Lori York ⋅ Lakeville , MN NORMANDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE ⋅ 20 years experience

Hello,
Those are two very different fields of study and lines of future employment. Get the real scoop on either degree program directly from a college/university in your area. Meet with an Admission Counselor or see if they offer group Information Sessions that go beyond the 'sales pitch' for the programs. You might have access to current students and/or faculty in at such an event. Hearing from the education/academic side might help you pick your path.
I hope that helps.
~Lori Y.~

Juan Ospina ⋅ Stamford , CT Community Health Center, Inc ⋅ 3 years experience

Shanda - thank you for your service and remember - always look for something that will make you happy and give you flexibility to do the things you want to do! Being content while serving the community is priceless

JD

Kirsten Orszag ⋅ San Luis Obispo , CA American West ⋅ 25 years experience

Hi Shanda,
HR - all the way!
Kirsten

Doug Bowser ⋅ Cleveland , OH GCA Servics ⋅ 15 years experience

Shanda, good morning. I wanted to provide some insight on HR and where many think we will be in a short period of time. HR is a fantastic profession. John is correct in stating most transactional HR functions are being outsourced and for good reason. However HR is being asked to create value in many other areas and Randy Samsel states it best in this LinkedIn post:

In a 2014 Deloitte report on Global Human Capital Trends 2014, leadership, retention, HR skills and talent acquisition were the top global concerns of CEO’s. 38% of respondents rated the need for more leadership as urgent. That same article noted that CEO’s need HR to move away from people administration toward a focus on people performance (see #10 above).

For human resources professionals, these findings are a call to action. This is our time! Never before has CEO focus on human capital and the human resources function been as high. How will we respond? Will we step up and seize the seat at the table? Our CEO’s hope so. The stakes are high and the pace of change is increasing.

I've provided a link to his blog for your review: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-ten-reasons-why-human-capital-number-1-concern-randy

Another visionary in our field is Lou Alder! He has grasped the changes needed in HR and has coached and mentored many who want to be on the edge in defining what the workforce will look like in the future.

My point is HR is changing and I believe for the good. If you look at HR departments in mid to large size organizations, you will find a mixture of professions from accountants, IT, sales, operations, and yes even HR professionals. The reason is executives are reaching out to people who can inspire and engage the workforce. They also bring an analytical perspective to the business of human capital. HR is a great profession!

Keep smiling

DJB

Keith Van Sickle ⋅ Menlo Park , CA Tensilica ⋅ 25 years experience

Hi Shanda,

As others have mentioned, there are a number of different roles in HR - recruiting, employee relations, compensation and benefits, training, etc. Some of these are more technical and "back office" while others, especially recruiting, training and employee relations, are very much people oriented. So if you enjoy working with people, there are a number of career paths in HR that could be very interesting to you.

For some of the other roles that have been mentioned, like sales marketing or IT project management, make sure you understand the technical knowledge required and see if that is interesting to you. These roles can sometimes require a great deal of technical knowledge.

Best of luck to you.

Keith

Deborah Meyer ⋅ Columbus , OH Anthem, Inc. ⋅ 35 years experience

Shanda: If you pursue social work - I do recommend gaining an LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) - an independent license which is highly sought after in positions for Hospitals, Health Insurance companies or you could work as an independent practitioner.

Within HR - as a Recruiter I see my role as being a strategic player in the corporate business to find the needed talent to meet our needs and help our company grow. As I speak with people individually I am more focused on helping them discern or realize if our job opening meets their needs. If a position is not a match for both parties - it will not be as successful.

Regarding salary - John is right regarding IT Project Management. And with your interest in in analysis (actuary) - it would also combine the opportunity to help a group of individuals focus on a goal and attain that goal. Have you thought of doing an assessment to help you focus in on your interests?

Remember - it's not uncommon for people to have multiple careers, and they can be complimentary over time. Best of Luck! Deborah

Sara Daniel ⋅ Ogden , KS ⋅ 5 years experience

Hi Shandra,

HR management is geared more towards business and is more about keeping things legal, organized and justified.

Social work is geared towards social services, helping clients, counseling, advocacy, assistance, case management, etc.

It really depends on your personality and what you enjoy. You could enjoy both fields. I have a bachelors in HR management and a Masters in Social Work. For me, HR was more about business and keeping employees happy and the company happy. I get more enjoyment out of serving others with my social work degree. Social work I’m assisting individuals with life circumstances and can assist them many ways depending on the day. I advocate, research, provide counseling services and much more. For me, Social Work is more about helping individuals, and HR is more about helping the company and employees. Yes there are the possibilities of being overworked but that can happen in both professions, depending on the organization or company you work for. For me, when I love what I’m doing, I don’t feel overworked and enjoy it. There’s a balance though, which I have learned, and everyone has to learn for themselves. Self-care is important in any field but sometimes its vital in the social services.

See if you can shadow someone in each position. From that you may be able to get some insight to what you’d prefer to do. You’ll work with people in both profession but it will be in different capacities so it all depends on what you enjoy.

Hope this helps! Message me if you have any questions!

Sara

John Green ⋅ Cary , NC Information Technology ⋅ 40 years experience

IMHO, you would make a great IT Project Manager. There is a path to achieve, and once you make it to the higher experienced levels, you could easily make $160k+ per year or more.

Manager $105,750 - $160,500
Project Manager $ 95,250 - $146,500

Being a Project Manager requires the same skills as a social worker, tuned to producing a product or service.

You can look at the PMP certification if you are interested in this approach.

http://www.pmi.org/Certification/Project-Management-Professional-PMP.aspx

BTW, I was 456X1 when in USAF 1980s. I worked on RC-135s.

shanda ferron ⋅ Charlotte , NC U.S. Air Force, Senior Airman ⋅ 6 years served

Thank you for your response Mr. JG

In the past, I've researched a little about marketing and was even advised to look into sales marketing, because of my great interpersonal skills, however what other areas may you suggest to look into that's similar to the field of social work?

John Green ⋅ Cary , NC Information Technology ⋅ 40 years experience

Hi Shanda - thanks for serving.

Here is a selection of salary guides that will help you project what your potential income might be for various career fields, including HRM or Social work.

http://www.roberthalf.com/workplace-research/salary-guides

You've really put the six eggs on one side and the half-dozen on the other side. You are correct in your assessment that HRM is more practical and stable. Social work fluctuates more on the whim of the political powers rather than the economy. However, you may find more personal fulfillment in social work. HRM is very process-procedure oriented now, and many of the HRM functions are being outsourced to automation companies. This means that the human effort needed by companies for administering payroll and benefits continues to shrink since automated computer applications are now doing the bulk heavy lifting that humans used to do.

In this light, I would take you at your word that you want to love what you do every day and this seems to exclude HRM for the reasons discussed above (automation replacing humans). One thing you may not have considered is a career in marketing, which is very much like social work, but has far greater income potential and personal satisfaction potential.

Best wishes,
JG