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Jobless 3L here, bottom half of the class from a decent school (T30). Currently looking into JD Advantage positions out of necessity, as I have serious C&F issues that may prevent me from passing the bar (college discipline--not suspended or expelled, but pretty shady shit).

Is a JD a plus for social work jobs? I have a lot of legal and non-legal work experience assisting underserved communities, youth, victims of trauma etc. All of my internships and externships during law school have been PD/Legal Aid. Is an MSW required to be like a caseworker at a social services agency? I do have an undergrad degree in a related field (Sociology). Also fluent in Spanish, which can only help.

Praying that C&F nonsense works out in my favor, but prepared for the worst.

What is your thinking here? "I should pick the one job worse than being a lawyer."?

No. I worked as a domestic violence hotline advocate before lawl school, and as depressing as that sounds, the work was very fulfilling on a personal level. Social work is similar to that--helping people navigate the system at the worst point in their lives.

BUMP. Also interested.

Social work is a very commendable profession, but I should caution OP that a lot of organizations will do a background check before employing people to interact with sensitive populations. Depending on what OP was disciplined for, this might be an issue. I would recommend that the OP talk to social workers who are currently practicing. A lot of schools have MSW/JD programs that could point you in the right direction-- the idea is to make sure you'll be eligible for jobs you might want.

Can you talk more about the C&F? Similarly have some undergrad C&F and hoping it won't affect my bar passage.

The C&F is for college discipline. Forced to withdraw for medical reasons and was on university probation for a year. Aggrieved individuals lodged a university stay away order against me. Criminal record is as clean as a whistle.

Would it be a good idea to get an MSW on top of my JD if I am interested in social service positions?

Anonymous User wrote:Would it be a good idea to get an MSW on top of my JD if I am interested in social service positions?

Yes, for most counseling or straight "social work" jobs, including government stuff, but only if you are very sure you want to be a social worker. Otherwise, more debt-- I am assuming you'd do PSLF to get the forgiveness, but less debt is better for public sector work. Be very, very, very sure of the job you want before getting additional degrees, unless you can go for free.

Will social work employers ask about college discipline? Or will they just do the standard criminal background check (which for me would turn out clean as I don't have a criminal record)? Also, do they normally drug test?

Also considering alternate careers. Between social work and teaching (K-12) what path is more likely to lead to a FTLT jerb? Which field has a better outlook? I'm torn between the two. I've heard that K-12 teaching has gotten glutted in the past 10-15 years.

Anonymous User wrote:Will social work employers ask about college discipline? Or will they just do the standard criminal background check (which for me would turn out clean as I don't have a criminal record)? Also, do they normally drug test?

If you disclosed this shit to your law school, you'll pass C&F.

Desert Fox wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Will social work employers ask about college discipline? Or will they just do the standard criminal background check (which for me would turn out clean as I don't have a criminal record)? Also, do they normally drug test?

If you disclosed this shit to your law school, you'll pass C&F.

Tulane accepted a convicted murderer a few years ago. Some schools care more about $$$ than whether their grads can pass the bar.

BlueLotus wrote:

Desert Fox wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Will social work employers ask about college discipline? Or will they just do the standard criminal background check (which for me would turn out clean as I don't have a criminal record)? Also, do they normally drug test?

If you disclosed this shit to your law school, you'll pass C&F.

Tulane accepted a convicted murderer a few years ago. Some schools care more about $$$ than whether their grads can pass the bar.

The point is that C&F won't reject OP for this kind of thing, but they might care about a failure to disclose it.

Well there is some worry. but what people think is "very bad" is often something that gets through.

If you got caught cheating like 15 times, including on finanical aid paperwork, lying before tribunals and stuff, I could see it matter.

OP talk to a c&f attoreny.

But if this is just "I got caught with pot three times" I'll slap the dick out of your mouth.

MSW here. There's really no benefit to having a JD. In direct practice, I would imagine it would probably even be a negative, but I've only really come across a few people and jd's and msws and they all work in policy/advocacy type stuff. Many states require licensure to be a social worker (DC and NY come to mind). Others don't (Washington and Oregon come to mind). You can definitely be a case manager w/o an MSW. It will probably be low paying like 20k to 30k. Jobs are pretty abundant if you don't care where you end up. They're basically always looking for social workers and social services professionals in rural and remote locations. The jobs also usually offer high pay relative to the COL and attractive relocation packages to attract qualified candidates.

