Social Work the most difficult ‘easiest’ option

I recently got infuriated when I heard someone say that “social work toh koi bhi kar sakta hai”. After having done my MSW (that’s Masters in Social Work folks!) the one thing I understood above everything else was “social work sabke bas ki baat nahi hai”. Yep! I was offended. Not only because I am a social worker  but because it’s not just this one person, it is a disease of general notion that needs healing! From “kachra saaf kar… tu toh social worker hai” to “tum zyada paise kaise maang sakte ho tum toh social worker ho” we have heard it all. So I am going to really roll up my sleeves here and try some “Kachra Safai”, where it really needs to be done!

Social work course is wrongly thought to be the easiest option for those not interested in studies or those who want to do a “not so serious” Masters. Why? - is the question. If anyone can do social work then why doesn’t everybody come forward to do what we do? Why do people hesitate in stepping into a dirty slum? Why are people clueless when it comes to interacting politely with fellow human beings who may not be matching up to their “class”?  Why do people not want to work on lower salaries?

Above four lines already state some things that most people cannot handle in a lifetime. Let’s face it – ‘calm and quiet in an air-conditioned office’, ‘a cabin with a lot of office space’, ‘a couch to work on’ - is not what a real social worker aspires for, what he/she really aspires for makes no sense to those who really ARE looking for making their lives easier!

Social workers are needed in every field be it children, families, youth, elderly, women, health, disability or even research and writing! And all that is more recognized in developed countries, where development is not the real issue but people and society are – a little hint as to where a social worker studies to do ‘Kachra Safai’!

Rest of the economy is either waking up to the need for similar ‘Kachra Safai’ or is being forced into it by Govt. or pursuing it diligently to impress the likes of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – They call it by a different name – Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)! The corporate trend to give back to society has caused a paradigm shift from charity to profession; there is a new sector on the block -social development sector.

Now let us examine whether a social worker is industrious enough to be counted alongside the ‘Serious’ Masters like Economics, Engineering or MBA.

Sustainability is as much an issue in an NGO as it is in any business set up, so a social worker faces no lesser financial responsibility than a corporate employee.  In fact social work is the only profession that has rich resource pool of all kinds of skills – sales, financial management, HR. A social worker needs people skills, good psychological skills because they look after everything from ‘growing  a team of people’ to ‘growing an entire community’ all in a day’s work!

Maybe then my answer could be “social workers are magicians jo sab kuch kar sakte hai”. And that I feel proud about being a magician who can do it all. From having worked with differently-abled kids, to HIV prone sex workers, to domestic violence victims to now working for the education of the underprivileged youth and children I do see myself as a magician.

On second thought, I should now thank the person who made me realize I am one who can do everything. I did not have a specialization in my course may be because we social workers are special enough to do it all.

Cheers then to us…..the Social Workers “jo sab kuch kar sakta hai” :-)

Jocelyn Jose

NIIT Foundation