SOCIAL SERVICES & COMMUNITY MANAGER

Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of a social service program or community outreach organization. Oversee the program or organization’s budget and policies regarding participant involvement, program requirements, and benefits. Work may involve directing social workers, counselors, or probation officers.

Adoption Services Manager, Child Welfare Services Director, Children’s Service Supervisor, Clinical Services Director, Community Services Director, Psychiatric Social Worker Supervisor, Social Services Director, Transitional Care Director, Vocational Rehabilitation Administrator

• Workers on average earn $33.46/hr. – $69,600 annual.
• Projected Growth (2019-2029) Much faster than average (8% or Higher)
• Projected job openings (2019-2029) 17,100

High School Diploma/Equivalent, Bachelor’s Degree

While attending Randolph High School in Randolph, MA, I participated in sports, affinity groups, and community service projects which all later helped me to plan for my future career. After high school, I attended Framingham State University where I received my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. My post high-school educational experiences were very pivotal in helping me to better understand the society I live in. I went from having a graduating class of 90% of students coming from minority backgrounds and many teachers/staff of color to the polar opposite in college. It was hard feeling like I was not represented in the classroom or at the executive/ administrative level. I had to work extra hard to find different ways to connect with peers and faculty who could become my support group and understood who I was and where I came from in order to help guide me to where I was going. After college, I initially worked in the accounting and later the finance industry while always doing volunteer community work in my free time. I eventually made a career change and pursued full-time work in what I was so passionate about: serving the same type of community I come from. Today, I am the Resident Services Manager at the Pelham Life-Long Learning Center in Framingham, MA. In my position, I oversee and manage the implementation of enrichment programming for adults and youth in the Pelham community and beyond. Since receiving this role, I have come to find that my ability to not take anything any client or staff member says or does personally or allow it to stop me from achieving the goals that I have set out for myself has been a major reason why I have been successful in my line of work. Also, I make sure to be intentional about being on top of my own self-care so I don’t burn out so easily, which this field of work can make an individual do. My favorite part of my job is getting to be a positive and impactful agent of change in the lives of people at any stage of life they are in and getting the feeling of giving back to the community around me. A challenge in this role is the fact that you will not always get the results you want for an individual or family that you are serving and that that is okay, as long as you can genuinely say that you displayed due diligence and even asked for outside assistance where necessary to meet the client’s needs. In terms of my future career goals, I am eventually aiming to start more organizations of my own doing more impactful work and creating more leaders who will eventually do the same.

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