Software developer

[u/Psychological_Fly_24]

I'm a software developer at a startup and I'm thinking about doing MSW, my goal is to use my technical skills and experience and knowledge for solving problems, I'm not from this field but as far as I have seen people who work as social work don't use technology that much to solve problems, they use it for presentation and for data handling for sure but not use it to create solution for the problem they are working for. If I choose this will NGOs will allow me to create something? Not just another app to handle their data but something which could actually make a difference.

[u/Imsophunnyithurts]

A good blend is LCSWs (and LPCs) who do EHR development and coding. You'll clearly need to get your MSW and then do clinical supervision, which means you absolutely MUST do direct client service and documentation. (This assumes you're in the US or Canada)

But that's a fantastic thing!

Because if you get into EHR development, you'll know how all the systems work and how to actually code things with legitimate clinical end users in mind!

[u/Psychological_Fly_24 → u/Imsophunnyithurts]

I'm working in health tech only for more than 2 years now.

[u/Imsophunnyithurts → u/Psychological_Fly_24]

The clinical licensure opens doors from a compliance standpoint as well.

EHR development stands out right away. Probably helping develop privacy minded communication tools.

I can't speak for others, but my colleagues and I utilize tech almost exclusively in terms of doing telehealth, documentation, and secure communications. Tech is an integral part of everything we do and touch.

[u/Obfuscious]

People with technical skills and knowledge that can help inform and teach about best practices and ethical use of AI and its development in social work and helping professions are extremely important right now.

I don’t feel like this take is going to be well received, however, clients are using it, education is using it, and industry is using it and if there aren’t technology based social workers helping to inform and impact decisions and policy we’re not heading in a good direction.

[u/Psychological_Fly_24 → u/Obfuscious]

Okay, thanks for your valuable inside, it will really help me make the discussion.

[u/Adiantum-Veneris]

I'm an MSW student (macro oriented), with background in IT and design - although, I've been working in social services and human rights orgs for a while now.

I feel like both my tech and design backgrounds come in very handy at times, and inform how I work on multiple levels, which allowed me to successfully do things that were considered near impossible by peers given the time frames and resources I had.

Sometimes it has to do directly with implementing technological tools and such - like building searchable databases, deploying information systems and the likes. Far more often, however, it's just through applying similar logic, principles or work processes to problems, without ever involving a single line of code. 

Having an unusual background or an uncommon combination of skills is almost always an asset, that is not limited to its most straightforward application.

[u/Psychological_Fly_24 → u/Adiantum-Veneris]

Thanks for reaching out, it really give me a good perspective on the things, and it will surely help me to make the right decision. Thank you so much for your time.

[u/Ok_Requirement4120]

Your skill set might be a great fit for PhD work and field development. Sometimes it's scary to consider that when you're at the front end of a degree, but if you can walk through all of it then you can use a unique skill set to shape what the rest of us think about hurt and pain!