Reflections From a Would-Be Social Worker
It was mid-March in 2006. I was four years out of my PhD program. I had completed a two-year post-doctoral research fellowship, which is a position for new PhDs, but I'd been floating, looking for a job for two years. I had steady employment, health insurance, and a book that was slatted to come out soon, but I had not secured the most coveted job in academia - a tenure-track position. (For those who don't know, this "coveted" job comes with a license to work someone nearly-to-death until s/he applies for tenure, when supposedly things can slow down. Three years post-tenure, I have not found that to be the case, however.) The phone rang in our kitchen in Saco, Maine and the caller ID read: Bridgewater State College. "Bridgewater," I thought to myself, "I think that I applied for a job there." I'd applied for dozens of jobs in the northeast and had only been offered one position, which I had turned down. My degree, in public policy, was not an attractive selling point to policy schools because I focused on family problems; it was also not attractive to social science departments, because my degree is not in a specific discipline - it's multidisciplinary. I was having a rough time finding a position. It was driving me crazy. Neil was calm and was even willing to commute back to Maine and New Hampshire to work, regardless of where I might find a job.
I answered the phone. "Hello, this is Dr. Mark XXX, calling from the MSW Program at Bridgewater State College. You applied for a position here and we're interested in interviewing you. We're wondering if you would be available for a phone interview tomorrow. We know it's short notice, so you don't have to say yes, but we thought you might be available..."
"Tomorrow?!?!" I thought. What is going on here? I needed a job, so what the heck... "Yes, I can be available for an interview tomorrow." That was my introduction to the then-Social Work Department at Bridgewater and that was their introduction to me. I think it says a lot about both of us: Me? Us? You need us when? Yes, I'm ready. We're ready. We were ready yesterday.
If you know me, then you know that I was offered the position at what is now Bridgewater State University and started a tenure-track position in fall of 2006 - it wasn't without some trepidation, though. I was skeptical about Bridgewater - I didn't know much about it and I wasn't really skilled at that time in figuring out how to evaluate a school. I also wasn't sure that I wanted to join a group of social workers.
I had misperceptions about social workers. I was afraid that I would become "soft" and that I'd be surrounded by people who would only look at people's strengths. Blech. I had a strong investment in my hard-nose attitude toward the world - suck it up, put a grin on your face, and get to work. But, at the same time, I specialized in family problems and I recognized that many of the social programs that interested me most are delivered by social workers and so, I convinced myself that this would be a good match. I could maintain my own personal standards and also learn more about the social work profession.
That was a lost commitment - because my personal standards changed.
I don't even know how to describe what happened, but when surrounded by colleagues who were experts in the field I had chosen to join, I really had no choice but to be open to their thoughts and opinions about our common students, our curriculum, and standards in the field. I didn't always understand and I didn't always express my opinions because I was an outsider - after all, they were the experts in the field of social work, not me. Much to everyone's surprise, social work is not just a field about making others feel good about themselves, it is a field that is based on theory, has a professional code of ethics, and at its core is its commitment to social justice. It is true that social workers try to understand human behavior from the point of view of the other person and from starting at a place of empathy, but behind closed doors, they're also just people, with their own reactions, and choice selection of words. This is what I came to admire most - how my colleagues can easily move between being "regular people" and yet also remain true to the social work profession.
In short, I changed. In fact, they changed me. I was won over, without them even knowing it. (Actually, maybe they did know it. They are social workers, after all.) It didn't even take that long - just a couple of years, even though I continue to evolve - as do we all. I have become more accepting, more patient, more tolerant, a person who accepts mistakes in others more easily, and yes, even a person who sees more strengths in others than I used to. Granted, I didn't say that I am patient or that I am tolerant - just that I am more of these things than I was before I joined a school of social work. It is a change that I resisted mightily and yet when it was here, it was such a welcome relief. For me, it's such a better place to be and an easier and more rewarding way to see the world.
That's it. That's my story. Hardly a riveting blog post, but the end of the year has me feeling reflective, and this has been my point of reflection as of late. So, thank you, especially, Karen, Mark, Anna, Barbara, and Sabrina. You have made a tremendous difference in my personal and professional lives and for that, I am forever grateful.
I answered the phone. "Hello, this is Dr. Mark XXX, calling from the MSW Program at Bridgewater State College. You applied for a position here and we're interested in interviewing you. We're wondering if you would be available for a phone interview tomorrow. We know it's short notice, so you don't have to say yes, but we thought you might be available..."
"Tomorrow?!?!" I thought. What is going on here? I needed a job, so what the heck... "Yes, I can be available for an interview tomorrow." That was my introduction to the then-Social Work Department at Bridgewater and that was their introduction to me. I think it says a lot about both of us: Me? Us? You need us when? Yes, I'm ready. We're ready. We were ready yesterday.
If you know me, then you know that I was offered the position at what is now Bridgewater State University and started a tenure-track position in fall of 2006 - it wasn't without some trepidation, though. I was skeptical about Bridgewater - I didn't know much about it and I wasn't really skilled at that time in figuring out how to evaluate a school. I also wasn't sure that I wanted to join a group of social workers.
I had misperceptions about social workers. I was afraid that I would become "soft" and that I'd be surrounded by people who would only look at people's strengths. Blech. I had a strong investment in my hard-nose attitude toward the world - suck it up, put a grin on your face, and get to work. But, at the same time, I specialized in family problems and I recognized that many of the social programs that interested me most are delivered by social workers and so, I convinced myself that this would be a good match. I could maintain my own personal standards and also learn more about the social work profession.
That was a lost commitment - because my personal standards changed.
I don't even know how to describe what happened, but when surrounded by colleagues who were experts in the field I had chosen to join, I really had no choice but to be open to their thoughts and opinions about our common students, our curriculum, and standards in the field. I didn't always understand and I didn't always express my opinions because I was an outsider - after all, they were the experts in the field of social work, not me. Much to everyone's surprise, social work is not just a field about making others feel good about themselves, it is a field that is based on theory, has a professional code of ethics, and at its core is its commitment to social justice. It is true that social workers try to understand human behavior from the point of view of the other person and from starting at a place of empathy, but behind closed doors, they're also just people, with their own reactions, and choice selection of words. This is what I came to admire most - how my colleagues can easily move between being "regular people" and yet also remain true to the social work profession.
In short, I changed. In fact, they changed me. I was won over, without them even knowing it. (Actually, maybe they did know it. They are social workers, after all.) It didn't even take that long - just a couple of years, even though I continue to evolve - as do we all. I have become more accepting, more patient, more tolerant, a person who accepts mistakes in others more easily, and yes, even a person who sees more strengths in others than I used to. Granted, I didn't say that I am patient or that I am tolerant - just that I am more of these things than I was before I joined a school of social work. It is a change that I resisted mightily and yet when it was here, it was such a welcome relief. For me, it's such a better place to be and an easier and more rewarding way to see the world.
That's it. That's my story. Hardly a riveting blog post, but the end of the year has me feeling reflective, and this has been my point of reflection as of late. So, thank you, especially, Karen, Mark, Anna, Barbara, and Sabrina. You have made a tremendous difference in my personal and professional lives and for that, I am forever grateful.
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