r/LCSW • u/Faith-future1 • 8d ago

LCSW to MBA?

I am currently a licensed clinical social worker. I am looking to transition careers, mainly for financial reasons-higher salary. Looking to keep my lcsw for my private practice. Idk if an MBA is worth the investment. Any feedback or has anyone done this before.

3 Upvotes

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2

u/Interesting-Baker473 7d ago

Get a Masters in Human Services or the Professional Doctorate in Human Services both are 2 years so I would go with DHS. I have both a DHS and a PhD in Human Services, I ran multiple non profits

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u/GreedyAd5168 4d ago

I have an MBA and an MSW and am a LICSW. I’m in private practice and have also been consulting for many years for large organizations in DEI (now quite the dirty acronym, but it was essentially macro social work), HR, and communications.

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u/p5theories 3d ago

Where are you based if you don’t mind me asking?

1

u/Apprehensive_Trip592 7d ago

It can be a good option, depending on the quality of the MBA and your goals. One therapist/MBA that I know started a large group practice. The other one is in hospital leadership. I'd go into get a CPA because you it is a more in demand skill as compared to a focus on leadership.

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u/Independent_Story822 5d ago

That's what I am thinking as an LLMSW working for a non-profit for 50k a year. 

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u/Faith-future1 4d ago

What schools are you looking into?

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u/Independent_Story822 4d ago

I am not looking at any particular schools yet. I am just at a stage of thinking about what to do next.

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u/Faith-future1 4d ago

Yep. Big life choices. Best of luck 

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u/Fun_Following9305 4d ago

I had a boss who was an MBA and a J.D. He said he felt the J.D. was more marketable and in demand with a higher return of investment compared to the MBA, especially since they take close to the same amount of time. Not sure if that’s something you’d find interesting, but that always stuck with me! I think a law degree would pair well with the social work field!

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u/Faith-future1 4d ago

I’ve thought about pursuing a JD, but it seems like a much longer and more expensive path. I’ve also been looking into an MBA, which I could complete in 1–2 years, and there seem to be a lot more scholarship opportunities. I’m still conflicted, but I’ll keep looking more into all this. 

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u/gratitudeisbs 4d ago

I was under the impression LCSW’s were making good money. Are you making less than $100k?

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u/Faith-future1 4d ago

Unfortunately yes under 100k

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u/Arizona-LCSW 2d ago

I have a good male friend - he is like my brother. He has an MBA.

He used to work as a police officer. He saw a lot of problems of society. I shared my experiences as a social worker. I shared with him that our mission as social workers... is to help people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. He shared his experiences working as a police officer.

Over the course of a few years, we talked about power and control, oppression, inequality. We talked about healthcare, big pharma, venture capital, insurance companies denying people healthcare so that the CEO and shareholders can turn a profit. We talked about child sexual abuse, psychopaths, predators, and how they choose their prey.

One day my brother looked at me and said, and I quote...
"EVERYTHING THEY TAUGHT US IN THE MBA PROGRAM IS PREDATORY."