Career Development

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

Stephanie Wladkowski ’14PhD

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Stephanie Wladkowski ’14PhD was a clinical social worker in hospice care when policy changes impacted her clinical practice. In a search for answers, Wladkowski began her PhD in Social Work at Simmons. Her dissertation, “Dementia Caregivers and Live Discharge from Hospice: What Happens When Hospice Leaves?,” has inspired further research in the field.


Nathan Brewer ’10MSW ’18PhD

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Nathan Brewer ’10MSW ’18PhD is Director of the Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center (SARP) at Boston University (BU). After receiving his Master’s in Social Work from Simmons, he returned to the University to pursue his PhD in Social Work alongside his clinical practice. We spoke to Brewer about his experience in the program, and his current work at Boston University.


Hannah Ibañez ’13

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Hannah Ibañez ’13 is a Level 2 Public Defender in Los Angeles who was appointed to the United States Access Board by President Joe Biden. She spoke with us about her passion for social justice, her love of philosophy, and her fondest memories of Simmons.


Kerri Axelrod ’22DPD

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Chimene Agogo ’23MSW

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Since joining the Simmons University Alumnae/i Association Executive Board (AAEB), Kelly O’Connell ’99 has helped launch the Simmons Tuesday Tea Podcast, and co-hosted the Byond Balance event last November. On April 2, AAEB is hosting a special Simmons campus screening of “Show Her The Money,” a documentary that delves into the gender gap in venture capital funding with a focus on empowering women entrepreneurs.