Money Money Money Money... Money!

How does a University choose what to make a part of their mandatory curriculum, what to make optional, and what isn’t even offered in their course offerings book?

Personally, I’ve never understood why I needed to learn the circumference of a trapezoid, as I have yet to ever use such in my life. (In full disclosure though, my math score on the GRE left something to be desired.) After talking with many friends in the social work profession, I continue to be surprised by how many money mistakes are made, mostly out of never being taught otherwise. Why there isn’t a mandatory class on this, I’ll never know.

While I don’t claim to be an expert, I thought I’d share some information here, for those who wish to become better educated on the subject. (For those wanting even more, fellow social worker Suze Orman is a great place to start as her show/books/website are full of info!) The following list comes out of many conversations with many social workers who too often realize their financial mistakes too late.
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MISTAKE #1: Starting Off On the Wrong Foot

After being a middle school kid with an allowance, a high school youth with a part-time job, and a broke college student, it’s no wonder that many begin first jobs with a desire to spend some (or lots) of that money as soon as it starts to come in. However, the sooner wise financial choices are made, the smaller the chances are that you’ll find yourself at age 30, 40, or 70 and having to return to the financial life of ramen noodle dinners.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/MoneyInYour20s/10-financial-commandments-for-your-20s.aspx?page=1

MISTAKE #2: Postponing Saving For Retirement

One of the most important pieces of information I ever received was to begin to plan for retirement ASAP. It sounded silly to me, while in my mid-20s, to think about something 50+ years away, but it’s one of the best choices I’ve ever made. Investing in a retirement account works on something called compound interest, which means that, the earlier you begin to save, the more the money grows on its own for you.

Here’s the actual math for you, both on why compound interest is awesome and why it pays (literally!) to start early: http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/05/23/how-compound-interest-favors-the-young/

For more info on why it’s important to begin saving in your 20s: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/MoneyInYour20s/ToGetRichStartSavingInYour20s.aspx

For info on how to save while you’re a student, unemployed, or aren’t making much for other reasons: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/SimpleStrategies/HowToInvestWhenYoureBroke.aspx

MISTAKE #3: Thinking You Have to Make Major Money to Thrive

It’s pretty well assumed that none of us became social workers for the money, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live a wonderfully happy life or save for big purchases (a home, a vehicle, a vacation, etc.) if you make wise financial choices.

An article on getting by and thriving on 32,000/yr: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/StockInvestingTrading/Getting-by-on-32000--MSNMoney.aspx

MISTAKE #4: Being Too Romantic or Shy to Discuss Money with Your Potential Mate

It’s long been said that money is the cause of many break-ups, which often happens because couples aren’t up-front about their finances. Granted, it’s far more fun to discuss a romantic getaway (or to go on one) than to talk about how it’ll be funded, but knowing where both people stand is crucial to figuring out whether you are as financially compatible as you are emotionally/physically/intellectually matched.

Great articles on money + love:
http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/article.aspx?cp-documentid=9018509>1=32023

http://www.bankrate.com/dls/news/boomerbucks/20070214_finance_and_romance_a2.asp

http://www.ehow.com/how_4586338_discuss-finances-before-marriage.html

MISTAKE #5: Believing Money Myths

Tax information, interest rates, and banking rules all change over time, yet some money beliefs seem to transcend, causing people to believe what they’re told and then acting on wrong information. Here are a few myths vs. facts:

10 Bank-Breaking Money Myths: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/08/financial-myths.asp

20 Dangerous Money Myths:
http://www.passionsaving.com/money-myths.html


As you can see from the links and the information those pages link you to, there is a ton to learn about money. It can feel quite overwhelming at first, but the more you know, the more powerful you are in terms of your current and future finances. With so many books, websites, and other media based on financial education, there’s someone out there for us all to learn from, in whatever financial style suits us each best. Personally, I’ve found the aforementioned social worker Suze Orman is a great source of information and inspiration. Her weekly tv show on CNBC has taught me a great deal over the years (I even appeared on it once!), and I continue to refer to her books “Young, Fabulous, and Broke” and “Women and Money” as I’ve transitioned from undergrad to grad school, from student to unemployed, and as I’ve begun to earn my first salaried paychecks.

I know that this isn’t the typical “easy reading” blog entry you’re used to from me, but I hope it’s been a helpful post. In the spirit of both social work and money management, I will close this in the way that Suze Orman’s ends each episode of her television show:

“People first, then money, then things… now you stay safe.”

My Social Work Valentine

The 2/13 9pm EST live chat on www.socialworkchat.org was themed for Valentine’s Day and was centered around the participating social workers sharing thoughts on what cards they’d write if they were to write one to Social Work. In the spirit of the week, I’ve decided to share mine here and encourage you all to share your own in the comment section below.


