Alyssa Auerbach

I'm a big risk-taker and I don't dwell on setbacks - I just take it and move on. People have always told me they can't believe how strong I am, like when I just picked up and moved to Florida for my practicum without a job or anything, I just started doing it. That's just a little example, but with certain circumstances that come my way, I'm not the type of person to just dwell on things. If I did dwell on setbacks, I wouldn't be where I am right now. It's about being able to cope with what you're dealt and just being able to move on, because you're not going to make it any better by just sitting there trying to deal with it and not doing anything. I follow my passion and don't really worry about the how - I just have faith that it's taking me where I need to go. I've had a lot of bumps in the road and it took me back a few years, but I'm still trying to figure it out and keep moving forward.

The best advice I've received is to try everything. You're not locked into one path from the start. For instance, I started going to school for IT and took like two classes, and it just was not for me, so I switched. Then I went for something else, and I switched again, and now I'm doing social work. Just because you don't know what your path is going to be at first doesn't mean you don't have to go for something. You should try anything that you want to do, and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, and you move on. I went through it, and my sister is going through it now - she's a lot younger than me and went to college but is just at the point where she doesn't know what she wants. But she's taking her prereqs and just taking classes and trying things to see if she likes it, and if she doesn't, then she'll move on to something else. You may change direction a few times, but you should choose your passion and keep trying until you find what rings your bell.

I would say don't let other people influence your beliefs or your opinions. Social media and everything will say things like, oh, don't go for social work because it's cheap, or you can't get this, or it's too much - and it goes with everything. But I think one of the biggest things is that people today, especially in society, are just followers and they listen to other people. What other people do is not what you do, and you have to live your life the way you want to. So have faith in what you want to do, because it's your life and you're living it. You're the only one who's gonna make you happy, not anyone else. Don't let others influence you - do what you want to do, follow your passion, and do what makes you happy.

I would say there are a lot of disadvantages in certain aspects, particularly around pay. But beyond the pay, when you first get your master's degree, getting your license is an obstacle. You have to do a full year of practicums that doesn't even really count towards your hours, so you have to do a whole other 1,300 to 2,000 hours, and 100 hours have to be supervised, which has to be paid for. So it is a bit of an obstacle and a step back once you get out and have to get your license and take the test. That's when you can actually be a social worker or a therapist. But if you're hardworking and you put your mind to what you want, then you just do it, and time goes by really quick. I feel like I just started and I don't even have a year left, so it's just a process, but in the end, hard work pays off. The key is perseverance and taking calculated risks despite these challenges.

Loyalty, respect, and trust