I work as Child Protection social worker right now. If you want to work in child welfare, it's pretty easy to get a free MSW. Look into the Title IV-E program at your local school. You'll have your entire MSW paid for and a guaranteed job upon graduation. They'll probably even hire you before you finish, depending on licensure requirements in your state/your credentials.

dixiecupdrinking wrote:

BlueLotus wrote:

Desert Fox wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Will social work employers ask about college discipline? Or will they just do the standard criminal background check (which for me would turn out clean as I don't have a criminal record)? Also, do they normally drug test?

If you disclosed this shit to your law school, you'll pass C&F.

Tulane accepted a convicted murderer a few years ago. Some schools care more about $$$ than whether their grads can pass the bar.

The point is that C&F won't reject OP for this kind of thing, but they might care about a failure to disclose it.

OP here. My lawl school is aware of the misconduct and I plan to disclose fully and candidly on my bar app.

Anonymous User wrote:MSW here. There's really no benefit to having a JD. In direct practice, I would imagine it would probably even be a negative, but I've only really come across a few people and jd's and msws and they all work in policy/advocacy type stuff. Many states require licensure to be a social worker (DC and NY come to mind). Others don't (Washington and Oregon come to mind). You can definitely be a case manager w/o an MSW. It will probably be low paying like 20k to 30k. Jobs are pretty abundant if you don't care where you end up. They're basically always looking for social workers and social services professionals in rural and remote locations. The jobs also usually offer high pay relative to the COL and attractive relocation packages to attract qualified candidates.

I work as Child Protection social worker right now. If you want to work in child welfare, it's pretty easy to get a free MSW. Look into the Title IV-E program at your local school. You'll have your entire MSW paid for and a guaranteed job upon graduation. They'll probably even hire you before you finish, depending on licensure requirements in your state/your credentials.

Does social worker licensure involve a C&F type determination? Would they find out about my college discipline?

Desert Fox wrote:Well there is some worry. but what people think is "very bad" is often something that gets through.

If you got caught cheating like 15 times, including on finanical aid paperwork, lying before tribunals and stuff, I could see it matter.

OP talk to a c&f attoreny.

But if this is just "I got caught with pot three times" I'll slap the dick out of your mouth.

The college discipline involved harassment/verbal abuse. I can't go too much into detail on here without outing myself. My school placed me on probation for a year, and I was forced to withdraw and seek mental health treatment in the hiatus. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which was an underlying cause of my behavioral problems. No criminal charges.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:MSW here. There's really no benefit to having a JD. In direct practice, I would imagine it would probably even be a negative, but I've only really come across a few people and jd's and msws and they all work in policy/advocacy type stuff. Many states require licensure to be a social worker (DC and NY come to mind). Others don't (Washington and Oregon come to mind). You can definitely be a case manager w/o an MSW. It will probably be low paying like 20k to 30k. Jobs are pretty abundant if you don't care where you end up. They're basically always looking for social workers and social services professionals in rural and remote locations. The jobs also usually offer high pay relative to the COL and attractive relocation packages to attract qualified candidates.

I work as Child Protection social worker right now. If you want to work in child welfare, it's pretty easy to get a free MSW. Look into the Title IV-E program at your local school. You'll have your entire MSW paid for and a guaranteed job upon graduation. They'll probably even hire you before you finish, depending on licensure requirements in your state/your credentials.

Does social worker licensure involve a C&F type determination? Would they find out about my college discipline?

Yes there is a C&F type determination. You'd probably have to look up the process in your state. It's not really as uniform as the bar, to my knowledge.

Would this social services position be considered "JD Advantage"?
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/k8hnmt8HGCH4/

I have volunteered extensively with survivors of trauma in legal aid agencies. In addition, before lawl school I was a domestic violence hotline advocate (pay in the low 30s).

BlueLotus wrote:Would this social services position be considered "JD Advantage"?
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/k8hnmt8HGCH4/

I have volunteered extensively with survivors of trauma in legal aid agencies. In addition, before lawl school I was a domestic violence hotline advocate (pay in the low 30s).

I'd doubt it. I bet a JD would probably make you overqualified. I know many people who work as advocates for victim of crime/dv and it's generally a bachelor's level job.

^So when applying to jerbs such as that should I leave the JD off the resume?

Is a JD a plus for K-12 teaching jobs?

What are good sources for scoping out social work jobs other than Idealist?