Social Service Worker Program Vs. Child & Youth Worker Program?

Hi everyone,

I will be applying for college this year, and am having a tough time deciding between the Social Service Worker program and the Child & Youth worker program. Both of them interest me because I am obviously fascinated by mental health in general, and would enjoy helping individuals with mental health issues.

Getting accepted by the college will not be an issue; I have marks that were accepted by a university last year.

My two main questions regarding this choice would be:

-Which program diploma would help me more in regards to finding a job after graduating?
-Which job pays more: Social Service Worker, or Child & Youth Worker?

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hello:
I am a social worker, and have a bachelor's in social work, so I am not sure if that is the same thing as the social service worker program. It is mostly paperwork, and lot's of it. There are multiple and varying deadlines that have to be complied with, and lots of crises with consumers that need solved. So a very stressful job, if you can manage your stress it may work for you. I have BPII so I struggle sometimes with the unrelenting demands of my job, as do all my coworkers. It's pretty tough. I make $30,000 per year US with health insurance and about 5 weeks off a year for vacation and sick.
For a child and youth worker I am not sure if that will prepare you for youth case management, the pay is about the same as my job. If you go work in a group home(I have done that also) with children or young adults the pay is about $20,000 per year in my area. More contact with your consumers, less paperwork, more fun.
Hope this helps! Good luck in your choice, you can pm me if you need more info.

Hi, Melissa. I think both programs are probably comparable in what they pay but the Social Service Worker might be a bit broader in scope and could be more rewarding through the years. Social services includes children and there's no reason why you could not still work with children with a social service worker program diploma but it would probably be harder to switch and work with adults with a child and youth worker program.

Too, working with children and youth could be a bit frustrating or heart breaking at times because there is only so much you can do for children as their parents and families have a lot of say still and it can be a little harder to see results from your work; the law can be a lot more important and a partner to you rather than just working one-on-one with the person.

Do you have to declare your major right away? If they are four-year programs, there are probably a lot of basic courses you have to take which will be similar for both, you could kind of look at both in terms of the basic courses, get to know and think a bit more about each and what you envision for yourself.

I was reading an article online on the top 10 jobs that cause depresion the most. Social work was on that list.

Thank you everyone for your replies.

To make this clear - these are college programs. Unlike university, where the BA programs are usually 4 years, college diplomas are usually 2 years. At least, that's how it is in Canada. In Canada, it is easier to get into a college than a university, and people with university degrees are generally paid more in their jobs. I decided to attend college because I think university would be far too stressful.

The Social Service Worker program is 2 years in length, and the Child & Youth Worker program is 3 years in length. The major does have to be declared right away.

Again, thank you for taking the time to read and reply.

In that case, I would go visit the college of your choice and talk to people in the program and professors teaching. I just saw your grades were accepted by a university so was not thinking; in the United States we designate our two year colleges as community colleges as universities are made up of a bunch of colleges only each college (of business, education, engineering, arts and sciences, etc.) is four years in a university setting.

Our community colleges are often run by counties within our states and can be semi-coordinated by a "system" of colleges like that within the state so they do not duplicate programs or so their programs are compatible with each other. Do you know if you have multiple programs in your areas and one school might be better/worse than another or is there just one school for each type program (or those programs are both in the same school). The school and its statistics (as to how many get hired from its particular programs) might be interesting to look at?

I think I would go with the social service worker program as it probably could most easily be converted to a university program, should you decide in a couple years to continue for more schooling?

I had worked in social work for a number of years with a degree in psychology. I would go with the social worker degree I think. I agree that it would be more broad and give you more options upon completion. I know that at least given the economy in the states, having job options is a big deal. My bet would be that they both pay about the same.

What an exciting time for you. I am sure that you will be happy with whichever decision you make.

I remember how hard this decision was. Especially as you look online and see that the course outlines and objectives are so similar...(like, is there an actual difference in "developmental psychology" and "psychology along the lifespan" or are colleges just having a lot of fun with semantics in naming courses )

Speaking as a fellow canuck, i do SECOND the suggestion of visiting the college campuses for each program you're interested in. There you can get an idea of the environment, supports, faculty, accessibility...Do this alongside your own research of what each place has to offer (including talking to peers/fellow/former students). I made my choice of college and program after all of that research. It can still be a lot of time and money put away, even though it is college, so you dont want to start...then just be all "UGH! I HATE THIS PLACE WTF is going on !!!" halfway through the 2nd semester AND struggling with the procedures on how to get help or just withdraw and run away...

But i digress... I understand where you are coming from: you have a particular interest, university is just TOO MUCH to start right now, there are a lot of options with college especially to upgrade the diploma to a degree later on. When i applied to colleges, my interest was children, so i did get offers/responses back for the EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION & CHILD AND YOUTH WORKER. Both were about children, both colleges were ok in different ways, and i got a lot of information of what to expect from both. Since my (faraway) goal is working in the teaching field, i picked ECE, because to me there was a stronger emphasis on education and learning about learning from the very young upwards (how do children learn, what do children learn first, when do children learn...). I am currently using my diploma now in my work in community recreation programs. I do know people who have done CYW programs who are also satisfied in their current work. Both of your ^options^ can set the foundation= you will have field placements to get experience and practice, you will need to do a lot of networking, and you will need to be continually uptodate with career trends/changing expectations/progress...

To make a lot of money, you can't just stay at the diploma level though. Most people with Social Service Worker are working toward their BSW for more employment opportunities. Cutbacks to programs that actually help the people who need these services and qualified people like us, mean that many with CYW are upgrading to a degree as well. In the end, consider as well WHERE you want to work and WHY = what are you passionate about? Particular interests start very broad when you start out and will gradually narrow down based on your course work, placements, research, contact with professors, networking, experiences...Since i also wrote a lot, you can PM me too for more clarification and specifics Take care