Dear Social Work,

You are a field that doesn’t lend itself well to giving an “elevator speech,” so people regularly have no true idea of who you are. Your elusive nature causes you to be regularly ignored on television programs and in film, though others sometimes masquerade as if your work is within the confines of their own jobs. You are sometimes confusing and often cause me to turn to peers for guidance on how to handle you. I’m pretty sure that my mother thinks I could have chosen a safer option, or at least one that affords me a more lavish lifestyle. Sometimes, when I come home, there is nothing less I’d rather think about than you, though sometimes you refuse to let me rest. People regularly question why we’re together. They suggest that I might be crazy, but thanks to you and that gorgeous DSM of yours, I know I’m not… though I admit, I’ve recognized pieces of myself (and almost everyone I know) in so many of your pages.


No matter where I am or what time of day it is, I am aware of your presence in my life. Occasionally, I contemplate leaving you for another, but then I realize that it would be a silly notion to think that I could really just up and leave. At the end of the day, I know one thing for certain; we’re enmeshed. You are a part of everything I do, everything I believe in, and everything I fight for. You are my reason for getting out of bed in the morning (Monday-Friday, at least), you are my reason for falling asleep at night (good Lord, you’re exhausting).

I just wanted you to know that, for reasons sometimes even I can’t explain, I’m glad we found each other. I anticipate a long future together, one that’s full of 3-minute lunches between clients, getaways to the steps of Capitol buildings, and more surprises than I can even imagine.

Thanks for everything,

~Kryss

Aches and Chills and Coughing, Oh My!

It officially feels like flu season to me now… why? Because I officially have the flu. There’s nothing like that feeling of aches/chills/fever/cough/stuffy head/everything ever mentioned in a cold medicine ad feeling that makes me just want to stay in bed until my body’s back to normal. But now that I’m in a position that isn’t as easy as calling in a substitute server to pick up my shift or emailing the professor to request the notes for the lecture I’m missing, I wonder how others feel about being sick in the workplace.

Is it better to be a person who never misses work and hunkers down, risking contaminating others and making the illness worse? Is it better to take time off to rest and heal and risk the boss wondering if you’re a big baby? Is it better to use up those sick days at the beginning of the year if that’s when you need them or is it better to try to hold off just in case you need them later?

While I know that most agencies don’t have a set-up to work from home, I sometimes wish it was an option for us all. In this age of technology, it only makes sense that, if half of the classes we took to get this degree were available online, shouldn’t at least half of our work be available that way too? Of course, I’m not advocating for anyone to hang a shingle with the agency logo when they’re sick at home, but sometimes I wonder if paperwork couldn’t still be completed online, allowing the person to heal and quarantine him/herself while still being productive. At the same time though, I wonder if doing such would lead already overworked people to continue to work from home during healthy times.

What do you think? If your agency offered an option to complete some of your work from your personal computer, would you do so only when you were ill or otherwise couldn’t be at the office or would it compel you to work additional hours on top of your regular schedule?

Who Are You?

When I was a child, I would have bet you all the money in my piggy bank that my second grade teacher’s first name was “Mrs.” and that she lived in the school. (Between you and me, I’m pretty sure she slept in the reading nook and dined on feasts of chocolate milk and spaghetti with the other teachers after the school buses took the students home.) I simply couldn’t imagine that my teacher was anything other than my teacher.

Now, I find myself wondering whether I see myself in the same way and whether, as social workers, we’re ever “just social workers.” For example, today my morning felt hectic due to a dog who wanted more attention than I had time to give and having to wait a longer time for the shared bathroom than I’d planned into my morning schedule. When I came into the office, it wasn’t easy to suddenly drop that rushed feeling and become the calm social worker I’m expected to be. It makes me wonder how many moms and grandpas and partners and pet-owners there are among us Social Workers and how often we all carry our morning baggage in with us, unbeknownst to those around us.

Maybe this is bigger than that though. I suddenly find myself reconsidering everyone around me… maybe “unfriendly-grocery-store-cashier” is also “single-mother-of-four-working-too-many-hours-and-sleeping-too-few.” Maybe “super-rude-customer-service-man-who-kept-me-on-hold-for-45-stinking-minutes” is also “wife-just-served-surprise-divorce-papers-this-morning” or “layoffs-mean-he-is-now-required-to-do-the-work-of-two-people-for-the-same-rate-of-pay-he’s-always-gotten.” What about our beliefs as social workers, activists, and helpers? Was Martin Luther King, Jr. ever “man-going-to-the-store-to-buy-milk” or was he always “activist-man-going-to-the-store-to-buy-milk?” Are we ever just parents, just partners/spouses, just friends, or just anything? Maybe the same innate traits that led us to become social workers emanate from us no matter what we’re doing. And, if this is true, are we ever truly able to put ourselves completely aside or are we always viewing our surroundings and clients through our own colored lenses?
There’s a quote I love, from a man I’ve never heard of (Delbert Stapley), “We see things not as they are, but as we are.” I think of it often, in all types of situations, and I find it applicable here. Perhaps we should all take a moment and figure out who we are, both to the world and to ourselves. I wonder if such introspection might make it easier to understand how others choose to approach us.


