An important part of finding your place in the field is understanding your own goals and values, and finding an environment that reflects those. This includes not just the work you do, but the agency (or agencies) that you work within. This means having a good grasp on your own views and making sure you have a good awareness of the goals and values of the organizations you are considering (figure 12.1).

Figure 12.1. It is important to be thinking about your values and goals as you develop your professional identity

12.3.1 Understanding Yourself

The first step in finding your fit is to have a deep understanding of what is important to you in the work that you do. You may want to find work in the field that reflects some of your personal strengths. For example, if you have an easy time establishing rapport with young people, you may decide to focus on finding positions that work with youth. In addition, maybe you enjoy being outdoors and find office work a bit repetitive. This may lead you to seek agencies that do field-based work with youth, such as residential treatment or wilderness-based programs.

In contrast, you may decide you want to focus on areas of growth. You may have years of experience working with small children, but now decide you’d like to work with a different age group. You may be comfortable working in large bureaucracies and decide you’d like to understand more about working in a smaller community organization.

In addition to understanding your strengths and challenges, it is important to be realistic about your limitations. You may have other obligations, such as family or spiritual practices, that limit your availability. You will want to focus on agencies that can work with your schedule. Another limitation faced by many students involves transportation. If you do not drive or do not have access to a car, you will need to focus on agencies that are near public transportation and work that does not involve home visits or traveling to other agencies.

Try to think ahead of time about what are your preferences versus what is non-negotiable for you. You may prefer a regular 9-to-5, Monday through Friday schedule, but you may want to consider other positions that match your values and goals but require working weekends. However, you may have a religious practice that prohibits working on certain days or that has services that you feel are significant and cannot be missed. This would represent a non-negotiable. For example, you might receive a job offer upon graduation that is the exact position you are looking to secure, but with an agency that is located in a city 20 miles from your home. While you would prefer to work locally, you may decide the position itself is such a great match that an extended commute is tolerable.

Finally, you must also be aware of how the work matches your worldview, and focus on positions and organizations that match that view. This may include views about the field that involve macro-level policies such as immigration or healthcare, or views that are more personal and on the micro level, such as abortion or LGBTQIA+ rights.

12.3.2 Personal Values

Directly related to worldview are personal values. Your own values will be an important part of your professional identity in the human services field. Some values are part of the profession, such as social justice, but your own personal values will also influence what type of role and agency you will want to work in. Sometimes this means choosing between competing values—a position that works with an issue you feel passionate about versus working with an agency that reflects your value of embracing diversity.

12.3.3 Positionality

Positionality refers to your awareness of your own social identities and how those fit with others and within a power structure. Again, this takes some introspection about who we are and how others see us. Awareness of our own privileges can help us navigate the structures within the agency, and also develop an understanding of how we are seen by our clients and our colleagues.

12.3.5 Professionalism

Transitioning from a student perspective to a professional one involves commitment to the profession of human services itself. Being part of a profession—a career that requires education, formal training and degrees or certifications—means that you will adhere to a code of ethical standards, commit to lifelong learning, and strive to continue the development of human services. This can include activities such as attending professional conferences, reading, discussing, or even conducting research, advocating for legislation, and belonging to a professional organization. Listed below are three common professional organizations that even students can belong to:

• National Organization for Human Services (NOHS)
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
• National Council on Family Relations (NCFR)