Community And Social Services: Schools and Careers

About Community And Social Services

Community and Social Services Career Overview

Professions that fall under the category of Community and Social Services are many and varied. They range from being loosely to highly related to one another. Community and Social Services jobs are an important element to any community, and include, but are not limited to:

• counselors and therapists (specialty areas include: education, career, rehabilitation, marriage and family)
• social and human service assistants and workers (specialty areas include: child, family, school, mental, public or mental health, substance abuse)
• clergy
(Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Moslem, or other)

Regardless of the role, the individuals in these professions all share the desire to help improve and make a positive impact and a difference on the lives of others. While the roles in Community and Social Services vary greatly they also share common characteristics and traits such as: a sensitivity to the feelings of others, emotional stability, a strong sense of ethics, trust, maturity, objectivity, diplomacy, respect, patience, and responsibility.

While a career in Community and Social Services is considered by many to be truly rewarding and satisfying, it does not come without its challenges (varying by the occupation) such as being emotionally and/or physically taxing and stressful. Unless an individual is successfully self-employed (e.g., counselor or therapist), earnings are not at the high end. Hours vary from part-time, to a standard 40-hour workweek, to long and irregular (including evenings and weekends); some may also travel to meet with clients, patients, or others. Individuals in these professions work in a variety of environments that include: offices, clinics, hospitals, group homes, and shelters.

Community and Social Services Vocational Training

Education requirements for jobs in Community and Social Services vary greatly. Requirements basically come down to the actual profession/occupation, specialty area, and state regulations - all of which range from formal education not required to a bachelor's or master's degree requirement, to specific licensing and certification requirement. In a variety of occupations (e.g., social and human services), on-the-job training, workshops, and seminars are provided by the employer. For occupations that do not require formal education, it is important to note that most employers prefer applicants who have completed some form of training. In general, advancement almost always requires formal education.

Schools for Community And Social Services are listed in the column to the left.

The Subcategories tab lists career specialties for Community And Social Services, each of which has a full page profile on the site.

The Find Schools tab lets you search for schools by field of study, degree level, and location.

The Videos tab lets you watch videos describing many of the career specialties for Community And Social Services.