Ask a child what they want to become when they grow up, and you will hear answers such as doctors, engineers etc. Rarely, if ever, will you hear them say that they want to become a social worker. The reason behind this is that people feel that social work pays are very low. But they will be surprised to hear, that there are some social workers who earn a really good living.

When one begins as a social worker at the entry level position they are not paid very well. In fact the entry level positions also demand a lot of paper work, in addition to family work. Still there is no doubt that the job of a social worker is in itself extremely rewarding. Just seeing somebody achieve true change right in front of their eyes, is nothing short of a miracle. These are the kind of people who are really working for the purpose of bringing about a change in society, and often overlook the low pay. They believe that their true reward comes from bringing a positive change in the lives of the troubled people. Although the possibility that with the passage of time these individuals will also become dissatisfied with the pay, cannot be completely ruled out. But these people have the option of moving up within an agency, or starting a private practice to add to their income.

As time goes by and the social workers become more experienced, their pay scale will continue increasing. A significant factor that is a major determinant of their pay scale is their education when they begin working. Plus the kind of social work that they opt for also matters a lot.

What's more, there are several sub categories of social work and every individual category plays a different role in the amount of money that you will earn at the end of the day. For instance lets' say that there is some kind of counseling that is to be administered in a high security setting such as a prison, then in that case the pay is going to be quite good. Then there is the field of teaching. If the social worker decides to focus on the educational areas of the respective career, then their starting salary is going to be something around thirty thousand dollars annually, which is not bad at all.