If services are not available, social worker jumps into the political arena and helps to create them by working with community leaders on public policy. Social work is a profession with a wide range of career options. The employment outlook for social workers in our area and the nation is good. Graduates of our program are working in children's services, mental health, public welfare, nursing homes, hospitals, adoption and foster care, and programs for the homeless. Most of our graduates remain in West Virginia.
Salaries vary according to geographical regions and types of agencies.
Private agency salaries are slightly lower. Social Work is a profession, and as such requires professional education and preparation. A social worker must be a principled person who adheres to the values of the profession and has board knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, of social policy and services, of research and its significance, and of appropriate practice methods. Social work students, as part of their educational experience, intern in a social service agency under the direction of a skilled practitioner. This experience allows them to work with clients while receiving intense personal supervision.