Finding a job in S/E michigan...

I've got a Master of Science in Criminal Justice and a Master of Social Work, along with many years of corrections experience, mostly in probation and parole. I've been looking even longer than you. My suggestion is to leave Michigan. I talked to an economist who works for the State the other day. He predicts the poor economy in Michigan will last AT LEAST 10 MORE YEARS! Be thankful you don't have your Michigan social work license yet. The lack of license transferability/reciprocity keeps me here. My advice is this: Get your MSW in another state and get licensed there. Good luck.

Thank you for your comment. My husband has a great job here and we own a house that we might have trouble selling if I were to leave the state. Good luck on your job search too!

I have my MSW and was trying to move to Michigan in 2007. I must have submitted my resume for about 60 jobs and had no response. I was told that I should volunteer in companies in the Detroit /Ann Arbor area or do temp work in order to get my foot in the door. Luckily, I had research interviewer experience so I applied to the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and got a entry level job in the Survey Resarch Center for 31,500 a year plus benefits. I loved umich , but I had to move back to NY because my husband's job tranfer did not go through and we did not want to risk him moving to Ann Arbor with no job since the economy is shaky. If I had to do it all over again, I would have stayed in MI and took the gamble because NY is way to expensive.

But for advice, Umich has a temp. dept in the human resources dept. at Wolverine tower and I think you can do temp work and get your foot in the door at umich. But I wouldn't bother with a MSW right now because it really won't do much unfortunately.

If you haven't already, you may want to check out:

SocialService.Com
www.socialservice.com

for social work jobs. You don't have to register to search the job listings, but if you do you can post your resume and get new job postings e-mailed to you. Some other sites are:

Michigan Comnet
comnet.org/jobs/

Idealist
www.idealist.org

And if you are a Michigan NASW member, you can check out their job listing page here:
www.nasw-michigan.org/classified.cfm

Michigan Comnet
www.nasw-michigan.org/classified.cfm

Let's try this again!!!!!

Michigan NASW Job Board
www.nasw-michigan.org/classified.cfm

Michigan Comnet:
comnet.org/jobs/

Idealist
www.idealist.org

OK,it only takes one URL per posting, so.......

Michigan Comnet
comnet.org/jobs/

Idealist
www.idealist.org

I must move to or near west Michigan due to family issues. I haven't started my job search there but I am worried I will not be able to convince employers I will move for the job. I have an MSW from New York and tons of experience in mental health. What fields are hiring in Michigan? Should I try Indiana instead?

I'm having problems finding employment in the counseling area. I do not have very much experience in the counseling area, besides my field study placement. I do have 2 years of foster care expereience as a caseworker, & over 10 years working with the developmentally challenged population. I graduated 4 years ago with my MSW & no one will take the time to train me, they'd be planting a seed in their companeis if they do, but....they won't. What should I do? I've submitted applications to even the non-profit organizations. I would love to provide therapy interventions to children & families in the foster care system or at risk of going into the foster care system.

Does anyone know of an agency who will hire me (even part-time evenings) & allow me to grow as a therpaist??

Elizabeth in Ann Arbor, Michigan said: I graduated with a BS in Criminal Justice in December 07. I have been looking for work for the past 8 months with no luck. I am very interested in helping people, which is why I chose Criminal Justice.
I fell in love with Social Work when I took a course my senior year, by then it was too late to switch majors.
There are some Social Services positions that a BSW/MSW is not required and so I was hoping to get one of those positions.. So far that is not going as planned. Actually, so far I am unable to land even a receptionist/office assistant position. It seems as though the economy is really bad.
I took a course of interviewing, and have had several professionals review my resume, so I really am trying.

I am now thinking about pursuing a MSW, which would take me 3 years since I would have to take the full program.My question is: are there jobs out there? I would hate to go thru 3 more years of school to be in the same position I am in today...jobless.

Any advice you have for me would be great!

Hi Elizabeth
There are jobs in hospice, but it is high burnout. Be aware that getting your MSW is not enough either. You must pursue your clinical license, especially if you plan on becoming a medical SW. There is an app fee, exam fee, and then you must get 45 continuing education units every 3 years. I passed the clinical exam and am working on finishing up my supervision hours. You must also get 4,000 hours in 2 years in order to obtain your clinical license. Plan on continually getting credentials. If you pursue an MSW I would strongly recommend a dual degree with law. Much luck to you, signed Kat, one burned out hospice SW of 5 years.

