Working in the human services field provides a great career path when you want to dedicate your time to helping others. When you have a job in this field, you can focus on contributing to changes that have a positive impact on society. How do you know for sure if this kind of work is what you should be doing? Joining the ranks of human services processionals might be an ideal option for you if you are a compassionate and detail-oriented problem-solver with excellent interpersonal skills and integrity. Keep the following information about human services skills in mind if you’ve been considering getting a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree for a career in this field.
What Is Human Services?
Human services, as a topic of collegiate study as well as a career field, refers to an examination of the different issues that affect society to develop ways to change and improve people’s quality of life overall. When you study for a degree in this field, you can expect to gain a better understanding of societal systems and structures, which is needed in order to make necessary changes for improvement. You might take courses in sociology, political science, psychology, criminal justice, ethics and diversity, human development, family systems theory, human services policy, and other areas in order to build the skills you’ll need. When you have your degree, you can work as a counselor, crisis/sexual assault/domestic violence advocate caseworker, community outreach worker, or other role that allows you to put those skills to use and improve people’s lives.
Five Characteristics of Human Services Professionals
You might enjoy helping people in your day-to-day life, but it can be hard to determine if you should devote an entire career to improving society with a human services degree. Being familiar with the kinds of characteristics employees in this field typically need to cultivate can help you figure out if this is the right career path for you.
Helping Others
Being willing to help others and enjoying doing so is one of the most important characteristics you should have as a human services worker. If you tend to jump in and assist others in need on a regular basis, this could be the ideal career for you. As a human services worker, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to help others as part of your job. The ways in which you’re able to help them depend on the kind of work you end up doing. For example, you might decide to use your skills as a counselor, family support worker, or a public health advocate. The job you choose can allow you to assist people on an individual basis or as part of an effort to improve a certain social issue.
You’re Great with People, One on One
When you work in human services, you’ll often be working directly with people/clients, both one-on-one and in a group setting. For example, you might handle cases or provide support to children or adults in a counseling role. During your workday, you might spend most of your time assisting individuals rather than working with team members or meeting with co-workers as you would in other fields. Being able to personally connect with people in order to help them improve their lives in some way is crucial with this kind of work. If you get along well with other people and feel comfortable interacting with them on a one-on-one basis, human services work could be your calling.
You Have Patience
Human services work involves helping others, which can mean dealing with stressful situations at times. It’s important to have patience and empathy when you’re assisting people, no matter which kind of human services job you end up choosing. As an example, you might need to have patience if your work involves helping people who are experiencing a crisis, such as a disaster relief worker or crisis intervention counselor. Even if you’re helping people in a stressful setting or in a difficult situation, you’ll need to remain focused and calm in order to provide assistance. You’ll also need to develop persistent patience in order to provide help on a more long-term basis, as needed.
You Want to Be Proud of Your Work—Changing Lives for the Better
Being a human services worker puts you in a position to offer valuable help to individuals in need or to a community or society as a whole. Providing this kind of assistance can be highly rewarding and give you a strong sense of pride in your work. Having a job in this field might be challenging at times, but you can expect to be proud of your efforts at helping to improve people’s lives. Regardless of the kind of career you choose in this field, you’ll have a chance to put your skills to use helping others, likely on a daily basis.
Communication Skills
Having good communication skills is an essential part of thriving in the human services field. You’ll need to be able to cut through communication barriers and get through to others in order to help them, whether you’re providing help as a child advocate, youth worker, probation officer, or hospice care worker. Keep in mind that these skills also come in handy when you’re dealing with other aspects of your job, such as communicating with a supervisor, co-worker, or other professionals.
Do You Have a Future Working in Human Services?
If you have the characteristics of a human services worker, you should explore your degree program and career options. If you have a bachelor’s degree in a helping profession, you might work on earning a master’s degree in Counseling and Human Services. Having this kind of degree provides you with the in-depth knowledge you’ll need for counseling and human services work. You’ll also have a chance to develop new professional skills as needed while working on improving the skills you already have. A master’s degree in human services offers a great way to build a rewarding career helping others.
If you’re thinking of getting a master’s degree in Counseling and Human Services, please contact Post University. Our school offers a Master of Science in Counseling and Human Services so you can find fulfilling work in this field. If you have yet to obtain a bachelor’s degree, consider pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Human Services.
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