Is a Community Support Worker a Good Career?

Prior to selecting a program, it’s important to have a clear understanding of what your career after graduation will actually look like for you. Many students rush to the sound of a program only to find out they don’t love the job as much as they thought they would. In this post, we want to explore the depths and benefits of working as a community support worker. A community support worker is a great position for someone who has strong interpersonal communication, and is patient and empathetic. Below, we’ll discuss the reasons why becoming a community supporter worker is great, and while reading the points, ask yourself, is a community support worker a good career for me?

1. Job Variety
2. Make a Difference
3. Personal Gratification
4. Job Flexibility 
5. Patient Oriented

Job Variety

Unlike many fields, working as a community support worker offers a ton of variety when it comes to the areas you can work it. If you find you are passionate about many fields and aren’t sure which one you want to focus on, this is a great path to take. You can try out a number of different client areas before you decide on the one you are most passionate about. There are many work areas to choose from, including but not limited to, nursing and retirement homes, youth centres, agencies, private home care, and women’s shelters. Seeing all of the different work area, this also means the type of work you do as a community support worker changes within each position. If you are someone who thrives off a challenging diverse scope of work, a career as a community support worker would be a great choice.

Make a difference

As a community support worker, with your help and advocacy, your clients will grow and hopefully work toward living fuller lives. You take on the fight and help for the rights for your clients, who often are people who cannot fight for themselves. Each day, even if only a little bit, you will see a difference and the positive impact you have made on your client or clients.

Personal gratification

If you are someone who wants personal gratification out of your job–choosing a career as a community support worker may be a great choice for you. As a community support worker, like mentioned above, your main goal is to help others who are in need. Not only do you assist your clients, but you also help them develop skill sets and coping mechanisms that help them gain independence and control over their lives. This is an extremely rewarding and gratifying aspect of the job. If you are someone who thrives off of bringing happiness to others and working through tough situations with patience, a career as a community support worker would be extremely gratifying.

Job Flexibility

If you are someone who isn’t interested in a typical weekday 9-5 work schedule, a career as a community support worker may be right for you. Depending on your place of work and your role, when you have clients, they will need your help every single day, year round. This may mean evening and weekend shifts. Now, of course, these types of jobs involve shift work and you can adjust and can typically work around a schedule that works best for you. On the other hand, if you are interested in 9-5, you have the opportunity to find work within that too.  As you can tell, it’s an incredibly flexible career field to be in.

Patient-oriented

Anyone who is considering a job as a community support worker has to be someone who enjoys working with patients every single day, sometimes around the clock. They must display great passion, patience and empathy for the work they do. If this sounds like you, this may be another indicator a job in the community support field is right for you. Whether it’s speaking with your team, your patient’s, families, or answering questions, there will always be some sort of interaction in your job. If you thrive working with and helping others, you will find many reasons to love your job.

Hopefully after reading the above points you have a better understanding of if a career as a community support worker is for you. It’s important to note that a career in this field could be a reality for you sooner than you think. It doesn’t take long to become a community support worker and Robertson College offers courses both online at our Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg campuses. At Robertson, we are committed to providing you with career services and evidence-informed education that goes beyond the standards. Reach out to a Robertson Admissions Advisor today for more information.