Find Fulfilling Careers Without a Degree: A Guide to Jobs Paying $30 Per Hour That Empower You

Social work is an important field that aims to improve the well-being of our communities. Social work can be a rewarding career for individuals who value service, even if they don’t have a degree. If you want to enter the field and don’t plan to earn a college degree, it might be helpful to learn about some of the social work jobs available to high school graduates.

In this article, we define social work, discuss essential skills for social workers, provide tips for starting your career and offer a list of social work jobs you can pursue without a degree.

Can you get a job in social work without a degree?

The minimum education requirements for many social work jobs include a bachelor’s degree or higher. However, there are several other fulfilling careers in social work that may only require a high school diploma or equivalent for those interested in pursuing this field. The career paths that don’t require degrees often aim to connect individuals, families and communities to resources and services that can positively affect their contributions to society. Social work professionals may work in schools, correctional facilities, hospitals, rehabilitation centers or childcare facilities.

What skills do social workers need?

There are a variety of skills, traits and competencies that can help you succeed in a career in social work. Some of these include:

• Empathy: Throughout your career in social work, it’s important that you foster a sense of empathy. Being able to fully understand your client’s experiences and perspectives may help you provide the type of assistance best suited to their unique circumstances.

• Ability to set boundaries: Setting professional boundaries is an important skill because it may help you adhere to codes of ethics and protect your mental health. A career in social work may present you with personal or highly emotional situations and differentiating yourself from your clients as a professional may help you more effectively perform your duties.

• Understanding of human psychology: Social work often involves mental illness or behavioral issues, so an understanding of human psychology may help you determine the appropriate means of treatment and counseling for your clients. It may also help you understand what motivates your clients and determine which rehabilitation techniques work most effectively for each.

• Critical-thinking skills: While performing your duties in social work, you may need to make decisions based on information gathered from complex circumstances. Advanced critical thinking skills may help you more successfully determine which information is important and how to best communicate that information to the appropriate individuals.

• Effective communication: In social work, you may communicate with a variety of individuals with varying personalities and backgrounds. Being able to adjust your language, tone and communication style to fit different circumstances may help you have productive conversations and active listening skills may help you understand the needs of those you work with.

• Organizational skills: A career in social work often requires you to coordinate your efforts between multiple cases and clients. It’s important to develop advanced organizational skills to ensure each individual under your care receives the appropriate care and attention.

Social work jobs without a degree

Below is a list of social work career paths that may not require a college degree:

1. Teacher’s aide

Primary duties: As a teacher’s aide, you may provide classroom support to a lead teacher by taking attendance, grading tests and assignments and performing other record-keeping tasks. You may also monitor student behavior and provide emotional support and guidance to students when necessary or assist students who need additional help with assigned tasks. Some aids specialize in working with children with disabilities or special needs and communicating with their families to provide an optimal classroom experience.

2. Childcare provider

Primary duties: As a childcare provider, you may provide varying levels of care to children of different ages in several types of environments. You may work in a daycare, school or in the private homes of families. You may assist in the education of children, engage in playtime and learning activities, transport them to and from community events and communicate with their parents to monitor their behavior and support their development.

3. Community health worker

Primary duties: As a community health worker, you may provide a wide range of healthcare, social and behavioral services to your community. You may offer interpretation or translation services, provide health and behavioral education, connect individuals and families with community resources, provide counseling, advocate for individual and community health needs and provide simple direct services such as blood pressure screenings and general first aid to communities in need.

4. Case manager

Primary duties: As a case manager, your responsibilities may differ depending on your work environment. You may work in a hospital, for a home health company or an insurance company. Your primary duties often include assessing your clients’ needs and connecting your client to resources and services that can fulfill those needs. You may contribute to patient discharge planning, arranging home health services or providing counseling and psychiatric resources to your clients.

5. Substance abuse counselor

Primary duties: As a substance abuse counselor, you may provide support and assistance to individuals struggling with chemical dependencies and other addictions. You may do this by meeting with clients to evaluate their mental health, identify their substance abuse or behavioral issues and create objectives, provide group and individual counseling, refer your clients to support groups and create aftercare plans for successful recovery.

6. Social service assistant

Primary duties: As a social service assistant, your primary goal is to connect clients with resources and benefits that can fulfill their needs and improve their quality of life. You might help clients while they’re recovering from medical illness, injury, mental health problems or emotional crisis. You may work with social workers, psychologists or healthcare professionals to research each of your client’s individual circumstances and determine the best resources for their needs.

Careers Without a Degree