I've haven't had too much trouble getting social work jobs in michigan..but the real question is why? I worked for over 10 years in social work and another 10+ in human services in Michigan> Like some who go into this field, and I left another career for it, I did it because I feel I am a caring person who wants to share and assist others in the personal growth among other similar things. I have found the field of social work and human services in Michigan deplorable. Social workers other similar workers are treated like dogs. There is a brutality of the bully stereotype, like a bureucrat gone wild here. You will be so stressed out that your health will suffer physically and mentally. It is amazingly cruel that people who want to help others are treated so brutally and sadistically. I've asked people why they go into this field when they obviously don't even like the people they serve, (and thus bully others when they get into management.) Some of the answers are, because I didn't do good in math or science so I took social work by default or that it was the easiest thing in school or I just don't care I just come to work and hate it. Or else I get lots of double talking people who will recite litanies of how they are serving the people, while the patronize "the people" promising them the world and bully their underlyings and never follow through on promises they make to "the people."
I have heard Colorado has a good mental health system as well as New York. But if you can't get a job here in Michigan as a social woker you are lucky! Me, I'm currently training in yet another field and am also fortunate to have a spouse with a decent job in the meantime. yes there are some good jobs in Michigan, but sadly anything in the system of mental health and humans services as well as criminal justice is horrible.
So many people are afraid to discuss this' I'm sure they are afraid they will loose their job, a blessing they don't appreciate, or they will noon

rbornej@aol.com in Detroit, Michigan said: I'm having problems finding employment in the counseling area. I do not have very much experience in the counseling area, besides my field study placement. I do have 2 years of foster care expereience as a caseworker, & over 10 years working with the developmentally challenged population. I graduated 4 years ago with my MSW & no one will take the time to train me, they'd be planting a seed in their companeis if they do, but....they won't. What should I do? I've submitted applications to even the non-profit organizations. I would love to provide therapy interventions to children & families in the foster care system or at risk of going into the foster care system.

Does anyone know of an agency who will hire me (even part-time evenings) & allow me to grow as a therpaist??

Have you considered Holy Cross Children's Services? www.hccsnet.org/ I work there right now, I have a BA in Social Relations and Policy. I am a "treatment specialist" aka "line staff." I work with adjudicated adolescent boys who have been placed in residential treatment for at least 6 months. We have an incredibly high turn-over rate because the job is hard and stressful but if you ENJOY working with families who need therapeutic interventions, then it would be right up your alley. My position is the lowest on the totem pole but there are other positions available like the Family Worker, who deals with the child's family and their part of the child's treatment, and the Program Coordinator, who meets with the families and has counseling sessions with them and the child as well as oversees the entire treatment team (PC is one step above TS). I work in Clinton, MI but Holy Cross has locations all over Michigan and they have all different types of facilities. Facilities for boys, girls, sex offenders, mental health, drug treatment, supervised independent living for those aging out, etc. Good luck

My advice is RUN, RUN, RUN. I have an MSW and fortunately, I really haven't had a problem finding a job. My experience is working with adujudicated youth and their families, helping them to reintegrate into the community. Community Mental Health in Michigan is taking a huge hit because of the economy, which may be a big reason why it's hard to find a job. However, Social Work is extremely demanding with little rewards. You would think that monetary compensation would be decent after spending years in school and receiving your Master's Degree, but it almost means nothing if the degree is in social work. My advice is to find a more lucretive/marketable major, that will also involve helping people in some way.

My question to all of you experienced SW is this....am I better off getting my M.A. in Counseling? I too have a strong desire to help others, especially after a long career in the corporate world. Also, what are your thoughts on Online MSW and MA in Counseling....there are cswe accredited and cacrep accredited Master's online these days. Thanks everyone!

Counseling isn't much better, I got my masters in Psych and in 5 months the closet job i could find was in Massachusetts. I should have gone into computers or something, lol.

So do you think computer work is booming here in Michigan with lots of job openings??? Don't beat yourself up for following a dream instead of something you "think" may be too boring for you but can make you money. How do I know this, well I am learning the same lessons myself lol. There are plenty of well educated and well seasoned experienced people in many areas that are out of work right now especially here in Michigan. We are in a transitional phase which will change. (Hopefully for the better as far as our backgrounds are concerned, but definitely different. Perhaps it is something to yet be imagined. ...what would you imagine? Perhaps there will be different kinds of jobs here. What would they be?) Those of us who have studied and learned to help others problem solve and use other similar skills can use those to help ourselves and others who need work right now. Obviously human services are not hiring very well right now in Michigan...what are our choices: train for another profession? If so what are the professions that are "hiring" and will continue to do so? What would you imagine? There's a lot more to add to this if any are interested. I'll leave it at that for now for others to add too if they wish.

Hi, I just received my MSW May 2009, from Washington University in Saint Louis. Considered the top social work school in the country. I have been battling with health issues myself (two major surgeries) and also trying to get my foot in the door. I was an elementary school teacher before I received my degree in social work. I loved teaching but while the state I use to live in Washington State pretty much required that you go on to get a masters in something to keep up the certification, they started hiring kids out of college that they could pay less. Well, with the MSW, I have seen nothing but jobs requiring that you be licensed in that state. Trouble is, you can't get licensed if you can't find a job to be supervised in. It is a vicious circle and I am coming to the conclusion that the $50,000 worth of education I received was pointless.

I have been looking for work in Missouri, Colorado, and Washington State.
I can't even tell what the requirements are for each state except by wading through tons of websites.
At this point I can tell there are any jobs available out there except for what people can market on their own (like cutting neighbors lawn).

