Just a little celebration!

I finished my MSW in 2010 and my career since has been such a rollercoaster.

It took 3 years to find work in the field, so I spent those years nannying for a family that took advantage of me as much as they could. When I finally got a job in social work, there were no LCSW’s to provide clinical supervision at my first two jobs, so it took another 3 years for me to start earning hours. I eventually earned the hours but was so burned out that I quit the job with nothing else lined up, was unemployed for 6 months, seriously considered leaving social work altogether, and eventually landed a job at a non-profit food pantry running Chicago’s largest home delivery program by myself through the start of COVID. I was so exhausted and overwhelmed that pursuing my LCSW was pushed to the back burner for another 4 years. I eventually left to supervise case managers at a non-profit healthcare clinic, where my boss strongly encouraged me to pick up where I left off and get licensed if I could, so I finally got my exam authorization paperwork together and submitted it to the state. Then, the organization suddenly laid me and 42 other people off.

Now, here I am, 2 months into unemployment and a frustrating job search. I’m very overqualified for most jobs that aren’t looking for an LCSW, and the jobs I am otherwise perfectly qualified for all require clinical licensure. I’ll have unemployment benefits for 6 months, so—I’m FINALLY sitting for the clinical ASWB exam next month, 14 years after graduating and 6 years after finishing my clinical supervision hours.

I’m not looking for tips or anything, just wanted to share as a celebration because this has been such a ridiculous journey and I can’t believe I’m finally doing it. Studying is feeling great and I’m feeling confident about passing, and I think having the license is going to make the job search less frustrating. I feel like I will finally have the official qualifications that represent all of my knowledge and experience.

If you feel like you are falling behind your peers, don’t worry—it’s never too late!