Jacqueline Shingleton

I would say it's just living a life that was maybe not subpar or terrible, but just understanding where people's wants and needs come from, their desires, and sometimes desperations, and really just wanting to help. As social workers, we're not in it to get paid - we're not the ones making the big bucks. But honestly, I wouldn't trade my job for the world. Seeing the people's anxieties melt off their face, or that 'oh, I'm so thankful I talked to you,' because I just take their problems and move it forward. Everything's solvable. I attribute my drive to just really helping others. I know it sounds so cheesy, helping others, but that's the best way I can attribute it. I've got no problem being a bug, or doing what I gotta do to get it done, and obviously there's a way of professionalism about it, and kindness, and being charismatic, but I'm not afraid to pull my sleeves up, get in, get it done. Because we need success. We want you to succeed.

I would say to not limit themselves to what they think social service is. It goes in every single field, in almost every aspect of life. I feel like almost everybody or somebody they know very closely has been touched by a social service angel in some degree. So really not limit themselves on what's out there, what opportunities, and all these different crossovers. I went to social work school never thinking once that I would work in a court system, but now I found that I took a hold of it, and it's been the best job that I've had so far. I mean, I've got a long way to go, but really just, if it's anything medical, anything that they can pick up along the way and use those types of transferable skills, it really, really leads to success. Show up, do your job, do it well, and you'd be surprised how often people apparently aren't doing that, which to me just blows my mind.