WELCOME 2: TWENTITY.COM ~ The Home for Twentysomethings

Stepping Up The Game - 2-14-07

"(Affirmation) ”But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law”. –Galatians 5:22-23, New International Version

Name: Tyrone Lamont Waters

Age: 27

Where are you from?

I was born in Alamogordo, New Mexico and lived down there for about 2 years and my family moved up to New Britain, CT where I have lived most of my life. For about the past four years I have lived in Newington.

What college did you attend?

I received my bachelor’s degree in social work
(BSW) from Central Connecticut State University
(CCSU) in May 2003; I received my master’s degree in social work (MSW) from University of Connecticut (UCONN) in May 2006.

Why did you pick your major?

I believe God blessed me with the ability to help others. I receive joy from encouraging, and motivating others to reach their fullest potential in life. In entering college at CCSU, I did not declare a major right away because I wanted to explore what classes grabbed my interest. I enjoyed subjects such as Sociology, African American Studies, and Psychology. When my advisor asked me what type of career would satisfy me, instinctually, the first thing I told him was “I wanted to help people”. He gave me a paper of some majors, and Social Work stood out for me. A few things that I liked about the major were that I would have various internships working with people in social service agencies. I learn best by “doing” and gaining experience in the work place (social service agency). I really enjoyed the fact that I would be applying my social work theories learned in the classroom with my internship experiences.

What are your future plans for your career?

I currently work for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) as a mental health worker in a psychiatric hospital called Cedar Crest Hospital. My next step is to move up to a Social Work position so that I am able to obtain my license to become a License Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). This process takes two years because I need to have 2,900 hours with my clients and 100 hours of supervision with my LCSW supervisor. After my hours of supervision, I need to take my Social Work Exam. After successfully passing the exam with a score of 80 % or better I obtain my LCSW. The LCSW puts me in a more marketable position as a social worker. My salary will increase substantially. Also, the LCSW will allow me to run my own private practice. I would like to run my own nonprofit agency one day, and my LCSW would give me a substantial amount of leverage for gaining funds when applying for grants.

How are you preparing yourself for this career?

First and foremost, I lay a solid career foundation down by praying to Jesus Christ to help lead me down the right direction. I have been led to prepare myself to take the Social Work Exam by reading up on my social work literature from my undergrad and graduate social work classes. Online there is a wonderful site that also helps prepare for the social work exam called www.socialworkexam.com. I am also networking within my current job at Cedar Crest Hospital and forming positive relationships with the social workers and nurses within the facility so that they can help endorse me as the top candidate to fill the social work position when an opening arises. In terms of networking within the workplace, if people see that you a good worker, and have good character, they will usually support you with your career advancement within the facility. I also am networking outside of the work place by talking with other individuals with their LCSW, and gaining knowledge from them by tapping into their experience with having and/or giving supervision and taking the Social Work exam.

What are the downsides to this profession?

In this profession, you probably will not be a millionaire or reap salaries of an investment banker or an accountant executive. You can live a very comfortable life as a social worker. I don’t mind having a nice Honda Civic in a beautiful brick home; I don’t need the Porsche and a mansion. Also, in this profession, if you do not have the passion, patience, and love for helping others who are in need, then there is a chance that you may burn out (become extremely stressed out). If you find yourself feeling energized by helping others this field is for you; if you find yourself feeling drained, you may have to reconsider another profession.

How might this career be a stepping stone for other professions?

Social work opens up the gate to many professional opportunities. In social work, you can work with just about any existing population in the world such as youth, the elderly, the hospitalized, foreigners, the mentally disabled, individuals addicted to drugs etc…. You can work with all sorts of individuals from different ethnicities, and economic backgrounds. I mention the diverseness of the profession to point out that you can use your experience working with a particular population and branch off into a career such as: becoming a principle within a school system (a principle needs to encourage others and problem solve at an administrative level). You can become a politician (ideally a politician should be a public servant). You can become a lawyer who fights for individuals’ civil rights. You can become an author who rights about a particular social issue, or experiences with a particular population. These are just some of the professional directions one can move toward; I would imagine that there are thousands more.

What is the single-most important piece of advice you can offer a person pursing this career?

Keep God first, get your degrees (BSW & MSW), get licensed (LCSW), and continue to network with others in the profession to gain support and knowledge in the field.

What professional or community volunteer organizations are you currently a member of?

I am a member of Phillips Metropolitan CME Church located 2550 Main St. Hartford, CT under Pastor James B. Walker www.phillipscme.org.

I am a member and the Community Outreach Coordinator for a networking organization called the Urban Professionals Network www.ctupn.com. This organization hosts various professional and social events throughout CT to bring urban professionals and the greater community together in order to enhance opportunities individually and collectively as a community.

I volunteer at an after school program within Hartford’s North End through the Urban League of Greater Hartford. The after school (Weaver High School in Hartford, CT) program’s general objectives are to teach the youth how to become marketable upon graduating which focus on skills such as: how to interview for a job, fill out a college application, resume building, and dress professionally, etc….

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