Until Next Week,
~ Wishes-she-could-just-stay-home-with-her-dog-sometimes/Wonders-why-work-can’t-start-at-noon/LGBTQI-activist/Former-midwesterner/Your-Social-Work-Blogger

Now What?

What comes next?

I feel like that’s one of those obvious questions that no one seems to think to ask themselves until they’ve finished their MSW and gotten settled into a job… or maybe I just didn’t think to ask it.

Most everywhere, one knows the steps for going from Bachelor’s degree to MSW; choose schools to apply to, follow the application instructions, begin the coursework, complete said coursework, graduate. After that though, it gets a bit muddy.

For reasons I still don’t understand, each state has its own licensing levels, CEU requirements, titles, labels, and processes for obtaining each. For example, in Ohio, a person may take their LSW (licensed social worker) test during their last semester/quarter of the MSW program or they can go right for the LISW (licensed independent social worker) test. If one opts to jump immediately to the LISW, the test is tougher, but if passed, 2 yrs of supervision and the person automatically has their LISW –one test, one test fee, and done, but if one doesn’t pass the tougher LISW test, the student risks graduating without any license, making job hunting much tougher. In Florida, there is no such thing as either an LSW or an LISW, and in New York, tests must be taken in a certain order with a minimum of 3 yrs of supervision before attaining the final licensure level (LCSW).

Then there are the CEU requirements (which state requires what, how many of said hours may be completed online or from home or at what price point) to consider as well, not to mention finding supervision from someone you trust and whom you can afford (always tricky to find a balance when you understand how much many social workers need the money that comes with supervising but you’re a broke recent graduate). Of course, if you move to a different state, well, that’s just a horse of a different color! Add in that only a select few number of states have title protection (which means that, in those without it, anyone may call him/herself a social worker, leading one –or me at least- to huge levels of frustration as I jump through the hoops and battle student loan debt for a title that anyone can use), and it sometimes seems like a whole lot of hoops to jump through for a title that doesn’t always feel like it’s as respected as it should be.

I feel like things should just be easier, that social workers have enough red tape to cut through by the very nature of the profession. Instead of all of the variables by state, why not have one uniform process across the country that’s taught to students in their final MSW class so everyone graduates with a true understanding of the licensing process and all it entails? Why not have reciprocity between states? And while I’m at it, title protection for us all! A girl can dream, right?

In the meantime, I continue to wade through the process… I’ve been downloading licensure study materials for the New York LMSW test, reading up on NASW’s information regarding CEUs, and participating in as many socialworkchat.org discussions as possible about the difficulties of navigating this new terrain. Quite honestly, my head still spins sometimes.

I hope you readers are having/have had an easier time with the transition!

When to Speak and When to (Respectfully) Shut Up

One of the trickiest parts of office navigation thus far in my new position has been knowing whom to be open with and how open and when. In my organization, the big bosses/head honchos/big cheese people are in another office, so our main line of communication is through email, with some phone calls and visits here and there. While this is great for not feeling like the boss lady is breathing down my neck every minute, it also means that anything I say to her is in writing; not just for that conversation but to potentially be pulled up, forwarded on, printed out, or put in my employee file forever. Those I see daily are people who are a generation above me and whom I supervise. In addition, we work with several organizations as partners or colleagues or whatnot. Whew!

I regularly find myself in a place of questioning my words and often remaining silent out of uncertainty. Those I work directly with feel like they could be my mother or grandmother, people whom I might otherwise confide in… but as their supervisor, it’d be completely inappropriate to discuss the stress of my personal life with them. My direct boss is even more delicate both because she’s also the Director of HR and because, had we met in another situation, I’m certain she’s someone I’d want to hang out with. Then there are the other organizations, all with their own needs and agendas, some of which are opposite to my job’s purpose or my agency’s goals.

So how do you know? To be honest, I wish this was the place where I inserted a chart or some wise words of wisdom or something, but thus far, I don’t have the answers. What seems to be working for me though is observing more than speaking and thinking ahead about what personal information I’m okay with sharing in a broader sense. This way, I don’t feel caught off-guard when lunching with the staff or come off as rude by not allowing them to get to know me and I don’t accidentally give things up that I later wish I could take back. For example, I’ve decided that I’m open to sharing stories about my dog, but annoyances about my roommates need to stay in my head. I’m open to discussing holiday memories of the casserole my relative always made, but I won’t be sharing the stories of the annual argument between siblings.

As for professional time, I’ve been working to get to really know my boss and to watch her in different situations. I watch the way she handles those who work for her and those she works for and I listen when she speaks about life and her philosophies on how to treat others. Those tell me a great deal about her and about whether she’s someone I can ask, without judgment, for guidance, which allows me to ask her before speaking to others without fear that she'll use the opportunity to sabotage me, pretend to know when she doesn't, or to steer me wrong, which is a wonderful trust to build with your supervisor!

Thus far, I think I’ve avoided saying too much… but then, the day isn’t over yet!

Snow Days...

Is it odd that, although post-MSW and in my late 20s, I still keep my fingers crossed that my office will have a snow day?