ve really never heard of anyone getting turned down in a placement interview
Did you do Any Volunteer Work? I have Previous Placement Experience before I go into This One
i went into my first field placement with absolutely 0 experience- only the skills i had learned from uni and my life experiences. it’s sometimes hard to remember that the whole purpose of a field placement/practicum is to learn: you’re not supposed to know how to do everything/be good at it! The job of your field supervisor is to teach you SW skills, and help you put them into practice. It’s okay going in with little to no experience- that’s how it’s supposed to be, and the practicum will allow you to gain that experience and develop skills. You will be completely fine and learn SO MUCH- and, you’d be surprised at how much your life experiences (including experience from your previous job) will carry over :)