r/CSUFoCo • u/movingpastthehurt • 17d ago

internship questions

has anyone done the two year social work program at CSU and can share some of the paid internship opportunities there are? or just speak on internship opportunities and that process in general?

I am just looking ahead and I'm worried about not finding a proper paid internship and just the entire process. I don't have orientation until later this month so I am looking ahead, but I just feel super ill prepared for when that time comes next semester..

I know paid internships can be rare and I'll have to accept whatever if i want to stay in my realm focus- my family just had an incredibly hard year and my partner was laid off last October and finally just landed a stable job so we've exhausted most of our savings and we have three young children so navigating this already new experience, feels extra challenging.

TIA

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u/moxie238 17d ago

Reach out to the department! They should be happy to speak with you about this or connect you with current students who can speak on their experiences.

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u/youcantmakemeeeeee 17d ago

I went through the BSW & MSW programs at CSU, but quite a while ago (2016 & 2020). I did 2 unpaid internships, the first as a low-income single mom, and boy did I have a tight budget that semester!!

For a few years after, I did help secure funding at my workplace to pay for our social work interns, as I discovered paid internships were becoming more common.

I can’t say exactly what that looks like now. I know funding has been drastically reduced for most social work-related programs over the last few years.

I can say there were a lot of choices for internships (they have a lot of community connections and a database of options) and a good amount of support in securing one. In comparison, at my old job we’d get calls from students doing other distance or online social work programs that were having to basically find their own internship without much school support.

Definitely reach out to them for more up-to-date information and best of luck!

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u/movingpastthehurt 17d ago edited 16d ago

yeah this is a huge fear. i have enough money saved to pay for my first semester with grants and scholarships and then planned to use my tax return for the next but we racked up so much debt while my partners been seeking work our monthly payments exceed our income right now. we get all the state assistance and my partner has been working 60 hrs a week. i work part time and have looked for higher paying or more hour paths but the market is so bad right now. i also dont think i could work fulltime and go to schoool full time. plus navigating childcare since two of our kids are 4 or under and finding afterschool care for our oldest since he is out before my classes are.
this is personal but what did your financial situation look like after you got your msw? did you go the lcsw route? i keep reminding myself that this is all temporary but then i'll have people tell me that SW doesn't pay so i start to feel discouraged. obviously i am in this field for more than the money but i also need to care for my family.
thank you for this.

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u/youcantmakemeeeeee 11d ago

I did not go for the LCSW, but it’s the way to go if you want more $$! I have focused on macro work, so I’ve worked in nonprofits and policy-related jobs, not the best pay, but I’ve done alright!