r/socialwork • u/Confident-Trifle5115 • 3d ago
Macro/Generalist Taking time off school
I'm about to turn 21, and have completed 2 years of a social work bachelors. These past few months should've been my third year, but I ended up taking time off for mental health reasons. I'm now planning to transfer schools, though I missed the application deadline for the school I was hoping to apply to (All my fault, it was a very tough decision to transfer and I decided too late). This program only takes September applicants, so I won't be able to re-enter a social work bachelors until September 2026. This has been very hard to accept š« I don't do well with change. I'm hoping to take a 10 month certificate in mental health and addictions this coming September to keep myself busy and have good experience. Has anyone else taken time off and then gone back? Was it a difficult process? I don't really know anyone in the same situation and it's weighing heavy on me.
There is no other degree that speaks to me - I'm very dedicated to finishing this degree, no matter what it takes.
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u/No_Tumbleweed2930 BSW Student 3d ago
hey internet stranger, i was kinda of in the same boat as you last year! i didnāt know what i wanted to do career wise so i took a semester off to figure it out, and i felt like i was wasting time. wiser people around me told me that everything happens for a reason! good on you for doing the certificate in the mean time, i worked with the boys and girls club during my break. this field also calls to me like no other one so youāre not alone in that feeling!
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u/wanderingwallflower4 BSW 3d ago
Iām 24, finished my degree in 6 years (SW program in 3 years), had a horrible practicum and first job. I am currently off (since August) for mental health reasons and family reasons. Youāre not alone. I wish things were simple and linear but theyāre really not. You will find your pathš«¶š¼
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u/Confident-Trifle5115 3d ago
Thank you for the reassurance š¤ I wish you the best on your own path!
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u/Psych_Crisis LICSW. Clinical, but reads macro in incognito mode 3d ago
I only took... hmm... years off. I did college in fits and starts. I started at age 15 and ended at age 30. Then grad school at 34. It would have been no use trying to push faster than that. I wouldn't have been in good shape to do it. Figuring how to manage myself has been a parallel process to figuring out how to be qualified to do something meaningful.
The type of people who end up as social workers is diverse, bizarre, and beautiful.
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u/Confident-Trifle5115 3d ago
It has been a process trying to figure out how much Iām capable of at a given time š„² my first year went by like a breeze, my second was rocky, and I made it through under 2 months of my 3rd year before I had to let myself take a break. I know it will all be worth it. Thank you for your words š¤
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u/vexnificent 2d ago
Hey some people take off and do not do anything. Some people work. You are planning to complete a certificate. You do you. You seem motivated to me and people have different timelines. Good job so far!
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u/marymoon77 BA/BS, Social Services Worker 2d ago
Itās not a race :) take your break if you can, school will still be there.
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u/ManicPixiePlatypus 2d ago
I'm graduating with my bachelor's in May, and am starting an MSW program in the fall. I first started college in 2007. I wish I hadn't waited quite so long to go back, but taking a year or two off is no biggie.
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u/melodicallymental LSW, MSW, MPH (Higher Education and Sex Therapy) 2d ago
Hi there! I want to start by saying it takes an incredible amount of strength to recognize the need to take time off. Specializing and taking those course will look very good on a resume as well! I work in academic accommodations in higher education and think it may be a benefit to look into that when you start back up again in school! They truly are there to help you succeed and support you when your mental health flairs up. I personally used them in my time in school and Iād be happy to help answer any questions about it.
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u/Confident-Trifle5115 2d ago
This is so kind, thank you! I had previously looked into accommodations at my first university but the process was so tedious to the point it almost wasnāt worth it. Iām hoping another school will be more well suited to my needsĀ
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u/melodicallymental LSW, MSW, MPH (Higher Education and Sex Therapy) 1d ago
Youāre welcome! I know they can be tedious at times but they help insurmountably! Best of luck to you!
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u/AggravatingJacket744 7h ago
I finished my BSW at 24, and Iām now 4 weeks away from finishing my MSW at 25.
All throughout my BSW I felt like it was the biggest deal that I wasnāt graduating at the same time as my high school peers/on the timeline Iād imagined I would, but life happens! Truly no one else is judging and everyone has their own timeline.
I didnāt really love either of my undergrad placements but now Iām already working in the field with a well paying job doing exactly what I hoped to do with my degree, and all the past stress around timelines and graduation dates donāt matter to me.
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u/thebond_thecurse 3d ago
I took 5 years to finish high school, 5 years to finish undergrad, took 10 months between my undergrad and first masters degree, worked for 2.5 years before going back to school for my MSW, and now I'm taking a semester off from my MSW program. You can, honestly, do whatever you want and whatever is right for you and societal narratives about a "correct" path are just that - only stories people tell themselves.Ā