What I want to be when I grow up

So I job shadowed some social workers at Spectrum the other day. Ever since I decided upon this field, I have grown more surer that it is what I am made for. I wanted to actually experience what it was like for myself, so the care management department at my work allowed me to hang out with social work for six hours in the ER. It was everything it expected it to be. I got to see them counsel a mother whose child had been molested, and a patient who attempted suicide by ODing on some prescription drugs.

There was also some good conversation. We discussed a patient that came in recently who attempted suicide twice. The first time was by carbon monoxide poisoning. He failed because someone found him. The second time he did the same thing, but brought a shot gun. Someone found him that time also. The social worker who counselled him told me that he was extremely calm, analytical and logical as to why he tried to kill himself. He felt he had no other choice. It made me wonder what kind of culture we live in that convinces us that we must have a certain lifestyle or other wise life is not worth living. The suicide attempt patient, whose assessment I watched, told us that there was no one for her to talk to. Nobody understood her depression and that everyone just made fun of her. I wondered if she had people to simply be there for her, if she would have attempted suicide. If she would even be depressed? Are antidepressants even really necessary?

Another thing I learned was how similar a feel social work has compared to process serving. I was a process server for two years, and I'm starting to realize how valuable those years were. I often thought the only worth that job had in my life was character building. Perhaps it was preparation for the future.

Hopefully I'll be starting school in February. This experience has confirmed that this is what I'm supposed to do. My only regret is that I didn't continue going to school for this in the first place.