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| Some people are deeply concerned about
the welfare of others. They feel that life has given them a great
deal, and they in turn would like to help in making the lives of others,
better. Yet one cannot become a sanyasi or a nun, and give up on
the basic necessities of life. For those who want to make a career and
a living out of helping others who are deprived or distressed, psychology
and social work are ideal careers.
With the expansion of many NGOs and government sponsored schemes, today's professional social worker can expect to get a decent salary while doing work which is directly helping others in need. Psychology is the study of human behavior, and it helps in understanding human beings, inter personal relationships, emotions, and to check imbalances. Social work is the study of society, particularly the deprived and downtrodden sections, and how one can reach out to them and help them. In both these fields there are well established university courses which train people to go into the depths of the subject and put their knowledge to practical use. ENTRY: Psychology
is offered as a subject both at the +2 level as well as in B.A., in most
universities. After graduation, one can opt for an MA or MSc in Psychology
or Counselling. Further specialization can be in the form of a 2 year M.Phil.
in Clinical Psychology at NIMHANS, or various one year diploma courses
in child guidance and counselling. For those who do not wish to put in
too many years of study, there are one year diploma courses in special
education or mental retardation.
APTITUDE: To enter into these areas, one should have a strong desire to help other human beings, be sensitive and caring, and also have the ability to understand people of very different backgrounds and upbringing. A good team spirit is a must, and so is the ability to handle conflict and make breakthroughs against resistance. A flair for languages and an enterprising spirit helps. THE FUTURE: Until a few years ago, social workers were very poorly paid. Most were doing honorary work. Today many organizations are offering salaries which come close to corporate levels. Those willing to work in rural areas have benefits of housing and transport. There are oopportunities to rise to levels of project managers, HRD Managers, and the really enterprising persons can start their own organizations. Those who really progress well are the ones with the strongest aptitude and greates profession in the past three decades of her work, remarks with nostalgia "Every smile on the face of a slum child is like a bonus in salary for me, every downtrodden woman who has been helped to regain her self esteem and stand on her own feet, is like another installment into my bank account. I work at the individual grassroots level, but the ripple effect is tremendous." SOME ADDRESSES:
For Masters in Social Work
Diploma in mental retardation
For part/full time diploma in counselling:
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