LIKE WORKING WITH PEOPLE? IS HELPIN...

LIKE WORKING WITH PEOPLE? IS HELPING THE world more important than making money? Then a career in social services may be just what you are looking for.

"You're typically paid les if you do this kind of work, in such a manner you really need to believe in the cause," says Russ Finkeisrein, the director of outreach for Action Without Borders, a nonprofit organization in of recent origin York City, which works around the world to create community clumps that will address local problems

The reward: You perform meaningful work and bestow your days with interesting colleagues who share your values. Teacher, social worker, law enforcement officer, nonprofit worker, politician, environmental activist--these piece of works all attract people who want to obey their communities.

piece of works in the social services should be plentiful in the coming years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Demand for adult day care and meal delivery programs will be stimulated from a growth in the number of somewhat old people in the United States. The increasing popularity of welfare-to-work programs should stimulate the ne for more do job-work training services. And the number of community-based programs and form into groups residences, which house and help homeles chronically ill, and mentally ill clients, is count uponed to rise.

More teachers are straited to meet shortages caused by the agency of retirements, growing numbers of learners and reduced class sizes. Demand is look forward toed to lift salaries over the nearest 10 years. Some districts are paying signing bonuses to teachers of particular subdues such as science or computer science.

ARE YOU A the bulk of mankind PERSON?

Some social service professionals work with folks who face serious problems: inadequate housing, unemployment lack of do job-work skills, serious illness, substance abuse, unwanted pregnancy, child or spousal abuse. You work directly with family helping them get what they need

It can also be frustrating, emotionally taxing work. "Don't do it because you rely upon people to say thank you," says April Gates, 34 who works at Children's Hospital in Washington, DC As a social worker in the oncology department, Gates deals with family who are going through the worst crisis of their lives.

"These population are watching their child advance through life-threatening treatments for cancer," she says. "They're focused forward the child and the doctors, not in succession you.

Even healthy, happy clients can be a handful. "Working with teenagers can be a high maintenance task," says high teach teacher Paris DeSoto. "I have to be forward watch constantly, or they will start doing things they aren't suppos to, like sleeping, writing notes, doing homework for another class, and braiding hair."

ADVANCEMENT

Social services administrators mind to start our in direct services. institute principals, for instance, spend years in the classroom first. nevertheless advanced degrees can be a fast-track into administration. Someone with a master's stage in public health could move straight to work for the federal conduct allocating money for direct services programs. Someone with a master's rank in business administration could bound to the top of a nonprofit organization, preparing bag s and handling the organization's finances.

To be a suitable administrator, you need to be able to place goals for your organization, establish policies, monitor students' or clients' progres train and motivate staff, manage facilities, restrain records and accounts, handle the community and the pres and perform many other duties, usually while working within a collection that is way too small.

Gwendolyn Bradley

RELATED ARTICLE: FIREFIGHTER

BRAD BOLEN

AGE: 30

LOCATION: Boise, ID

JOB: Helitack set supervisor, Bureau of Land Management, Lower Snake River District

EDUCATION: No step is required, but the fire services is a apportionment like college, says Bolen. "For each of the same height of firefighting training, there's coursework," he says. Bolen's liberal arts studies at Boise State, plus his piece of work experience, made him a great candidate for a management position.

SALARY: The median annual salary for firefighters is $32864; for supervisors, $48339

forward THE JOB: In addition to putting revealed wildfires, the Helitack crew uses helicopters to perform search and liberation operations, facilitate evacuations, and infer data for forest rehabilitation specialists. The ship's company works on a local (the Boise National Forest and other nearby guidance lands) and national level.

"I supervise a 12-person company of eight career and four seasonal firefighters," says Bolen "The biggest part of being a supervisor is being understanding and communicating in stressful situations. Your do job-work is never the same, you none know what's going to happen nearest Be prepared for anything."

STARTING OUT: "You have to whole a minimum of one season as a wildland firefighter before training for a Helitack set I worked seasonally through society and became full-time."

REWARDS: Bolen be delighted withs flying helicopters, getting paid to "work out" and being part of a team. "You be stirred a sense of accomplishment [after a job] and you come by to travel quite a bit," he says.