I don't know what to do. I am 52.

Im a new graduate from Saginaw Valley State University. I graduated in August of 2009 and my husband and I own a house in Saginaw. I am looking for a job, I have a BSW but I don't have a clue as to where I can get one. :(

Hi, I don't think there are any jobs in Michigan right now. I am afraid it may be several years. The good thing about social work is the degree is portable to another state. I start grad school in January. I hope by the time I graduate ther will be some social work jobS!!! Good Luck to you in your search!

rbornej@aol.com in Detroit, Michigan said: I'm having problems finding employment in the counseling area. I do not have very much experience in the counseling area, besides my field study placement. I do have 2 years of foster care expereience as a caseworker, & over 10 years working with the developmentally challenged population. I graduated 4 years ago with my MSW & no one will take the time to train me, they'd be planting a seed in their companeis if they do, but....they won't. What should I do? I've submitted applications to even the non-profit organizations. I would love to provide therapy interventions to children & families in the foster care system or at risk of going into the foster care system.

Does anyone know of an agency who will hire me (even part-time evenings) & allow me to grow as a therpaist??

Try Catholic social serivces or temp agencies. There are many contractual jobs listed with Indeed.com for social workers in Michigan - google it. I get sent emails with all the jobs and there are many - I work full time for the state, part time for Catholic Charities of West Mi and have an interview Tuesday for a $50 an hour job plus $25 for the assessment - it's per diem but who cares. Social Worker / Allied Health Intelistaf Healthcare is hiring contractual at $32 an hour in a correctional setting. Google social work jobs in Mi and go to indeed - it has so many choices especially for the Detroit side - I live in Muskegon so it's more limited here but if you are licensed - it's pretty open for contractual jobs

Elizabeth,

Good for you for wanting to work to help people. I will tell you, as an MSW in Michigan, if you do get that degree, don't necessarily plan on using it in Michigan. Jobs here seem to be acquired through who one knows, not what one knows. Maybe the job climate is better elsewhere, but in this state that seemingly needs social workers the most, there is little use of them. Good luck in your job hunt!

Elizabeth in Ann Arbor, Michigan said: I graduated with a BS in Criminal Justice in December 07. I have been looking for work for the past 8 months with no luck. I am very interested in helping people, which is why I chose Criminal Justice.
I fell in love with Social Work when I took a course my senior year, by then it was too late to switch majors.
There are some Social Services positions that a BSW/MSW is not required and so I was hoping to get one of those positions.. So far that is not going as planned. Actually, so far I am unable to land even a receptionist/office assistant position. It seems as though the economy is really bad.
I took a course of interviewing, and have had several professionals review my resume, so I really am trying.

I am now thinking about pursuing a MSW, which would take me 3 years since I would have to take the full program.My question is: are there jobs out there? I would hate to go thru 3 more years of school to be in the same position I am in today...jobless.

Any advice you have for me would be great!

Hi Everyone, I got my MSW in MI and wanted to be a medical social worker but moved to another state because in 2002 there were no medical social work jobs available. I went to AZ where I landed one in 3 weeks after moving! I loved working in the AZ hospital, and Phoenix was awesome. I ended up meeting my boyfriend and moving in with him in CO, and found CO to be more difficult to find work, NM is easier to find work and training opportunities, more flexible licensure requirements, etc. Then we both moved to WA for his career opportunity of a lifetime, where he still works, and I am here almost 4 years and still without a job in the SW field. I worked for a state agency in an administrative secretarial type of job for 2 yrs and got bullied daily and the bully eventually set me up to be fired. Now I wish I had stayed in AZ but I followed my heart to move to where my boyfriend lead me. I still have all my student loan debt I started with and credit card debt from moving. I have made costly decisions based on my hopes that the grass is greener elsewhere.

I do recommend making one informed move, but if you could afford a visit first to make sure you like the area you will live in, this helps. Don't follow my path and move several times, because it costs each time. It is so important to be happy with your job and feel valued, and I was happy as a social worker, but that was when my career came first. If you have a family you have to consider them, and put them first. I have thought about going back to AZ, but would not want to leave my boyfriend. I would not move back to MI because of the economics, unless my family back home really needed me. Meanwhile, I'm in a leadership training program and I'm volunteering, but I'd rather be working in the SW field, making a living wage, and having a supportive workplace that provides licensure. Is this too much to ask for? Sometimes it depends on the state you live in I guess! I wish you all success in your social work careers!

Hi there,

I'm graduating with my MSW this upcoming May. I'm starting the job search now but it seems that no one wants to even look at me until I at least graduate and have my LLMSW. How do I go about finding a job that will be lined up for when I graduate, and will have LMSW supervision? Any LLMSW's or LMSW's out there that have advice? Thanks!

If anyone is looking to do some p/t writing of a few articles a week, please send me an e-mail to discuss further at hbrown98 @ gmail.com (I separate words to avoid spam). It would be short articles. Probably just a few hours a week.