Here's what MSW students should do to prepare for the future of Social Work.

So I think about this a lot. What I wish that someone would have told me when I was still in my MSW program. So here's what I would tell every current MSW student if I had the chance. First, start building business literacy now. So even if it's informally, I feel like this profession is heading in a lot of different directions and that the social workers who are going to be able to adapt to all the changes are going to be the ones that have the most options available to them. So I'm talking about basic finance, how budgets actually work inside of an agency or a hospital, where the funding comes from, where it doesn't. I'm not saying that you need an MBA for this. You just need to be able to expose yourself to this type of language early, so it doesn't feel so far in later. Second, start building your network and your community as early as possible. This field is full of some of the most interesting, passionate people that you're ever going to work alongside. So attend those conferences, do your LinkedIn, network with other students, or people that are doing things that you admire in the field. Don't just limit your network to the internship site or your potential employer. I feel like your work and your career is going to be so much bigger than any building that you're ever going to be working in. So start now, building your network and your community. And third, and this is probably the most important thing for social workers, start believing now that this degree is not a ceiling. Your MSW can be the foundation, a very strong foundation that you can take in many, many different directions. And it's so important for current MSW students to not fall into the narrative that this is a dead-end field or that there is no place that you can take your MSW, because it's just really not true. And the earlier that you believe that your MSW is the foundation for something great, then the more options that you're going to have later.