Is a social work major hard?

[Addison Mckinley]

Hi everyone! I am a freshmen on college currently majoring in biology. I have started to reconsider my major because I am not liking my classes and dread going to them everyday. In my search for what to change my major to I have come across social work. I think the career sounds very interesting, and I am starting to look more into it. But, I was wondering how hard it is to obtain a degree in social work? Are the classes hard? Is the homework you get hard?
What kind of classes would I have to take?
I have read that getting a job after you graduate isn't all too hard, and that the job market for social workers is expected to grow by 25% by the year 2020.
Also, my cousin is a social worker in a hospital. Do you think it would be a good idea to see if I can shadow her for a few days in the summer to see if I like the career?

I am meeting with my academic advisor next wednesday to schedule classes for next semester, but I am going to talk to my advisor about changing majors.
Thanks!

[Ruby]

I'm in a similar boat as you, I too dread going to classes but I don't feel like I need to change my major. I just need to get motivated.
If you feel like social work would be more interesting and you'll actually want to pursue a career in it, I'd say go for it. Like most courses of study its going to be challenging to obtain a degree but if you put all of your efforts and hard work into it, it will pay off. As a bonus if you are interested in majoring in social work you may find yourself intrigued in learning new things about the subject and it won't really feel like 'work'.
That would be a great idea. Sometimes what you learn in theory is completely different in practice so this could give you an insight into the life of a social worker. Don't forget though there a many careers and different branches in social work, so as you study you might find that you want to specialize in a completely different career as your cousin.
Just give it go, you can always change your majors around, leave college for a year and work and have some time to decide for what you want for your future.
All the best and I hope it all goes well!

[Supercell]

Of course you should talk to your cousin. Shadowing may not be an option because of privacy laws. As far as changing your major goes, talk to your adviser. Don't schedule classes that are specific to any major. Just take your core classes you would need for any degree.

[OldChair]

The social work curriculum isn't particularly hard if you are a reasonably intelligent person, which it sounds like you are, so I wouldn't worry about that part. What people often struggle with in social work programs are 2 things. 1) It's a hands-on profession so classes are generally highly interactive. It's a lot of role play and a lot talking and debating. If you don't work well with others or have difficulty speaking up, you'll struggle in class and in the profession. 2) The field practicum. You have to do an internship with social work and each semester it's around 200 hours, sometimes more depending on the school. This is difficult if you are a student who has to work or a student involved in other activities. You have a class that coincides with your internship so you're also required to take an extra course each semester starting your junior year.

You would probably be able to shadow your cousin for your internship, but I would only suggest doing this if you have an interest in pursuing an MSW and hospital social work because it's an entirely different machine than other social work jobs. You probably won't be able to shadow her without formal clearance because hospitals are super tight about confidentiality, but it never hurts to ask.

I'd suggest talking to your cousin about the whole thing and try taking a social work course to see if you think you would like it. It's nothing like any other type of work really and people generally love it or hate it so you'll likely know early on if it's for you or not.

Good luck!