Career Development in Social Work

Uniting passion with lifelong purpose.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, social work employment is expected to increase through 2029. The aging baby boom generation is driving the demand for social workers. Likewise, the need for social workers specializing in children and family, school social workers, substance abuse, mental health, and healthcare is projected to rise. Social Work jobs are projected to have an average 13% growth rate –faster than the average growth that is projected for all occupations from 2019 to 2029.

Graduates of the Simmons School of Social Work are among the most prepared and sought-after professionals ready to meet these needs.

Throughout the year, the School of Social Work and the Career Education Center host events to support student career planning and preparation. Career Connections in January features several workshops on writing a professional social work resume and creating a successful job search strategy. In mid-Winter the SSW hosts a recruitment fair attended by over 40 local employers; in early Spring we co-sponsor with the State registration board several workshops on the LCSW licensing process. Students can also access the career counseling services at the University’s Career Education Center. Professional Social Work Job openings are posted on the School of Social Work job board and on the University’s Handshake online career resource. Employers can submit new job listings through our online form.

First jobs for recent SSW graduates

  • Clinical Social Worker, Emergency Department of Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Child and Family Social Worker, Home for Little Wanderers
  • Clinical Social Worker, Cardiovascular Medicine Division of Brigham and Women’s Hospital · Clinical Social Worker, Fenway Health
  • Clinical Social Worker, Seasons Hospice, Norwood, Massachusetts
  • Clinical Social Worker, Neurology Unit of Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Clinical Social Worker, Veterans Administration Boston Health Care System
  • Clinical Social Worker and Intake Coordinator, Southern Jamaica Plain Community Health Center, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Emergency Services Clinician, BEST Team
  • Inpatient Psychiatry Social Worker, Worcester State Hospital
  • School Social Worker, Revere Public Schools
  • Sibling and Group Social Worker, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
  • Social Work Supervisor at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Children and Families
  • Behavioral Health Integrated Therapist, Codman Square Health Center, Dorchester, Massachusetts
  • Child and Family Clinician, Whittier Street Health Center, Roxbury, Massachusetts
  • Clinician Care Coordinator, North Suffolk Mental Health
  • Bilingual Dual- Diagnosis Clinician, Casa Esperanza, Boston
  • Director of LGBTQ Services at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Division of Student Life
  • Fellow, Ruderman Fellowship in Gerontological Social Work at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Clinical Social Worker, Smart Team, South End Community Health Center
  • Clinical Social Worker, The Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights
  • School Social Worker, Victor School, Justice Resource Center
  • Counselors in the Simmons Counseling Center
  • Medical Social Worker in Cardiology at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Addictions Specialist at the North Charles Institute for the Addictions in Somerville, Massachusetts
  • Social Worker and Family Services Manager, City of Somerville, Massachusetts

 

Social Work Career Resources


Job board

Check out our job board for job opportunities.

Submit a job

Do you have a job to post? Employers can submit new job listings through our online form.

Meet Our Alumnae/i

Johs Ozer

Social Work Alum on Oncology Social Work at Dana-Farber

Josh Ozer ’24MSW is a clinical social worker at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston where he provides one-on-one counseling to patients as well as psychosocial support to their families and caregivers.


University Archivist Kelsey Kolbet '21MS/MA assists Archives Field Placement student Abigail Smith '22MS, video still by Ashley Purvis.

Archivist Cherishes Communal Essence of Libraries

National Library Lovers’ Month is, according to the Boston Public Library, “a time to recognize the value of libraries and all the special things we love about them.” To celebrate National Library Lovers’ Month, we spoke with University Archivist Kelsey Kolbet ’21MS/MA about her love of archives and women’s history, and why she chose Simmons.


Photo of a violin being held to the sky. Photograph by M.t.lifshits, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Creative Commons.

Simmons Alumna Broadcasts Joy of Music

Longtime classical music and opera lover Felice Coral ’74, who studied biology and nursing at Simmons and in 2014 retired from a career in consulting and oncological research, serves as a DJ for WOMR. For the Provincetown community radio station...


Shelves full of children's books. Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash.

Alumnae/i Receive Awards from American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) announced winners of the 2025 Youth Media Awards, including Breanna J. McDaniel ’14MA, Gabe Cole Novoa ’19MFA, Stephanie Seales ’09MA, and Sacha Lamb ’20MS/MA.


A student sits on a bench outside a building on the Simmons University campus

Nursing Alumna Brings Compassionate Care to Baltimore

Registered Nurse and Dotson Bridge and Mentoring Program Mentor Amanda Lee Davis ’15 recently relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, where she has already made a significant impression on the city’s healthcare community. She is also pursuing a doctoral degree at Johns Hopkins University.


Rebecca McDermott ’24MSW

Empowering Youth: Social Work Alumna on Trauma-Informed Care

Rebecca McDermott is a clinician at Glenhaven Academy, a therapeutic residential school in Marlborough, Massachusetts. She works with students ages 12 to 21 with complex behavioral and mental health issues, providing trauma-informed individual therapy, as well as family and group therapy and case and IEP management.


Corrie Locke-Hardy standing at a counter with a plate of donuts

Feeding the Revolution Through Baking and Activism

Corrie Locke-Hardy '20MA combines her love of baking with social activism with her cookbook, The Revolution Will Be Well Fed.


Dianna Shaw

Internship Inspires Alumnae/i Career in Healthcare

Dianna Shaw ’92, who majored in psychology and sociology at Simmons, was interviewed by The Bay Magazine about her over 30-year career assisting older adults.